Marshall County Circuit Court Overview
Kentucky Circuit Court is the general-jurisdiction trial court. For Marshall County, that means felony criminal cases, civil cases over $5,000, divorces, adoptions, termination of parental rights, real-property title disputes, contested probate matters, injunctions, writs, and appeals from District Court and administrative agencies. Marshall County is in the 42nd Judicial Circuit, and the official KCOJ county page lists the local judicial building and court phone lines for Circuit and District matters.
District Court remains important because several case types begin there. Felonies often start with arraignment or probable-cause proceedings in District Court before they move to Circuit Court after indictment or information. Traffic citations, misdemeanors, violations, city and county ordinances, small claims, probate of wills, juvenile matters, mental commitments, and domestic violence and abuse matters are District Court functions unless a case moves by appeal or jurisdictional rule.
The Kentucky Circuit Court overview explains the statewide jurisdiction for Circuit Court.
That statewide description frames why Circuit Court is the correct trial-court identity for the Marshall County page.
Marshall County Court Offices
Marshall County does not have a long list of separate numbered trial courthouses. The researched court offices are centered at the Marshall County Judicial Building, with Circuit, Family, District, and clerk functions using the same court location and separate phone lines where KCOJ lists them. The court record consequence is that the office and division matter more than the street address.
| Court or Office | Type | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marshall Circuit Court, 42nd Judicial Circuit | Felony, civil over $5,000, divorce, adoption, title, contested probate, injunctions, appeals | 80 Judicial Drive, Unit 101, Benton, KY 42025 | 270-527-3883 |
| Marshall Family Court / Circuit Division 2 | Family Court matters including dissolution, custody, support, domestic violence, adoption, DNA, and TPR | 80 Judicial Drive, Unit 101, Benton, KY 42025 | 270-527-3883 |
| Marshall District Court, 58th Judicial District | Traffic, misdemeanors, probate of wills, small claims, civil up to $5,000, juvenile, felony preliminaries | 80 Judicial Drive, Unit 101, Benton, KY 42025 | 270-527-1721 |
| Office of Circuit Court Clerk | Court records, filings, payments, local access to Circuit, Family, and District case records | 80 Judicial Drive, Unit 101, Benton, KY 42025 | Circuit 270-527-3883; District 270-527-1721 |
Marshall County Circuit Judges
The official Marshall County KCOJ page lists the judges tied to the local court structure. Andrea L. Moore is listed as Circuit Court Judge for the 42nd Judicial Circuit, Division 1. Stephanie J. Perlow is listed as Chief Circuit Judge / Family Court for the 42nd Judicial Circuit, Division 2. Jack M. Telle is listed as Vice-Chief Regional District Judge for the 58th Judicial District.
Judge assignment matters for records because a case may be tied to a division, docket, or courtroom calendar. A felony or civil matter in Circuit Court may not share the same docket path as a traffic case in District Court. A family matter may be identified as a Circuit Court division matter even when the practical subject is custody, dissolution, support, or domestic violence.
Circuit District Family Court Comparison
Marshall County records should be sorted by jurisdiction before searching. Circuit Court, District Court, and Family Court all sit within Kentucky's unified court system, but they handle different case types and have different public-access limits. Family Court is a Circuit Court division, while District Court is the limited-jurisdiction trial court.
| Topic | Circuit Court | District Court | Family Court |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civil jurisdiction | Civil cases over $5,000; title disputes; injunctions; writs; administrative appeals. | Civil cases up to $5,000; small claims up to $2,500. | Family-law civil matters within Circuit Court jurisdiction. |
| Criminal jurisdiction | Felonies and serious criminal case files after indictment or information. | Misdemeanors, violations, traffic, city/county ordinances, felony arraignments and probable-cause hearings. | Not the main criminal court, but related domestic or juvenile matters may be restricted. |
| Family cases | Divorce and adoption are Circuit Court matters. | Domestic violence and abuse jurisdiction also appears in District Court. | Dissolution, custody, support, visitation, paternity, adoption, DNA, TPR, and domestic violence. |
| Probate | Contested probate and real-property title disputes can involve Circuit Court. | Probate of wills starts in District Court. | Not the probate court. |
| Appeals | Hears District Court appeals; appeals from Circuit Court usually go to the Kentucky Court of Appeals. | Lower-court judgments may be appealed to Circuit Court. | Appeals follow Circuit Court appellate paths where applicable. |
The Kentucky District Court overview confirms the limited-jurisdiction case types handled by District Court.
That District Court role explains why traffic, probate of wills, misdemeanors, and felony preliminary events may appear before any Circuit Court case exists.
Marshall County Case Movement
A Marshall County case can move through more than one court level. The clearest example is a felony. An arrest or complaint may lead to District Court first appearance, bond, and probable-cause proceedings. If the case proceeds by indictment or information, the felony case moves to Circuit Court for arraignment, pretrial hearings, plea or trial, sentencing, and any appeal notice.
Felony flow: Arrest or complaint › District Court first appearance › probable-cause hearing › indictment or information › Circuit Court arraignment › pretrial › plea or trial › sentencing › Kentucky Court of Appeals where allowed.
Civil flow: Complaint or petition filed › service › answer › motions and hearings › settlement, dismissal, trial, or judgment › post-judgment activity › appeal where allowed.
Probate flow: District Court probate of will › fiduciary appointment › inventory within the required time › administration › settlement, with contested probate or title disputes potentially moving into Circuit Court jurisdiction.
Marshall County Circuit Divisions
Circuit Court is the main trial court for Marshall County felony and higher-value civil matters. It also handles divorce, adoption, termination of parental rights, real-property title disputes, contested probate matters, injunctions, writs, and appeals from District Court or administrative agencies. Family Court operates as a Circuit Court division for family-law subjects when available, and the official Marshall page lists a Chief Circuit Judge / Family Court judge for Division 2.
The Kentucky Family Court overview describes the family jurisdiction that can appear in Circuit Court division records.
Family Court records may have public access limits, especially for adoption, juvenile, dependency, neglect, abuse, and some domestic violence information.
Search Marshall Circuit Court Records
Public Marshall County Circuit Court records may be searched through KYeCourts guest access when available. Dockets should be checked through the Kentucky docket search. The Circuit Court Clerk remains the fallback for certified copies, older files, archived records, and records that do not appear online. For stored files, KCOJ notes that the local clerk may need to provide facility, case number, and file locator number before the State Records Center can respond.
KRS 26A.200 treats court records as property of the Court of Justice, and KRS 61.872 supports public-record inspection more broadly. Access is not absolute. Juvenile records are confidential under KRS 610.340 unless law or court order allows disclosure. Expunged, purged, sealed, mental health, adoption, domestic violence, and sensitive personal information may be withheld or redacted.
The Kentucky Specialty Courts page lists Drug Court, Mental Health Court, and Veterans Treatment Court program categories.
Specialty-court referrals can affect Circuit or District case records by adding treatment, review, referral, or conditional-dismissal events.
Lower Courts and Appeals
Marshall County's lower-court functions are mainly District Court functions under Kentucky's unified system. District Court handles traffic offenses, misdemeanors, violations, city and county ordinances, juvenile matters, probate of wills, felony arraignments, probable-cause hearings, small claims up to $2,500, civil cases up to $5,000, mental commitments, and domestic violence and abuse matters. City police cases from Benton or Calvert City may involve local law enforcement but prosecute in District Court when they become state court matters.
Appeals from District Court go to Circuit Court. Appeals from Circuit Court generally go to the Kentucky Court of Appeals, with further review by the Kentucky Supreme Court where allowed. That path is why a record search sometimes needs both District and Circuit context. A traffic or misdemeanor matter may stay in District Court, while a felony record may show District Court preliminary entries before a Circuit Court felony file opens.