Jasper County Circuit Court Overview
Circuit Court is the top trial court in Mississippi. It tries felony criminal cases, which are crimes that carry more than one year in prison. It also hears major civil lawsuits, plus appeals that rise from Justice Court and Municipal Court. Jasper County does not run a County Court, so the Circuit Court and the Chancery Court carry the bulk of the heavy court work in the county. Jury trials happen here. A criminal conviction by jury needs a unanimous vote of all twelve jurors, while a civil verdict needs nine of twelve.
Jasper County sits in the Thirteenth Circuit Court District. That district groups four counties together: Jasper, Smith, Simpson, and Covington. The county itself is divided into a First Judicial District based in Paulding and a Second Judicial District based in Bay Springs. Each district keeps its own court and its own clerk counter, so a Circuit Court record may live in either Paulding or Bay Springs. Knowing the right district is the first step in any record search.
The Mississippi Judiciary publishes a plain summary of what Circuit Courts do statewide. You can review the state overview of Mississippi Circuit Court jurisdiction and case types for the broad picture.
That page frames the same felony, civil, and appeal duties that the Jasper County Circuit Court carries out in Paulding and Bay Springs every term.
Jasper Circuit Court Locations and Judges
Two courthouses serve the Circuit Court, one for each judicial district. Both went live on the statewide electronic filing system on the same date. The Thirteenth Circuit is led by two elected circuit judges who preside over the four-county district and travel among the county seats. The table below lists each courthouse and each judge with current contact details.
| Court / Judge | Address | Phone | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Circuit Court, First Judicial District (Paulding) | 1782 Highway 503, Paulding, MS 39348 | 601-727-4941 | MEC go-live 12/12/2016 |
| Circuit Court, Second Judicial District (Bay Springs) | 27 East 8th Avenue, Bay Springs, MS 39422 | 601-764-2245 | MEC go-live 12/12/2016 |
| Hon. Matthew G. Sullivan, Place 1 | P.O. Box 545, Raleigh, MS 39153 | 601-782-4413 | Presiding circuit judge, 13th District |
| Hon. Stanley A. Sorey, Place 2 | P.O. Box 861, Raleigh, MS 39153 | 601-782-9999 | Presiding circuit judge, 13th District |
Court hours at both clerk counters run Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Paulding office handles First District matters, and the Bay Springs office handles Second District matters. Call ahead when a file could belong to either side of the county.
Note: Always confirm whether a Jasper County case belongs to the First or Second Judicial District before you drive to a courthouse or mail a copy request.
How a Case Moves Through the System
Cases in Jasper County climb a ladder. Minor matters start low and serious matters start higher, but appeals always rise toward the state appellate courts. Circuit Court sits in the middle of that ladder. It hears appeals from the lower courts, and its own decisions can be appealed upward. The simple flows below trace both the appeal route and a typical felony route.
Appeal path: Justice or Municipal Court › Circuit Court › Mississippi Court of Appeals › Mississippi Supreme Court
Felony path: Arrest › Justice Court preliminary › Grand jury indictment › Circuit Court arraignment › Trial › Sentencing › Appeal
Misdemeanor and traffic convictions from Justice Court or a city Municipal Court can be appealed to Circuit Court for a fresh trial. After Circuit Court rules, the next stop is the Mississippi Court of Appeals or the Mississippi Supreme Court, depending on the type of case and how the appeal is assigned.
Circuit Court vs. Chancery Court vs. Justice Court
Jasper County spreads court work across three trial-level courts. Circuit Court takes the felonies and the big civil suits. Chancery Court handles equity and family matters such as divorce, custody, estates, and land title. Justice Court covers small claims, misdemeanors, and citations. There is no County Court in Jasper County, so these three courts do the heavy lifting. The comparison below shows where each type of case belongs.
| Circuit Court | Chancery Court | Justice Court | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Cases | Felonies, major civil suits, appeals | Divorce, custody, estates, land, equity | Small claims, misdemeanors, citations |
| Civil Money | Higher-value civil actions; verify the threshold with the Circuit Clerk | Equity matters, no fixed dollar cap | Up to $2,500 |
| Criminal | Felonies and appealed misdemeanors | None | Misdemeanors, felony preliminaries |
| Jury | 12 jurors criminal; 9 of 12 civil | Judge decides, no jury | Limited |
| Appeals Go To | Court of Appeals / Supreme Court | Court of Appeals / Supreme Court | Circuit Court |
Justice Court and Municipal Court are the lower courts that feed appeals into Circuit Court. When a case involves property division, a will, or a guardianship, it belongs in Chancery Court instead. Picking the right court saves a wasted trip and points the record search in the correct direction.
Cases Heard in Jasper Circuit Court
Jasper County's official courts page lists the work the Circuit Court takes on. The list mixes criminal and civil matters, plus appeals that arrive from the lower courts. These are the case categories most likely to produce a Circuit Court record in the county.
- Felony prosecutions, from theft offenses up to capital cases
- Major civil lawsuits and money-damage claims
- Misdemeanors that reach Circuit Court
- Bastardy and related paternity matters
- Appeals from County, Justice, and Municipal Courts
The county's own page does not give a single, clean civil dollar figure. One spot lists civil actions over a high amount, while another spot lists a much lower number. Because that local source contradicts itself, treat the money threshold as unsettled and confirm the current cutoff with the Circuit Clerk before relying on it. Civil files normally hold complaints, answers, motions, orders, judgments, jury records, and any appeal notices.
Felony records build over the life of a case. Expect indictments, arraignment entries, bond orders, plea petitions, trial settings, verdicts, sentencing orders, and probation or revocation filings. A criminal conviction by jury requires all twelve jurors to agree, while a civil verdict needs only nine of the twelve.
Access Jasper Circuit Court Records
There is no Jasper-only case database. Circuit Court documents live in Mississippi Electronic Courts, the statewide system known as MEC, and its public side called PAMEC. Public users register for a read-only account, then view dockets and filed papers for courts that have gone live. The Jasper County Circuit Court joined MEC in December 2016, so most recent case activity is in the system. A walk to the clerk counter or a phone call still fills the gaps for older or restricted files.
- Decide which judicial district owns the case, Paulding or Bay Springs.
- For online access, register a public PAMEC account, then sign in to view Circuit Court dockets and documents.
- If the record is older, sealed, or not yet digitized, contact the correct Jasper County Circuit Clerk office by phone or in person.
- Mail requests should include party names, the case number if known, the year, the record type, and whether you need certified copies.
The free public terminal at the clerk's office lets visitors view electronic case information during regular business hours, though copy fees still apply for printouts. For a fuller walkthrough of statewide online access, the Jasper County court records page explains how MEC and PAMEC fit together. Reported registration and per-page charges exist, but verify the current MEC terms before you assume any fee.
When an online lookup stalls, the phone is the fastest backup. The Paulding clerk answers at 601-727-4941, and the Bay Springs clerk answers at 601-764-2245. A clerk can confirm a case number, point you to the right district, and tell you whether a file is open to the public. The Mississippi Public Records Act also backs a written request when a record is not handed over at the counter.
Note: Remote public access is blocked for many family and minor-related case types, so some Chancery and protected files require a visit to the clerk counter.
Jasper's Thirteenth Circuit District
The Thirteenth Circuit Court District ties Jasper County to Smith, Simpson, and Covington counties. Two circuit judges, Hon. Matthew G. Sullivan and Hon. Stanley A. Sorey, preside across the district and rotate among the county seats. Their chambers are based in Raleigh, the Smith County seat, which is why their mailing addresses point there rather than to a Jasper courthouse.
Felony prosecution in Circuit Court runs through the District Attorney for the same four-county district. District Attorney Chris D. Hennis represents the State before grand juries and in Circuit Court trials. The office sits at 100 Court Avenue, Suite 4, Mendenhall, MS 39114, and the phone number is 601-847-1342. The District Attorney handles all felonies committed in Jasper County, with a trial docket that can range from shoplifting to capital murder.
A separate county Prosecuting Attorney handles lower-level matters in Justice Court and assists with misdemeanors and county work. Appeals from Circuit Court decisions move to the Mississippi Court of Appeals and the Mississippi Supreme Court, the two appellate courts that sit above every trial court in the state.
Federal Cases vs. Jasper Circuit Court
Not every case tied to Jasper County belongs in the county Circuit Court. Federal crimes, federal-question lawsuits, and many civil-rights or constitutional claims go to the United States District Court instead. Jasper County falls in the Southern District of Mississippi, Eastern Division, with the nearest federal courthouse in Hattiesburg. Federal dockets never appear in the Jasper Circuit Clerk's files.
The federal trial court keeps its own public homepage with locations and notices. You can view the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi for the federal side.
That site covers federal matters only, so a Jasper County felony or civil suit filed under state law still belongs with the county Circuit Court and its clerk, not the federal system. Federal docket access runs through PACER rather than MEC.