How to Check the Status of an Order

Failure to obey a judicial order can result in severe consequences including contempt of court and assessment of fines.

A judicial order, or mandate, is an order given by a judge that all affected parties, regardless of their involvement in the case, are to obey. Once a judge issues an order, it will be filed with the Clerk of the Court and will become effective at the time specified by the judge. The status of an order can be found by contacting the Clerk of the Court, although the Clerk's office will not be able to give you specific details relating to the order. To view specific details, you will need to view the actual order, which will be located in the case file at the Clerk of the Court.

Things You'll Need

• Case number
• Order issue date

Instructions

1. Call the Clerk of the Court in the same district that the case is being heard. When calling, be sure to call the division that is relevant to your case. For instance, do not call the Family Court Division to inquire as to the status of an order issued in a criminal case. A departmental telephone directory is available on virtually all Clerk of Court websites.

2. Provide the representative with the case number and tell her that you are calling to check on the status of an order. Once she locates the case in the system she will be able to see the date that the order was filed and the general details of the order. The representative will be able to assist you with answers to basic questions, but will be unable to go over all of the order's contents with you.

3. Visit the division of the Clerk of the Court with jurisdiction over your case to view the original copy of the order. Be sure to bring the case number with you to the Clerk of the Court. If you would like to make copies, the Clerk of the Court's representative will make them for you for a per-page fee.

References

• The Free Dictionary: Mandate