Access Franklin County District Court

Franklin County District Court Overview

The Franklin County District and Magistrate Court operates from the county justice offices in Preston. Idaho does not use separate county courts at law or justice of the peace courts for Franklin County. Instead, the District Court is the main trial court, and the Magistrate Division handles many high-volume public matters within the same state court structure.

Franklin County is in Idaho's Sixth Judicial District with Bannock, Bear Lake, Caribou, Oneida, and Power counties. The county court page lists District Judge Robert C. Naftz and Magistrate Judge Eric S. Hunn. It also names the local deputy clerks who handle district civil and criminal schedules, magistrate criminal and juvenile matters, magistrate civil work, record requests, and jury commissioner duties.

The Idaho Judicial Branch describes this as a unified statewide court system. Local Franklin County District Court records may be searched through Idaho iCourt for public case status and hearing information, but full case documents may require the courthouse public kiosk or a written request to the clerk where the case was filed.

The Idaho Judicial Branch District Court page confirms Franklin County's place in the Sixth Judicial District.

The Idaho District Courts resource is useful for the statewide structure behind the Franklin County District Court.

That statewide structure matters because Franklin County users often move between local court counters, iCourt records, and Sixth District specialty court resources.

Franklin County Court Locations

Franklin County uses one local court address for both District Court and Magistrate Court functions. That is a key difference from states with several numbered county courts or justice courts. The District Judge and Magistrate Judge may hear different case types, but the public-facing court address and main court phone are the same.

Linda Hampton is listed for District Judge schedules and district civil and criminal matters. Maria Delgado is listed for magistrate criminal and juvenile matters. Crystal DeLong is listed for magistrate civil and jury commissioner work, while Mike Bosen handles office support, record requests, and jury duties.

Sixth District problem-solving court materials describe district resources that may serve eligible participants across the region.

Those district resources should be treated as regional programs, not as proof that every Franklin County defendant or case qualifies.

District Court vs Magistrate Division

Franklin County court users should think in terms of District Court and the Magistrate Division, not county court versus justice court. The research found no separate Franklin County county court at law, justice of the peace court, or municipal court system in the official county and state sources reviewed.

For Franklin County District Court records, the case type often explains which side of the trial court system created the record. Felony charges and larger civil cases generally point to District Court. Traffic infractions, misdemeanors, small claims, many family matters, juvenile matters, probate, guardianship, and conservatorship often begin in the Magistrate Division.

Note: A missing public portal result can mean the case is sealed, restricted, older, misspelled, or available only through the courthouse records process.

Franklin County Case Flow

Case movement in Franklin County depends on whether the matter is criminal, civil, family, probate, or traffic. A criminal case may begin with arrest or citation, move through magistrate first appearance and preliminary stages, and then proceed to District Court if felony charges are filed. A civil case usually begins when a complaint or petition is filed and served, followed by an answer, motions, hearings, trial, judgment, and possible appeal.

Criminal flow: Arrest or citation › Magistrate first appearance › preliminary hearing when required › information or indictment › arraignment › pretrial hearings › plea or trial › disposition › sentencing › appeal.

Civil flow: Complaint or petition › service › answer › motions › settlement work or mediation when used › hearing or trial › judgment › post-judgment action › appeal.

These steps may appear in iCourt as hearing entries, chronological case events, judgments, payments, and status updates. Full pleadings, orders, audio, and certified copies are handled through the kiosk or Franklin County records request form when public access is allowed.

Franklin County District Court Records

Franklin County District Court records can include case numbers, party names, captions, filing dates, hearing settings, judicial officer names, case status, docket events, judgments, and disposition details. Public electronic records in Idaho generally go back to 1995, though some older data may exist. The public portal omits personal identifiers such as social security numbers, addresses, phone numbers, driver license numbers, financial account numbers, and other protected data.

The written Franklin County court records request form is the copy channel for records that cannot be fully handled online. The form covers copies, certified documents, audio for a specific hearing date, and older files. It also states that cases can be researched at the court public kiosk or at iCourt, which makes the local workflow clear: search online first, inspect locally if needed, then request copies or certification.

PACER's District of Idaho lookup is separate from Franklin County District Court because federal cases are not stored in Idaho iCourt.

Use PACER only when the case is federal, such as a District of Idaho civil or criminal matter, not for ordinary Franklin County trial court records.

Sixth Judicial District Resources

The Sixth Judicial District connects Franklin County with nearby southeastern Idaho counties. Regional resources may include problem-solving courts, treatment court information, public defense links, family court services, and court assistance materials. The Franklin County court page links self-help forms, jury resources, hearings and results, online court payments, and detention-center information.

The Court Assistance Office local listing names Kaybree Ozburn at the Franklin County Clerk of the Court, with service Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. or by appointment. That narrower self-help schedule differs from the general courthouse hours. People using forms for custody, divorce, protection orders, small claims, guardianship, or conservatorship should check that office before assuming help is available at every courthouse hour.

The U.S. District Court for Idaho CM/ECF page shows the separate federal e-filing system for District of Idaho matters.

Federal access is useful context for records users, but it should not be mixed with Franklin County District and Magistrate Court case searches.

Franklin County Magistrate Court

The Magistrate Division is where many Franklin County residents first encounter the court system. Misdemeanors, infractions, many traffic cases, small claims, family-law matters, juvenile matters, probate, guardianship, and conservatorship can route through this division. The Franklin County court page separates magistrate criminal and juvenile clerk duties from magistrate civil and jury duties, which helps users contact the right counter.

Probate and mental-health hearings are also visible as a Franklin hearing-type option in the iCourt Search Hearings interface. That does not mean every probate or mental-health record is open online. Sensitive protected-person details, juvenile information, medical data, and sealed documents may be restricted under Idaho court rules and statutes.

Federal Defender Services of Idaho is listed in the research for federal defense context, not for state Franklin County magistrate cases.

State appointed counsel questions in Franklin County generally start at first appearance or with the local court, while federal defender services apply to federal cases.