Rule 18 Transfer of case file from magistrate to circuit court when emergency protective order granted

When a magistrate grants an emergency protective order in a financial exploitation case, the case file cannot stay at the magistrate court. The magistrate clerk must send the file to the circuit clerk right away, as soon as the emergency hearing ends.

To make sure this happens quickly, both the circuit clerk's office and the magistrate court staff have to keep a fax machine running at all times, day and night. This way, protective order paperwork can move between courts immediately, even outside normal business hours.

For someone involved in one of these cases, this rule means the case moves fast. If you get an emergency protective order, you can expect the circuit court to have your file almost right away, so the case can keep moving without delay.