In 2013, the municipal courts of St. Louis City and County collected $61,152,087 in fines and fees, 46% of the statewide total despite being home to only 22% of Missourians. In 2023, the City and County courts collected $17,819,458.49 in fines and fees, 31% of the statewide total and 71% less than a decade prior.

How did we get here?

ArchCity Defenders’ 3rd municipal court white paper explains key legislative, litigation, and advocacy efforts that have shifted the region’s legal landscape, presents data on revenue, ticketing, and warrant trends, and highlights how municipal courts continue to harm poor and predominantly Black people. Finally, it reiterates calls by local organizations and legal scholars since 2014 to consolidate St. Louis’s municipal court system.