Clarke County Circuit Court Overview
Alabama's court structure places the Circuit Court above the county District Court for general trial jurisdiction. In Clarke County, Circuit Court belongs to the First Judicial Circuit with Choctaw and Washington Counties. Circuit Court is the primary general-jurisdiction trial court for Clarke County, even though some local searches also involve District Court or Probate Court. Circuit Court handles felony prosecutions, many civil matters, domestic relations, appeals from District Court in appropriate cases, and other matters assigned by Alabama law.
The Alabama appellate structure sits above trial courts. The Supreme Court of Alabama is the highest state court and has general superintendence over Alabama courts. The Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals and Alabama Court of Civil Appeals handle intermediate appellate review for criminal, civil, domestic, and agency-related matters. Appeals from Clarke County trial courts route to the correct appellate court based on subject and jurisdiction.
The official Alabama Judicial System chart places Clarke County Circuit Court within the larger state court structure.
That state chart helps distinguish Circuit Court from District Court, Probate Court, municipal courts, and the appellate courts that review trial-court decisions.
Clarke County Circuit Court Table
Clarke County court contacts are centered on the courthouse in Grove Hill, but the First Judicial Circuit is regional. Presiding Circuit Judge Charles R. Montgomery's listed office is in Chatom, while Circuit Judge Perry Newton is listed in Grove Hill. The District Judge, Circuit Clerk, Probate Court, and Sheriff's Office each have distinct records or operational roles. The table keeps those roles separate so a request goes to the right office.
| Court or Office | Type | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Judicial Circuit, Clarke County Circuit Court, Hon. Charles R. Montgomery | Presiding Circuit Judge | P.O. Box 1418, Chatom, AL 36518 | (251) 847-2304 |
| First Judicial Circuit, Clarke County Circuit Court, Hon. Perry Newton | Circuit Judge | P.O. Box 914, Grove Hill, AL 36451 | (251) 275-8363 |
| Clarke County District Court, Hon. James H. Morgan, Jr. | Limited-jurisdiction county trial court | P.O. Box 931, 114 Court Street, Grove Hill, AL 36451 | (251) 275-8296 |
| Clarke County Circuit Clerk, Summer Scruggs Padgett | Trial-court record custodian | Clarke County Courthouse, P.O. Box 921, Grove Hill, AL 36451 | (251) 275-3363 / (251) 275-3163 |
| Clarke County Probate Court, Judge Valerie Bradford Davis | Probate and recording court | P.O. Box 10, 114 Court Street, Grove Hill, AL 36451 | (251) 275-3251 |
| Clarke County Sheriff's Office, Sheriff DeWayne Smith | Warrants, service, court security, jail coordination | 114 Court Street, P.O. Box 913, Grove Hill, AL 36451 | (251) 275-4254 |
Circuit Court vs District Court
Clarke County users often need to separate Circuit Court, District Court, Probate Court, and municipal court records before searching. A felony case may begin with arrest, bond, warrant, complaint, and District Court preliminary steps, then move to Circuit Court after indictment or information. A traffic citation listed for Clarke County District Court may stay in District Court. Probate records do not belong to the Circuit Clerk's ordinary criminal or civil file system.
| Feature | Circuit Court | District Court | Probate or Municipal Court |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Role | General-jurisdiction trial court for serious and higher-level matters. | Limited-jurisdiction county trial court. | Probate handles life-event and recording matters; municipal courts handle city ordinance and selected city traffic matters. |
| Criminal Matters | Felony prosecutions and related proceedings after indictment or information. | Misdemeanors, traffic, and preliminary felony proceedings. | Municipal ordinance cases and city traffic matters where issued by a municipality. |
| Civil and Family Matters | Many civil cases, domestic relations, and appeals from District Court where allowed. | Small claims and lower-dollar civil matters assigned by Alabama law. | Probate handles estates, guardianships, conservatorships, adoptions, commitments, name changes, and recording. |
| Record Custodian | Circuit Clerk for Circuit Court records. | Circuit Clerk for District Court records. | Probate Court or the issuing city court, depending on the matter. |
| Online Path | Alacourt / Just One Look when public and imaged. | Alacourt, Clarke docket search, Alapay, or traffic.alacourt.gov depending on case type. | Probate portal for available probate documents; city court for municipal matters. |
Clarke County Case Flow
A criminal case can start with an arrest, complaint, warrant, bond, and initial appearance. Misdemeanors may remain in District Court unless tied to a felony. Felony matters may have District Court preliminary proceedings before reaching Circuit Court after indictment or information. The First Judicial Circuit District Attorney page explains that a grand jury is an 18-person panel drawn from Clarke, Washington, and Choctaw Counties, and that an indictment must be returned before a felony case can go to trial in Alabama.
Criminal flow: Arrest or complaint › warrant or summons › initial appearance and bond › District Court preliminary stage › grand jury indictment or information › Circuit Court arraignment › pretrial motions › plea or trial › sentencing › appeal.
Civil flow: Complaint or petition filed › service › answer or response › motions and discovery › hearing, mediation, or trial › judgment › post-judgment action or appeal.
For the full public file, search Alacourt when available or contact the Clarke County Circuit Clerk for records that are older, restricted, not imaged, or missing from the electronic docket.
Clarke County Circuit Records
The Circuit Clerk page says records are divided into ten divisions, including Civil, Criminal, Domestic, Child Support, Traffic, Juvenile, and Warrants, with jury management also handled by the clerk. A Circuit Court case detail may show case number, parties, court or division, filing dates, setting dates, case status, disposition, court actions, rulings, financial history, costs, case action summary, document images, and attachments. Alacourt document images carry separate fees when available.
Restricted records may not appear in ordinary public search results. Juvenile matters are confidential under Alabama law, and sealed or expunged criminal records are not ordinary public records. Adoption, involuntary commitment, minor, medical, protected address, and sensitive financial information can also be withheld or redacted. The Circuit Clerk can identify record access procedures, but the office cannot provide legal advice.
Clarke County District Court Role
District Court remains important alongside Circuit Court. Clarke County District Court handles misdemeanors, preliminary hearings in felony prosecutions, traffic, small claims, and lower-dollar civil matters assigned by Alabama law. The District Judge is James H. Morgan, Jr., listed at P.O. Box 931, 114 Court Street, Grove Hill, Alabama 36451, with phone (251) 275-8296.
Traffic citations issued for appearance before Clarke County District Court may be payable before court date when allowed, but the citation court date is not a trial date. A defendant who wants to plead not guilty and have a trial must appear or use an available Online Traffic Resolution option. Failure to pay or appear can lead to an arrest warrant, ALEA license suspension, increased fine, and bond forfeiture.
Federal Courts Are Separate
Clarke County state cases are separate from federal cases. Federal civil, criminal, and bankruptcy matters covering Clarke County are handled through the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama or the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Alabama. Federal cases use PACER and CM/ECF rather than Alacourt. State case numbers usually will not locate a federal case unless there is a related federal filing.
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama serves the federal district that includes Clarke County.
That federal court site is useful only when the matter is federal, such as a federal criminal charge, federal civil case, or federal appellate path.
The Southern District's CM/ECF and PACER information page explains electronic filing and federal case access.
CM/ECF is for federal filing and service, while Clarke County Circuit Court records remain in the Alabama state trial-court system.
Clarke County Federal Lookups
PACER's court lookup for the Alabama Southern District lists the U.S. District Court in the Eleventh Circuit, with its Mobile address, phone, email, and regular weekday hours. Federal bankruptcy coverage is through the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Alabama in Mobile. Bankruptcy files, federal indictments, federal civil suits, and federal warrants are not searched through the Clarke County Circuit Clerk.
The PACER lookup for Alabama Southern District Court gives federal court contact and access details.
This PACER page should be used for federal district court records, not Clarke County state trial-court files.
The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Alabama is the federal bankruptcy court serving the area.
Bankruptcy records follow federal bankruptcy court procedures and should not be requested from Clarke County Circuit Court.
The PACER lookup for Alabama Southern Bankruptcy Court provides the federal bankruptcy court lookup path.
Use that bankruptcy PACER listing only for federal bankruptcy matters, not state Circuit Court, District Court, or Probate Court records.
Clarke County Courthouse Basics
The Clarke County Courthouse is at 114 Court Street in Grove Hill. The First Judicial Circuit page lists the courthouse address and the Circuit Clerk phone, and the county clerk page lists office hours as Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., closed from noon to 1:00 for lunch. Jurors report to the Main Courtroom at 114 Court Street. The jury information page says visitors should allow time for parking and the metal detector, with no weapons, no smoking inside, and no cell phones or pagers for jurors.
Parking is available around the courthouse at no charge. Emergency messages for jurors may be routed through the Clerk's Office at (251) 275-3163. Because Clarke County is a rural county with Grove Hill as the county seat, callers from Jackson, Thomasville, Coffeeville, Fulton, or other communities should confirm whether the case is Circuit, District, Probate, municipal, sheriff, or federal before making a courthouse trip.