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The Bicentennial of the Missouri JudiciaryCelebrating Your Courts 1820 ~ 2020

Missouri's official motto translates to "Let the welfare of the people be the supreme law." In accordance with this motto, Missouri's courts have been dedicated to protecting liberty and justice for all throughout their history. With a courthouse historically anchoring town squares, courts remain at the crossroads of our communities and continue to matter in our lives today.

More than a century ago, the Missourians who built a permanent home for the state's highest court carved some of their highest ideals into stone. In doing so, they ensured their ideals would be permanent even as the judges and staff of the Supreme Court Building came and went over time. Two ideals are carved in Latin but translate to: “Where there is a right, there is a remedy” and “To declare the law, not to make it.” The final ideal – carved right above our front door – is in English: “The law has honored us. May we honor it.”

Please join us in celebrating the past 200 years of Missouri's courts. We look forward to continuing to honor the law in the years to come. Happy Bicentennial, Missouri!!!

The Path into Statehood

Explore the early days of Missouri's courts.

Courts Evolve with the Times

Discover how Missouri's courts expanded to address increased case volume.

Courts Enter the 20th Century

Learn how additional changes continued to strengthen Missouri's judicial and legal systems.

Courts Continue Progressing

Explore how Missouri's courts reorganized and diversified to better serve the state's citizens.

Courts Move Toward the Future

See how embracing new approaches and technologies are helping courts improve their service to the people of Missouri.

Where Do You See the Next 200 Years Taking Your Missouri Courts?

The past two centuries brought vast changes to the size and structure of Missouri's courts as well as the selection and diversity of judges. And as society itself changed, so too did Missourians' expectations of how their courts should function, bringing about treatment courts and launching the judiciary into the digital age. As we celebrate the bicentennial, the pandemic has forced courts to make rapid changes to how they handle their day-to-day business. But despite these changes, Missouri's courts have remained open to all, committed to carrying out their core, constitutional functions.

2021 Missouri Bicentennial - CJ Wilson



Watch and read Chief Justice Paul Wilson's address during Statehood Day celebrations August 10, 2021, in Jefferson City.





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