Mississippi Court Records
How Mississippi's courts are organized, where their records are kept and how to search them.
Mississippi is one of the few states that still divides its general trial courts between law and equity. Circuit courts hear criminal cases and civil suits, while chancery courts hear divorce, estates, land disputes and other equity matters. Each has its own clerk in every county.
There is no free statewide search of trial court records. A growing number of courts use Mississippi Electronic Courts (MEC), which works much like the federal PACER system.
How Mississippi's courts are organized
Mississippi's courts include two appellate courts and several kinds of trial courts.
Supreme Court of Mississippi
Nine justices hear appeals and assign some to the Court of Appeals.
Mississippi Court of Appeals
Hears appeals assigned to it by the Supreme Court.
Circuit courts
Hear felonies, civil jury trials and appeals from county, justice and municipal courts. The circuit clerk keeps the records.
Chancery courts
Hear divorce, custody, estates, guardianships, land title, adoptions and other equity cases. The chancery clerk keeps the records, along with deeds and other land records.
County, justice, municipal and youth courts
Some counties have county courts for mid-level civil and criminal cases. Justice courts handle small claims and misdemeanors, and municipal courts handle city ordinance violations. Youth courts handle juvenile cases.
Searching Mississippi court records online
Online access depends on the court.
- Mississippi Electronic Courts (MEC)The state judiciary's electronic filing and records system. Public access to cases in participating courts requires an account and per-page fees, similar to PACER.
- Supreme Court and Court of Appeals docket searchCase information for appeals.
- Mississippi JudiciaryOpinions, rules and court information.
Getting records from the clerk's office
For circuit court cases, contact the circuit clerk; for chancery cases, contact the chancery clerk in the county where the case was filed. Both provide copies and certified copies for set fees.
Justice court and municipal court records come from those courts directly.
- Mississippi trial courtsInformation about circuit, chancery and county courts across the state.
What is public, and what is not
Most Mississippi court records are public, but youth court, adoption, mental health and some chancery records are confidential.
Mississippi allows expunction of many misdemeanor convictions, dismissed charges and some first-time felony convictions. Expunged records are removed from public view.
- Mississippi Legal Services: ExpunctionFree information about expunction and other legal issues.
Older and archived records
Circuit and chancery clerks keep many old records, including land records and court minutes. Historical court records are also held by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.
- Mississippi Department of Archives and HistoryHistorical state and county records.
Criminal history and background records
A court file tells you what happened in one case in one court. A criminal history record (often called a rap sheet) pulls together arrests, charges and outcomes reported from across the state, so it is a different product kept by a different agency.
Mississippi's criminal history repository is maintained by the Department of Public Safety. It is not generally open to the public.
- Mississippi sex offender registryPublic search of registered sex offenders.
- MDOC inmate searchMississippi Department of Corrections information about people in custody.
- Mississippi Department of Public SafetyInformation about criminal records and background checks.
Federal court records in Mississippi
Federal cases, including federal crimes, bankruptcies, and lawsuits over federal law or between citizens of different states, are not filed in Mississippi's state courts. Mississippi is divided into 2 federal judicial districts, and each has its own clerk's office:
Federal case files are searched through PACER, the federal judiciary's records system. PACER charges a small fee per page, but you pay nothing if your charges stay under the quarterly fee-waiver threshold, court opinions are free, and every federal courthouse has public terminals you can use at no cost. Many PACER documents have also been copied into the free RECAP Archive on CourtListener. Appeals from Mississippi's federal courts go to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
Tips for a faster search
- Decide first whether a case belongs in circuit court (criminal or civil suits) or chancery court (divorce, estates, land).
- Chancery clerks also keep deeds, so they are a good place to start for property questions.
- MEC charges per page; ask the clerk if you need just one document.
- Have the full names of the parties, the county and a rough date range ready. A case number is the fastest way in if you have one.
- Online indexes are not the official record. If a decision depends on it, get a copy (or a certified copy) from the clerk's office that holds the file.
Legal help and law libraries
Clerks and law librarians can explain how to find a record, but they cannot give legal advice. These organizations can point you in the right direction:
- State Law Library of MississippiPublic law library in Jackson.
- Mississippi Legal ServicesFree legal information and help finding legal aid.
This guide is general information about public records, not legal advice. Court websites, fees and rules change, so confirm details with the court before you rely on them. Civics-Online.org is not affiliated with any court or government agency.