To run a Mississippi court case search, first identify which court handled the case, then use the matching system: the Mississippi Electronic Courts portal for trial-level chancery and circuit filings, the state judiciary’s website for Supreme Court and Court of Appeals matters, or PACER for anything filed in federal court. The state’s electronic filing system now covers all 82 counties, so most trial court records can be pulled from any computer after a $10 annual registration.1State of Mississippi Judiciary. Electronic Filing Completed Statewide for Mississippi Courts
Figure Out Which Court Handled the Case
This is the step that trips people up. Mississippi splits trial-level work across four courts, and searching the wrong one will tell you nothing exists when the case is sitting one system over.
- Chancery Court handles divorce, child custody, child support, paternity, wills, estates, trusts, property disputes, guardianships, and conservatorships.
- Circuit Court covers all felony criminal cases, civil lawsuits seeking more than $200, and appeals from lower courts and county boards.
- County Court has exclusive jurisdiction over eminent domain and juvenile matters, and handles civil claims up to $200,000.
- Justice Court handles small claims up to $3,500, misdemeanors, and traffic offenses outside a municipality.
Divorce or custody: chancery. Felony charge: circuit. Small-dollar dispute or minor criminal charge: justice or county.2State of Mississippi Judiciary. Trial Courts
What You Need Before You Start
Have the full legal name of at least one party. A common name like James Williams will bury you in results, so a middle initial, an approximate filing date, or the county of filing narrows things quickly.
If you already have a case number from a summons, order, or any court paper, use it instead of a name. Case numbers pull a single docket instantly. Confirm the county too, because Mississippi’s trial courts are organized by county and each clerk maintains its own records.
Searching Trial Court Records Online
The Mississippi Electronic Courts (MEC) system is the main portal for trial-level filings. As of mid-2025, electronic filing is complete across all 82 counties for both chancery and circuit courts, so the old coverage gaps that forced courthouse visits are largely gone.1State of Mississippi Judiciary. Electronic Filing Completed Statewide for Mississippi Courts
You need a registered MEC account. Registration and annual renewal cost $10, and viewing documents costs 20 cents per page, paid by credit card or from a pre-funded balance.3State of Mississippi Judiciary. Mississippi Electronic Courts News Once logged in, you can search by party name, case number, or attorney name, and filter by court type or date. The result is a docket listing every filing in the case, with individual documents available as PDF downloads.
The portal runs around the clock, which makes it the practical choice for tracking hearing dates or watching for new filings on your own case.
Searching Appellate Court Records
Appeals to the Mississippi Supreme Court or Court of Appeals live on a different system. Use the search tool on the State of Mississippi Judiciary website, which provides dockets, briefs, orders, and opinions for both appellate courts. Written opinions are archived back to 1996, and oral arguments have been webcast and archived since October 2014.4State of Mississippi Judiciary. State of Mississippi Judiciary
You can search by appellate case number or browse decisions by date. The underlying trial court record stays in MEC, so if you need both the original filings and the appellate ruling, search each system separately.
Federal Cases Use PACER, Not the State System
A common mistake is looking for a federal case in Mississippi’s state portals. Federal criminal prosecutions, bankruptcy filings, and civil suits involving federal law or parties from different states are filed in the U.S. District Courts. Mississippi has two federal districts, Northern and Southern, each with its own filing system.5PACER. Court CM/ECF Lookup
Federal records are searchable through PACER, which has its own account and fee schedule separate from the state portal. If you aren’t sure whether the case is state or federal, PACER’s Case Locator lets you search every federal court by party name in one place.
Searching Records in Person
If you prefer a courthouse visit, or if the case predates the electronic system, go to the chancery or circuit clerk’s office in the county where the case was filed. Most courthouses have public terminals for browsing the local database without an online account. For older files on paper or microfilm, the clerk can retrieve the records, though archived material stored off-site may take a few business days.
Under the statutory fee schedule, copies made by the clerk cost $1.00 per page. If you make the copies yourself on a courthouse copier, the charge drops to $0.25 per page. Transcripts of court minutes and certified records cost $2.00 per page.6Justia. Mississippi Code 25-7-13 – Clerks of the Circuit Court Certified copies carry the clerk’s seal and are usually what you need when submitting a court order to another agency, an employer, or another court.
What You Won’t Find in a Public Search
Some categories of court records are confidential by law and won’t appear in any public portal or over a clerk’s counter, so their absence doesn’t mean the case doesn’t exist.
Youth Court Records
Records from Mississippi’s youth courts are confidential and cannot be disclosed to the general public. A youth court judge can authorize limited disclosure in narrow circumstances, such as judges hearing related custody or adoption matters, or agencies supervising the child, but only when the court finds disclosure serves the child’s best interests or public safety.7FindLaw. Mississippi Code Title 43 Section 43-21-261
Expunged Records
When a Mississippi court grants expungement, the record is treated as though the arrest and conviction never happened, and it will not show up in a public search. The Mississippi Criminal Information Center keeps a nonpublic copy to determine first-offender status in any future case, and the district attorney’s office retains its own nonpublic copy for law enforcement purposes.8Justia. Mississippi Code 99-19-71 – Expunction of Misdemeanor Convictions Charges that were merely dismissed or dropped don’t disappear on their own; expungement still has to be petitioned for.
Sealed and Otherwise Restricted Records
Adoption records, grand jury proceedings, and anything sealed by specific court order fall outside a public search. Home addresses and phone numbers of judges, law enforcement officers, district attorneys, and their families are also shielded, along with internal communications between judges and their staff.9Justia. Mississippi Code 9-1-38 – Certain Judicial Records Exempt From Public Access Requirements Where a document is only partially sealed, the clerk will redact the confidential portions and release the rest.10Justia. Mississippi Code 25-61-5
If a Clerk Denies Your Request
Mississippi’s Public Records Act declares public records to be public property and gives any person the right to inspect and copy them. A denial must come in writing and must cite the specific exemption the office is relying on, and that written denial is itself a public record you can inspect.10Justia. Mississippi Code 25-61-5 The judiciary treats itself as a separate branch not directly subject to the Act, but maintains its own public access policy that mirrors the Act’s transparency provisions.11Mississippi Supreme Court. Statement of Policy Regarding Openness and Availability of Public Records