19th Judicial District Court
District Court: Our mission is to provide courteous and dignified treatment to all citizens, in an environment that always promotes efficient and fair administration of justice
Temporary Rule for Filing in a District Court by a Self Represented Litigant Temp Rule for Self Represented Litigants.pdf
Kansas Judicial Branch Americans with Disabilities Act Americans with Disabilities Act.pdf
The District Court now has a drop box at both locations where individuals can drop off paperwork and payments if those individuals would prefer not to come into the building. Any payments and paperwork must be enclosed in an envelope with a printed copy of the individuals name and a good phone number so the Clerks can contact them if there are any questions or problems with the paperwork or payments. These will be checked by the Clerks twice a day. The Drop box in the Winfield office is located on the East side of the District Court at 311 E 9th in Winfield Kansas next to the entrance, the Drop box for the Ark City office will be located at the West entrance of the Arkansas City Building on 1st St.
Most court hearings will continue to be conducted virtually by Zoom unless specifically scheduled on the docket as an “In Person” appearance. If you want to know about a scheduled court hearing you can click on the dockets for each judge listed at the bottom of this page. You may view non-confidential court proceedings by clicking on a judge’s YouTube Live channel (links in bullet point list below). The Clerk’s office is fully staffed and available to answer telephone inquiries at 620-221-5470 (Winfield) and 620-441-4520 (Arkansas City).
- Amended Administrative Order 22-01.pdf
- COVID-19VisitorAlert.pdf
- Click here for the information on how upcoming Jury Trials will be conducted Plan for Conducting Jury Trials 19th Judicial District_ (002).pdf
The 19th Judicial District is comprised of Cowley County. Cowley County has two court locations. The court in Winfield is in the Cowley County Courthouse, located at 311 E. 9th, Winfield, Kansas. The court in Arkansas City is located on the second floor of the City of Arkansas City municipal building located at 1st and Central Street in Arkansas City, Kansas. Generally cases that end in the letter “W” or begin with "CLW" are heard in Winfield and cases that end in the letter ”A” or begins with "CLA" are heard in Arkansas City. There are a few exceptions to this rule as cases are occasionally transferred between the judges due to possible conflicts of interest or to help manage a judge’s work load.
All jury trials are held in the main courthouse in Winfield.
All limited actions cases are to be filed in the District Court in Winfield.
The courts in Winfield and Arkansas City each hear traffic, criminal, probate, small claims, juvenile, child in need of care, protection from abuse/stalking and general civil cases.
All Domestic cases are filed in Winfield and heard in Winfield.
Marriage licenses may be obtained in the clerk’s office in Winfield or Arkansas City.
Supreme Court Rule 123
Effective July 1st, 2005 the Kansas Supreme Court Rule 123 requires a standard cover sheet on all new cases filed in Kansas. Please see the links below for SC Rule 123 and the sample coversheets. The Adobe (PDF) versions of the cover sheets are forms that allow for completion once downloaded.
The second link on the page is where you may view Administrative Order 194 and Rule 123: https://www.kansasjudicialcouncil.org/legal-forms/forms-use-under-supreme-court-rules/forms-use-under-rules-relating-district-courts-3
This is the link directly to the cover sheet forms: http://www.kansasjudicialcouncil.org/legal-forms/case-filing-cover-sheets
Local Rules for Cowley County District Court, 19th Judicial District of Kansas
Rules of Court
All original actions for divorce or separate maintenance shall be filed in the Cowley County District Court Clerk’s Office in Winfield. Unless otherwise noted, these cases are assigned to the Honorable Judge LaDonna Lanning, Division 3.
Post or Pretrial Motions in existing Domestic Cases should also be filed in Winfield, even if the case was originally filed in the District Court in Arkansas City. These cases are also assigned to the Honorable LaDonna Lanning, Division 3.
Notice hearing dates for Domestic Cases can be obtained by contacting the Domestic Clerk in the Court Clerk’s Office in Winfield, 620-221-5470.
“Please be advised that the Meeting ID and Passcode for all Zoom Court cases will be changing. The last day that the old Meeting ID and Passcode will be used is April 28th, 2025. Please contact Kristin Young for any additional questions or concerns regarding this process.”
Interactive Whiteboards by PolyVision
District Court Judges
Chief Judge
Hon Nicholas St. Peter, Division # 1
Presides over cases in Winfield, with an office located in Winfield.
District Court Judge
Hon Christopher E. Smith, Division # 2
Presiding Judge in the District Court in Arkansas City, with an office located in Arkansas City.
District Court Judge
Hon LaDonna Lanning, Division # 3
Presiding Judge in the District Court in Winfield, with an office located in Winfield.
District Court Staff
Chief Clerk
Cheryl Wilson
The Court Clerk’s office is located in the main courthouse in Winfield. Deputy Court clerks are located at both Winfield and Arkansas City.
Chief Court Services Officer
Joyce Fellers
