County Court

Cases Heard in the County Court

  • Civic action between $3,500 and $200,000
  • Misdemeanors
  • Felony preliminaries
  • Eminent Domain
  • Criminal appeals from all municipal courts
  • Civic action appeals from Justice Court
Front of brick building with columns

County Court Hearing Schedule

  • Jackson County Courts Building, County Courtroom
  • Court beings 2nd Monday of each month
    Run for four weeks

About the County Court & Judge

County Court Judge Requirements

County Court Judges are elected officials serving four year terms. To qualify to serve as a County Judge the candidate must meet the following requirements:

  • Practicing lawyer for five years
  • 26 years of age or older
  • Citizen of State for at least five years

Background on the County Court in Mississippi

County Courts exist in 19 counties, with a total of 23 judges, all of whom are required to be lawyers, at least 26 years old with five years experience in law practice. County Judges are elected for four year terms and their salary is determined by their county's population and classification.

County Court Judges hear civil actions under $75,000, as well as civil appeals from the Justice and Municipal courts. They try misdemeanor criminal cases and conduct preliminary hearings, in addition to serving as the Youth (juvenile) Court.

Juries

Juries are utilized in County Courts and appeals may be taken to the Chancery or Circuit Court, depending upon the nature of the case. The county Court is a court of record (has a court reporter) and it may be assigned cases from the Chancery and Circuit Courts to assist with heavy case loads or judge recusals.