Lowndes County Circuit Court Cases

Lowndes County Circuit Court Overview

Circuit Court is the primary trial court of general jurisdiction in Mississippi. It tries felony criminal cases. It also hears civil actions that involve $200,000 and above. On top of trials, the court reviews appeals that rise from the County Court, Justice Court, Municipal Court, and county boards. Mississippi runs 22 Circuit Court Districts across the state, served by 49 judges. Lowndes County sits in the 16th Circuit Court District. Circuit judges are elected, and each judge serves a four-year term.

The Mississippi Judiciary lays out the full court structure on its about the courts overview. That page places Circuit Court among the trial courts that feed appeals up to the state's two appellate courts.

The diagram of trial and appellate courts helps explain where a Lowndes County case fits. Circuit Court sits near the top of the trial level, just below the appeals courts that review its rulings. The court itself meets at the Lowndes County Courthouse in downtown Columbus, and the Circuit Clerk keeps the criminal and civil case files there.

Courts That Serve Lowndes County

Mississippi does not use numbered district courts the way some states do. Instead, a set of named courts shares the work, and each one handles a defined slice of cases. The table below lists the main trial and related courts that serve Lowndes County, with the address, the judges or officials, and what each court hears. Use it to point a case search at the right office before you ever open a portal.

Circuit Court vs County Court vs Justice Court

These three courts handle different sizes and types of cases. The split turns mainly on the dollar amount in a civil case and the seriousness of a criminal charge. Circuit Court takes the largest civil disputes and all felonies. County Court fills the middle range and reviews appeals from the courts below it. Justice Court handles small claims and minor offenses outside the city limits. The comparison below shows where each line falls.

The Lowndes County Court page sets out the middle court's reach in plain terms. County Court judges are elected for four-year terms, must be lawyers at least 26 years old, and need five years of practice.

The county's own listing confirms that the County Court judge also serves as the Youth Court judge. That overlap is why a single name can show up across more than one court in Lowndes County.

How a Case Moves Through the Lowndes County System

A case does not always start in Circuit Court. Many begin in a lower court and climb only if someone appeals or the charge is serious enough. The general path runs from the local courts up through the trial courts and on to the state appellate courts. Knowing the route helps you find where a record currently lives.

Court ladder: Justice or Municipal Court › County Court › Circuit Court › Court of Appeals › Supreme Court of Mississippi

Columbus Municipal Court is where many city cases begin. The Mississippi Judiciary describes that level on its Municipal Court overview. Municipal courts handle city ordinance, traffic, and misdemeanor matters, and a missed court date can trigger a bench warrant.

From the municipal level, an appeal can move to County Court and then, in many matters, to Circuit Court. A felony, by contrast, starts with a Justice Court preliminary and is then indicted into Circuit Court for trial. Final rulings from Circuit Court go up to the Mississippi Supreme Court, which may assign the case to the Court of Appeals.

Criminal flow: Arrest › First Appearance › Indictment or Information › Arraignment › Pretrial › Trial › Sentencing › Appeal

Civil flow: Complaint Filed › Answer › Discovery › Motions › Trial › Judgment › Appeal

Note: A case shown as closed in a lower court may still be active on appeal in Circuit Court, so check both levels when a record looks incomplete.

Civil and Criminal Cases in Circuit Court

Circuit Court carries two main types of work. On the criminal side, it tries felonies, the most serious charges in the state system. A felony file can include the indictment or information, bond orders, arraignment entries, plea documents, motions, the verdict or plea, sentencing orders, and any notice of appeal. On the civil side, the court handles large money disputes and other actions of $200,000 and above. Those files hold complaints, answers, service returns, motions, orders, judgments, garnishments, and enforcement papers.

The Circuit Clerk, Teresa Barksdale, keeps these files for both the Circuit and County courts. Online searching runs through the Delta Computer Systems subscription portal, which splits records into Civil Court, Criminal Court, Judgment Roll, and Marriage License. That index is a starting point, not the certified copy. For official documents and for any file that does not show online, the courthouse clerk is the authoritative source. A broader look at every search channel sits on the Lowndes County court records page.

Note: Circuit Court does not hear divorce, custody, or estate cases, since those equity matters belong to the separate Chancery Court.

The 16th Circuit Court District

Lowndes County is one county in the 16th Circuit Court District. The district is served by three elected Circuit judges: James T. Kitchens, Lee "Jay" Howard, and Michelle Easterling. Each is elected for a four-year term. The same district also supports a busy felony docket and a drug court program run through the District Attorney for the 16th District, which covers Lowndes, Oktibbeha, Clay, and Noxubee counties.

The county outlines the court's reach on its Circuit Court page. That page confirms the felony and high-value civil jurisdiction, the four-year terms, and the direct appeal route to the Mississippi Supreme Court.

Lowndes County Circuit Court and County Court both went live on Mississippi Electronic Courts on July 24, 2023. That date matters for record searchers, because e-filed cases opened on or after it can appear through the statewide MEC and PAMEC public-access system. To follow active settings and hearing dates, the court dockets page tracks the docket channels for the county.

Lower and Related Courts in Lowndes County

Several courts feed cases into or out of Circuit Court, and each keeps its own records. County Court fills the civil middle ground between $3,500 and $200,000, hears appeals from Justice and Municipal Court, and handles eminent-domain matters and Youth Court duties under Judge Allison Kizer. Youth Court itself sits at 1602 College Street and deals with delinquency, supervision, and neglect cases for people under 18. Those youth records stay confidential under Mississippi law.

Justice Court is the busiest entry point for many residents. It meets at 309 S MLK Jr. Drive in Columbus, away from the main courthouse. The county describes its reach on the Justice Court page. Three judges, Chris Hemphill, Ron Cooke, and Peggy Phillips, hear small civil claims, county misdemeanors, citations, and felony preliminaries.

Justice Court clerks issue warrants, file pleadings, take affidavits, and collect fines and fees. Because Justice Court records do not appear in the Circuit Clerk portal, those files must be requested through the Justice Court clerk, Luchia Vinson, at 662-329-5929.

Chancery Court is the other major trial court, and it runs as a separate court of equity in the 14th Chancery District. Chancellors Paula Drungole-Ellis, Joseph N. Studdard, and Rodney P. Faver hear divorce, custody, support, property division, estates, guardianships, land title disputes, and commitments, usually without a jury. The Mississippi Judiciary explains this division of labor on its Chancery Court overview.

Chancery cases and land records run through their own portals and the Chancery Clerk, not the Circuit Clerk. So a divorce file and a felony file in the same family may live in two different offices inside the same courthouse. When in doubt about which court holds a record, the local court table above points to the right address and phone line.