Leake County Circuit Clerk Office

About the Leake County Circuit Clerk

Viktorea Pace serves as the Leake County Circuit Clerk. The Circuit Clerk is an elected county officer who runs the clerk's office for both the Circuit Court and the County Court. The job reaches well past simple filing. The office takes in lawsuits, manages felony and civil case files, issues marriage licenses, and supports the local jury pool. Because voters choose this clerk, the office answers straight to county residents. The Circuit Clerk also records professional licenses, registers citizens to vote, and helps run county elections each cycle.

The official Leake County FAQ page shows where each kind of court record lives and how to reach the right clerk's counter.

That guidance sends marriage, jury, and circuit case questions to the Circuit Clerk, while routing land, estate, and tax questions to a different county office.

What the Leake County Circuit Clerk Files

The Circuit Clerk is the gatekeeper for Circuit Court and County Court paperwork in Leake County. Each new lawsuit, indictment, and motion is filed and stamped here. The clerk then issues the summonses and subpoenas that move a case forward. Staff draw jurors and qualify the juries that decide trials. The office also keeps a running record of judgments and executions, the orders that let a winning party collect. Marriage licenses and marriage records round out the core court records work.

• Receive and file lawsuits, indictments, motions, and related court papers
• Issue summonses and subpoenas in civil and criminal cases
• Draw jurors and qualify juries for Circuit Court trials
• Keep records of judgments and executions
• Issue marriage licenses and maintain county marriage records

Beyond the courtroom, the clerk handles civic duties. The office records medical and other professional licenses, registers citizens to vote, and carries out election tasks for the county. These mixed roles make the Circuit Clerk one of the busiest record offices in Leake County government.

Note: Youth Court files and sealed cases are not open public records, even when the Circuit Clerk's office handles related paperwork.

Leake County Clerk Records Split

Leake County splits its court records between two clerks, and that surprises many first-time requesters. The Circuit Clerk keeps Circuit Court and County Court files, marriage licenses, judgments, and jury records. The Chancery Clerk, Dot Merchant, runs a separate equity office and acts as the county's public recorder. Divorce files, estates, wills, guardianships, land deeds, liens, board minutes, and delinquent tax records all sit with the Chancery Clerk. Asking the wrong office wastes a trip. The table below shows which clerk holds which record.

The Mississippi Judiciary explains the state's trial and appellate court structure, which shows why circuit and chancery records stay separate.

Circuit Court hears felonies and jury trials, while Chancery Court handles equity, so each court feeds a different clerk's record set.

When a record could fall either way, a quick call settles it. The Chancery Clerk, reached at 601-267-7371 and located at 101 Court Square, Suite 100, covers anything tied to land, family equity, or county finance.

How to Request a Certified Copy

A certified copy is an official clerk-stamped version of a court record. People need them for appeals, background checks, name changes, immigration files, and proof of marriage. A plain copy works for personal reference, but courts and agencies usually demand the certified form. The Leake County Circuit Clerk issues certified copies of the records it holds. The steps below keep the process simple.

1. Identify the court and case. Note whether it is a Circuit Clerk file or a Chancery Clerk file, then gather the case number or party names.
2. Contact the clerk that holds the record. Call or visit the Circuit Clerk for circuit and county case files, judgments, or marriage records.
3. Give the document details. Provide the case number, party names, document type, and the number of certified copies you need.
4. Pay the fee in advance. Confirm the current copy and certification charge, since amounts are not posted online.
5. Choose pickup or mail. Collect the certified copy at the counter, or ask the office to mail it after payment clears.

Mailed requests take longer than counter pickup. Include a daytime phone number so the clerk can reach you if a case number does not match or a fee changes. Older files may sit in storage and need extra search time.

Note: Confirm the exact copy and certification charge before you mail payment, since the Leake County Circuit Clerk does not post a fee list online.

Leake County Records Request Fields

The Circuit Clerk does not run a public online case-search portal, so written or in-person requests are the norm for circuit records. The county does run an online land-records portal on the Chancery side, and its search fields show the kind of detail any clerk request should include. Strong detail speeds any record pull. The fields below come from the Leake County official land-records portal and model a clean request.

Name spelling matters most. The portal warns searchers to try spelling variations, since one misspelled surname can hide a deed or judgment. For court files, a case number beats a name search every time and avoids mixing up two people who share a name.

Marriage Records and Voter Duties

Several Circuit Clerk duties touch residents who never set foot in a courtroom. Couples get their marriage license here, and the office keeps the marriage record afterward. New voters register through the same clerk. People in licensed trades may file professional credentials. Each task carries its own counter and its own small set of paperwork.

Marriage licenses

Issued by the Circuit Clerk; the office also keeps the county marriage record.

Voter registration

The clerk signs up citizens to vote and supports county elections.

Professional licenses

Medical and other professional licenses are recorded with the clerk.

Jury service

The clerk draws and qualifies the jurors called for Circuit Court terms.

Statewide marriage copies are also available. The Mississippi State Department of Health keeps marriage records and can search by the county where a license was issued. For Leake County divorce records, though, the Chancery Clerk is the local custodian, since divorce is an equity matter. Marriage and divorce records often get confused, so confirm the court first.

Leake County Circuit Clerk Fees

Leake County does not publish a full Circuit Clerk fee schedule online. That gap is normal for small Mississippi counties, where fees follow state statute and are quoted at the counter. A few payment rules are documented, though, and they matter. The Chancery Clerk takes no credit cards for filing fees, copies, or delinquent taxes. Faxed copies must be paid in advance. Always confirm the current amount before you send money or expect a quick turnaround.

Treat any amount you read elsewhere with care. The figures above are documented rules and state charges, not invented Leake prices. For a circuit copy or certification fee, call the clerk's office and ask for the current rate.

Note: The MSDH marriage fee is a state vital-records charge and is separate from any Leake County Circuit Clerk marriage-license fee.

Online and Federal Court Records

Mississippi runs an electronic court system called Mississippi Electronic Courts, or MEC. Leake County Circuit Court joined MEC in August 2024, and Chancery Court joined back in 2015. Public users reach case data through the Public Access to MEC service, known as PAMEC, which needs a free registration and login. MEC is not an open anonymous search site. When a record is older, restricted, or needs certifying, the clerk's counter is still the surest route. E-filing is now mandatory for attorneys in Circuit Court matters.

Some Leake County disputes belong in federal court. The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi lists Leake County in its Northern Division, with court held at Jackson.

Federal civil and criminal case files there are kept by the federal court clerk, not the Leake County Circuit Clerk.

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi posts filing rules, divisions, and public-access details on its main site.

For a circuit case in Carthage, though, start with the Leake County Circuit Clerk, who remains the front door for county court records.