A circuit court is the main state court that sits in each county of Missouri. For example, the main court in St. Louis County, Missouri is the St. Louis County Circuit Court. All cases that fall under state law are filed in the local circuit court. Family law and divorce cases are always considered to be state cases and thus are always filed in the local circuit court. Municipal courts are small courts that fall under the umbrella of the local circuit court and handle minor criminal cases such as ordinance violations, as well as municipal government issues.