Clarke County Circuit Court Overview
The Circuit Court is a court of general jurisdiction. The official county court page states that it has original jurisdiction over all civil and criminal matters not vested exclusively in another court. In plain terms, the most serious cases in Clarke County land here. Felony crimes, major civil disputes, and contested money claims are tried in this court. Most of these cases are decided by a jury, which sets the Circuit Court apart from the county's smaller courts.
Clarke County sits in the 10th Circuit Court District. A circuit district groups several counties under the same set of elected judges, who travel among the counties to hold court. The district also takes appeals from the lower courts. A traffic case or a small claim decided in Justice Court can be appealed up to the Circuit Court for a fresh review. That makes the Circuit Court both a starting point for felonies and a second stop for cases that begin elsewhere.
Records from this court are extensive. A single criminal file can hold an indictment, an arraignment, motions, a plea or verdict, and a sentencing order. Civil files track complaints, answers, discovery, and final judgments. These documents are kept by the Circuit Clerk and form the backbone of most felony and civil research in Clarke County.
Trial Courts in Clarke County
Mississippi does not use a single all-purpose county trial court. It spreads the work across several courts, each with its own subject area. Clarke County's official court page lists the Circuit Court, the Chancery Court, the Justice Court, the Youth Court, and the County Prosecuting Attorney, along with the District Attorney for the wider district. The City of Quitman also runs its own Municipal Court. The table below shows where each court sits and what it handles.
| Court | Jurisdiction | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th Circuit Court | Felonies, jury trials, major civil suits, appeals from lower courts | 101 South Archusa Avenue / P.O. Box 216, Quitman, MS 39355 | 601-776-3111 |
| 12th Chancery District Court | Divorce, custody, adoption, estates, guardianships, land and equity matters | 101 South Archusa Avenue, Quitman, MS 39355 | 601-776-2126 |
| Justice Court | Traffic, DUI, county ordinance cases, small civil suits, initial felony appearances | 101 South Archusa Avenue, Quitman, MS 39355 | 601-776-5371 |
| Youth Court | Delinquency, children in need of supervision, abuse and neglect | 101 South Archusa Avenue, Quitman, MS 39355 | 662-776-5206 |
| Quitman Municipal Court | City ordinance and municipal matters within Quitman | 101 East Church Street, Quitman, MS 39355 | 601-776-6461 |
Most of these offices share the court campus on South Archusa Avenue, while the Municipal Court works from City Hall on East Church Street. The Mississippi Judiciary explains how the trial courts fit together on its official court-structure overview. That page confirms the Circuit Court as the county's primary felony and general civil court.
Circuit Court vs Justice Court vs Municipal Court
Readers often mix up the three courts that hear local cases. Each one covers a different slice of the docket. The Circuit Court takes the heaviest matters, while the Justice Court and the Municipal Court keep traffic, misdemeanors, and small claims moving. The comparison below lines up their main differences so a record search lands in the right place.
| Circuit Court | Justice Court | Municipal Court | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main role | Felonies, major civil suits, appeals | County misdemeanors and small civil cases | City ordinance and municipal cases |
| Criminal reach | Felony trials and sentencing | Initial felony appearances, DUIs, ordinance cases | City code and minor offenses in Quitman |
| Jury trials | Yes, most cases | Limited | No |
| Traffic cases | On appeal only | State Highway Patrol and county Sheriff tickets | Quitman city tickets |
| Appeals go to | Court of Appeals or Supreme Court | Circuit Court | Circuit Court |
The pattern is simple once the venues are clear. In Clarke County, the Justice Court and the Municipal Court act as entry points for minor matters. The Circuit Court sits above them, both as the felony trial court and as the place a smaller case can be appealed for a new hearing. Youth Court rounds out the group, but its files stay confidential under state law.
How a Case Moves Through the System
A felony in Clarke County does not begin in the Circuit Court. It starts lower and works its way up. The Sheriff books the arrest, and the Justice Court holds the first appearance, usually within three days. Judges hold jail sessions three times each week to keep that step on schedule. Once a grand jury indicts or the case is otherwise bound over, the file moves to the Circuit Court for trial.
Criminal flow: Arrest › Justice Court Initial Appearance › Indictment or Bind Over › Circuit Court Arraignment › Pretrial › Trial › Sentencing › Mississippi Court of Appeals or Supreme Court
Appeal flow: Justice or Municipal Court Judgment › Circuit Court Review › Mississippi Court of Appeals › Mississippi Supreme Court
Civil cases follow a similar path inside the Circuit Court. A complaint opens the file, the other side answers, and the parties exchange evidence before trial. After a judgment, either side may appeal. Appeals do not return to the local courts. They run to the Mississippi Court of Appeals and the Mississippi Supreme Court, which decide which court hears each matter under state rules.
Clarke County Circuit Court Judges
The 10th Circuit Court District elects the judges who preside over Clarke County felony and civil trials. They share the bench across the district, which also covers nearby counties. Two judges are listed for the Clarke County Circuit Court on the official Clarke County court page.
- Hon. Charles W. Wright, Jr.
- Hon. Robert T. (Bo) Bailey
Because the district spans several counties, a judge may sit in Quitman one week and in a neighboring county the next. Court dates are set on a schedule the clerk and the judges manage. Anyone tracking a specific Clarke County case can confirm the next setting through the Circuit Clerk, who keeps the calendar and the case file. The same office handles jury draws and qualifies the juries that hear most Circuit Court cases.
Who Prosecutes Clarke County Circuit Court Cases
Felony prosecution in the Circuit Court is the job of the District Attorney. Kassie Coleman serves as District Attorney for the 10th Circuit Court District, which covers Clarke, Kemper, Lauderdale, and Wayne counties. The DA's office presents felony charges to the grand jury and tries the cases that reach the Circuit Court. You can read more about the office on the District Attorney's official site.
The county also has its own County Prosecuting Attorney, who works on matters before the Justice Court and on certain appeals that move up to the Circuit Court. The two roles overlap as a case climbs from a first appearance to a felony trial. For a defendant or a family member, the takeaway is straightforward. Charge questions belong with the prosecutor and the court, not with the jail.
Note: Felony charges in Clarke County pass through the Justice Court and the grand jury before the Circuit Court opens the trial file, so early records may sit in more than one office.
Searching Clarke County Circuit Court Records
Clarke County does not run its own case-search website. Circuit Court dockets and e-filed documents are reached through Mississippi Electronic Courts, known as MEC, with public access by way of PAMEC. The Mississippi Electronic Courts system works much like the federal PACER platform. You register, log in, choose the 10th Circuit District, and search by party name or case number. Clarke Circuit Court joined MEC on August 17, 2020, so cases filed before that date may not appear online.
When a record is not online, the search shifts to the Circuit Clerk who keeps the file. The clerk holds criminal history, civil litigation, judgments, and tax liens, and can pull older paper files that predate the electronic system. The county's full record-by-record routing is covered in its Clarke County court records guidance, which points each category to the right office. Details about the clerk's duties and contact methods sit on the Circuit Clerk page.
Clarke County Circuit Court (10th District)
101 South Archusa Avenue
P.O. Box 216
Quitman, MS 39355
601-776-3111
County listing: 662-482-9741
Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Court offices are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the MEC court-information page. Before a counter visit, have the full party name and any case number ready, since that speeds the clerk's search. Fees for copies and certifications are not posted online, so call the clerk to confirm current charges.
No Separate County Court in Clarke County
Some Mississippi counties have a standalone County Court that sits below the Circuit Court. Clarke County does not. The official court page lists the Circuit, Chancery, Justice, and Youth Courts, plus the City of Quitman Municipal Court, but no separate County Court docket.
This matters for record searches. The Circuit Clerk's office describes itself as clerk of the County and Circuit Courts, a phrase carried over from the standard wording of the role. That label does not mean Clarke County runs a distinct county court with its own calendar. Felony and major civil cases belong to the Circuit Court, and a search should treat the Circuit Court as the county's general trial court.
Good to know: The Circuit Clerk's reference to "County and Circuit Courts" reflects the office title, not a separate Clarke County Court, so route felony and major civil records to the Circuit Court.
Appeals From Clarke County Circuit Court
A Circuit Court ruling is not always the last word. A party who loses at trial may appeal. In Mississippi, appeals from the Clarke County Circuit Court run to the state appellate courts rather than back to any local court. The Mississippi Supreme Court receives the appeals and may keep a case or assign it to the Mississippi Court of Appeals under the state's appellate rules.
The split between the two appellate courts depends on the type and weight of the case. Both review the trial record, the rulings, and the law applied below. They do not retry the facts or hear new witnesses. For a litigant, that means the Circuit Court record itself becomes the foundation of any appeal, which is one more reason the clerk's file is worth getting right the first time.