Data You Give Us Directly
Search Queries
When a visitor enters a name or case number into a search tool on the site, the query is sent to the outside provider that operates that tool. The provider processes the request under its own practices. St. Joseph County Court Docket does not keep a separate log of the search terms entered through the tool.
Messages and Contact Submissions
If you send a message to the site, we retain the message and the information it contains so that it can be handled or answered. It is not sold or disclosed outside our organization unless a valid legal requirement calls for disclosure.
Data We Gather Automatically
Like most websites, the service can receive routine technical information when a page loads. That information may include:
- The IP address associated with the device
- The browser and browser version in use
- Device and operating-system information
- Pages viewed and the time spent on them
- The referring site, when one is supplied
- Dates and times of page requests
Cookies and Analytics
Cookies are small files a browser may store to support site operation and measurement. Analytics tools can combine visit information to show broad traffic and performance patterns. Browser controls may block cookies, although some site functions can then operate differently.
What We Do With This Data
Technical and submitted information may be used for ordinary site operation, including:
- Keeping pages available and responsive
- Passing a search request to the applicable partner tool
- Understanding aggregate traffic and page performance
- Diagnosing and correcting technical problems
- Delivering advertising that may be relevant to visitors
No Court-Record Data on File
St. Joseph County Court Docket does not host, compile, maintain, or sell a database of St. Joseph County court dockets or individual case records. It provides general routing information for the St. Joseph County Clerk’s 45th Circuit Court Division, 3B District Court, 75th Probate Court, and MiCOURT Case Search. Official court records remain with the court or clerk that owns the file. This site is not a consumer reporting agency under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and visitor data is not assembled into consumer reports or third-party profiles.
Third-Party Search Partners
The search boxes displayed on some pages are supplied by independent companies. Information entered into one of those tools is handled under that company’s privacy policy, retention practices, and sharing rules. We do not control a partner’s service, its results, or how it treats a submitted query. Review the partner’s policy before sending information through its tool.
Links to Other Websites
The site links to official St. Joseph County court and clerk pages, the county’s public 3B tools, MiCOURT Case Search, and other external resources. A link takes you to a separately operated website, where that operator’s privacy terms apply. Read those terms before providing personal information there.
Advertising partners may also use their own technology to measure activity across websites or select advertising. That activity occurs within their systems, not a court-record system operated by St. Joseph County Court Docket.
Who Might See Your Data
We do not sell personal data. Information may be shared only with the following kinds of recipients when necessary:
- Search partners that process a query submitted through their tool
- Analytics providers used to measure traffic and performance
- Advertising networks that serve advertising on the site
- Government or law-enforcement authorities when a valid legal demand requires disclosure
How We Protect Your Data
Reasonable operational and technical safeguards are used to protect information that we control. No internet-connected service can promise complete security, however, and visitors should not send sensitive case documents, identifiers, or payment information through an ordinary website message.
Users Under 18
The service is intended for adults and is not designed to collect personal information from people under 18. If you believe a minor has sent personal information directly to the site, notify us so the matter can be reviewed and addressed.
Your Data Rights
Michigan court-record access is governed by judicial rules rather than a county administrative FOIA request. MCR 8.119 addresses access to court records, while the Michigan Freedom of Information Act excludes the judiciary from its ordinary public-body route. Those court-access rules do not replace this site’s privacy practices. For information we control, you may ask us to:
- Provide a copy of the information associated with you
- Correct information that is inaccurate
- Delete information when appropriate
- Explain or limit certain processing where applicable
Updates to This Policy
This policy may change as the site or its services change. A revised version will be posted here with an updated effective date. Review the policy periodically if you want to follow changes in how visitor information is handled.
Effective date: August 27, 2026