The Vanderburgh County court schedule is posted on Indiana’s free MyCase portal at mycase.in.gov, the statewide public records system powered by the Odyssey Case Management System.1Indiana Judicial Branch. Odyssey Case Management System You can look up any non-confidential case by name, case number, or date to find your next hearing, the assigned judge, and the courtroom. If you have a pending matter, checking the portal regularly is the most reliable way to confirm when you need to appear.
How to Look Up Your Hearing on MyCase
Go to mycase.in.gov and select Vanderburgh County from the county dropdown. The fastest route is entering your case number, which pulls the full record including every past and future hearing. No case number? Search by party name and filter the results down.
You can also browse the court calendar for a specific date or date range. That view lists every hearing scheduled across all Vanderburgh County courts that day, with the hearing type, the judge, and the courtroom assignment on each entry. Useful when you know roughly when your hearing falls but not the exact time or location.
Making Sense of Your Case Number
Indiana case numbers pack a lot into a compact string. The first five characters identify the county, the court type, and the specific court. The next four are the two-digit year and two-digit month of filing. After that comes a two-character case-type code, then a sequential filing number.2Indiana Courts. Case Initiation and Filings
A number starting with “82C01” is Vanderburgh County (“82”) Circuit Court (“C”), Court 1. A number starting with “82D07” is Vanderburgh County Superior Court, Judge 7. Case-type codes like “FD” (felony) or “CT” (civil tort) appear after the year-month block. Once you can read the format, a glance at the number tells you which court is handling the case, when it was filed, and what kind of proceeding it is.
Which Court Is Handling Your Case
Vanderburgh County has one Circuit Court and one Superior Court. The Circuit Court is a single-judge court whose docket runs roughly two-thirds felony criminal matters and one-third civil litigation.3City of Evansville. Circuit Court
The Superior Court is one court with seven elected judges and five appointed magistrates, not seven separate courts.4Justia. Indiana Code 33-33-82 – Vanderburgh County Its judges divide the workload across specialized areas including a Juvenile Division, Family Court, Misdemeanor and Traffic Court, Small Claims, and Mental Health Court. The Superior Court holds exclusive juvenile jurisdiction in the county.5City of Evansville. Superior Court
This matters because schedules are organized by individual judge. Your MyCase results will point you to a specific judge and division, not just “Superior Court” in the abstract.
Hearing Types You’ll See on the Calendar
Each calendar entry lists a hearing type that tells you the purpose of the appearance. Knowing what you’re walking into helps you prepare and set realistic expectations for how long it will take.
- Initial hearing. Your first appearance before the judge. In criminal cases, charges are formally read and bail conditions are typically set.
- Pretrial conference. A scheduling or status hearing where the judge, attorneys, and parties discuss how the case will move forward. Usually short.
- Change of plea. The defendant enters a guilty plea, often as part of a negotiated agreement. The judge reviews the terms and confirms the plea is voluntary.
- Motion hearing. One side has asked the court to rule on a specific legal issue, such as a motion to suppress evidence or a motion to compel discovery.
- Trial setting conference. The court locks in a trial date and resolves outstanding issues before trial.
- Sentencing hearing. After a conviction, the judge imposes the sentence. Victims may have the chance to speak.
If your entry lists a hearing type you don’t recognize, your attorney is the best person to explain what to expect. Self-represented parties should call the clerk’s office before the date rather than show up unprepared.
Cases That Won’t Appear Online
Not every case in Vanderburgh County shows up on MyCase. Indiana’s rules on access to court records exclude certain categories entirely. Juvenile delinquency, adoptions, and mental health commitment proceedings are among those shielded from public view. Child in Need of Services (CHINS) cases and matters involving protective orders carry varying degrees of confidentiality.
If you’re a party to one of these excluded case types, contact the Vanderburgh County Clerk’s office directly for hearing dates and times. The clerk can confirm information for cases that don’t appear online. Personal identifiers like full Social Security numbers, dates of birth, and financial account numbers are also redacted from any records that are publicly available.
Where to Go and What to Bring
Vanderburgh County courts are in the Civic Center Courts Building at 825 Sycamore Street in downtown Evansville.6City of Evansville. Circuit Court Location Everyone entering must pass through a magnetometer and X-ray screening and comply with requests from courthouse security.7Indiana Courts. Vanderburgh Local Rules – Section LR82-AR00-1.29
Firearms, knives, and other weapons are prohibited without prior written authorization from the Circuit Court judge or the Superior Court’s chief judge. Cameras and any device used for audio or video recording are banned from courtrooms unless the presiding judge grants specific permission. Cell phones, tablets, and laptops are allowed but must be set to silent or vibrate before you enter, and you cannot use them to record. Violations can result in confiscation and a fine of up to $1,500.7Indiana Courts. Vanderburgh Local Rules – Section LR82-AR00-1.29
Plan to arrive at least 15 minutes before your scheduled time to clear security and locate the right courtroom. Remote attendance by video may be available for certain non-evidentiary hearings, but it isn’t automatic. Confirm the option with the clerk’s office or your attorney well before the hearing date.
If You Can’t Make a Scheduled Date
If you know in advance you can’t appear, file a motion for continuance asking the judge to reschedule. Indiana’s Trial Rule 53.5 allows continuances when the moving party shows good cause, supported by an affidavit or other evidence. The court has discretion to grant or deny the request and can order the party seeking the delay to cover the other side’s expenses caused by the postponement.
Filing the motion does not change your court date. Only a signed order from the judge moves the hearing, and until you have that order you should plan to appear at the original time. Indiana Legal Help (indianalegalhelp.org) publishes free continuance forms for self-represented parties.
What Happens If You Miss Your Date
Missing a hearing triggers real consequences, and they escalate fast depending on the type of case.
Criminal Cases
If you were out on bail and knowingly fail to appear, the court is required to issue a warrant for your arrest. Once that warrant is active, you can be picked up at a traffic stop, at home, or anywhere else law enforcement encounters you. The court cannot release you on personal recognizance after a failure to appear, and your new bail must be set at the greater of your original bail amount or $2,500.8Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 35-33-8-8 – Failure to Appear
If you posted a cash bond, the court can declare it forfeited. The forfeiture process begins no earlier than 120 days and no later than 365 days after your failure to appear, and the court enters a judgment against you for the full bond amount.9Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 35-33-8-7 – Bond Forfeiture
Failing to respond to a summons for a misdemeanor or infraction is itself a separate Class C misdemeanor under Indiana law.10Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 35-44.1-2-10 – Failure to Respond to a Summons One missed date can add a new criminal charge on top of whatever you were already facing.
If you’ve already missed your date, turning yourself in voluntarily and quickly, ideally through your attorney, is far better than waiting to be arrested on the bench warrant.
Civil Cases
In a civil lawsuit, failing to show up or respond typically leads to a default judgment against you. The court accepts the other side’s version of the facts and awards what they asked for, which can include money damages, attorney’s fees, and interest. Overturning a default judgment after the fact is significantly harder than simply appearing would have been.