9 July 2025

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Beginning next week, the Missouri judiciary will finish rolling out a new feature designed to give attorneys and the public faster access to new civil cases. This new “Auto Create Case” feature is scheduled to be implemented Friday, July 18 in the remaining 16 judicial circuits.

For years, Missouri’s e-filing system has allowed attorneys to file cases at nearly any time, night or day. Previously, those cases would stay in a queue until local court staff could manually create new cases and accept the filings during regular business hours. But by automating the process of electronically accepting new petitions filed in 28 designated civil case types, the Auto Create Case feature eliminates both the clerk queue and the wait. 

With Auto Create Case, the system automatically creates a new case, accepts the petition, assigns a case number and allows the attorney to continue filing additional documents in the case or begin other time-sensitive work. It also makes the new case available automatically for the public to view.

The feature was in planning and development for more than a year. Its pilot started in October in St. Louis County and moved to eight additional counties in late November. It since has expanded to 26 additional counties in April, another 17 counties in May and 21 more counties in June.

Beginning July 18, the new feature will be available in:

• 30th Judicial Circuit (Dallas, Hickory, Polk and Webster counties)
• 32nd Judicial Circuit (Bollinger, Cape Girardeau and Perry counties)
• 33rd Judicial Circuit (Mississippi and Scott counties)
• 34th Judicial Circuit (New Madrid and Pemiscot counties)
• 35th Judicial Circuit (Dunklin and Stoddard counties)
• 36th Judicial Circuit (Butler, Carter and Ripley counties)
• 37th Judicial Circuit (Howell, Oregon and Shannon counties)
• 38th Judicial Circuit (Christian County)
• 39th Judicial Circuit (Barry, Lawrence and Stone counties)
• 40th Judicial Circuit (McDonald and Newton counties)
• 41st Judicial Circuit (Macon and Shelby counties)
• 42nd Judicial Circuit (Crawford, Dent, Iron, Reynolds and Wayne counties)
• 43rd Judicial Circuit (Caldwell, Clinton, Daviess, DeKalb and Livingston counties)
• 44th Judicial Circuit (Douglas, Ozark and Wright counties)
• 45th Judicial Circuit (Lincoln County; Pike County began piloting the feature in November 2024)
• 46th Judicial Circuit (Taney County)

Feedback from the pilot courts is that attorneys should carefully review their filings before submitting them. While attorneys have appreciated the speed at which their new cases have appeared, some have misfiled cases in the wrong division or forgotten to attach their petition, resulting in increased dismissals.

Of particular note for attorneys:

• Nothing new is required. Continue using the eFiling System to file new cases.
• Once you click to “submit” the new filing, it will be accepted as filed automatically.
• Please note: this means you cannot recall your filing and cannot ask local court clerk staff to “hold” a filing. Do not “submit” without being sure you are filing what you need to file – and in the correct division.
• Auto Create Case will apply only to initial filings in designated civil case types. It will not apply to subsequent filings.

Visit the Missouri Courts website for more information about the Auto Create Case feature.

Contact: Beth S. Riggert

Communications Counsel

Supreme Court of Missouri

(573) 751-3676