Who has authority to issue a summons in municipal court?

• A. Municipal clerk
• B. Municipal judge
• C. City mayor
• D. District court judge

Answer: (B)

The ability to issue a summons in municipal court rests with the person who can issue court orders for that case—the judge who presides over the municipal court. A summons is a judicial order requiring someone to appear, and it comes from the court’s authority, so the municipal judge is the one who issues it. The clerk typically handles preparing the summons and processing the paperwork under the judge’s direction, but the authority to issue the summons itself comes from the judge who oversees the case. The mayor does not have judicial authority to issue court orders, and a district court judge operates in a different court level and generally would not issue a municipal court summons.