Choctaw County Circuit Clerk Office

About the Choctaw County Circuit Clerk

Amy Burdine serves as the Choctaw County Circuit Clerk. The post is an elected county office, and the Mississippi Judiciary lists her as the clerk for the county's Circuit Court. The Mississippi Association of Supervisors profile names her in the same role. The clerk is not a judge. The office is the records and support arm of the court, and it is where the public goes to file papers, view a docket, or buy a certified copy.

The office sits in the Choctaw County Courthouse in downtown Ackerman, the same building that holds the Chancery Court. The clerk keeps the Circuit Court case files, manages juries, runs county elections, and issues marriage licenses. Each of those duties brings its own forms and its own line of work, yet all of them flow through one office during posted court hours.

What the Choctaw County Circuit Clerk Handles

The Circuit Clerk is the keeper of the record for the trial court that hears felonies, large civil suits, and appeals from the lower courts. When a case is filed, the clerk stamps it, dockets it, and tracks every order and judgment that follows. The office also issues the process that starts and moves a case, such as summonses and subpoenas. Beyond the courtroom, the clerk wears two more hats that many people do not expect. The office builds the county jury pool and runs the machinery of local elections.

The felony trials and major civil suits the clerk supports belong to the Choctaw County Circuit Court in the Fifth Circuit District. The clerk's daily work covers a clear set of duties.

• File and store Circuit Court case papers, both civil and criminal.
• Maintain the docket and keep each order, plea, and judgment in the file.
• Draw and manage the county jury list for Circuit Court terms.
• Run county elections and keep voter and election records.
• Issue marriage licenses and hold the marriage record.
• Collect filing fees, court costs, and copy charges.

The marriage-license duty surprises many first-time visitors. In Mississippi the Circuit Clerk, not a separate vital records desk, issues the license, and the Choctaw County office is where local couples apply. Official application hours, the fee, and the ID rules were not posted online, so a quick call to the clerk before a visit confirms what to bring and whether both applicants must appear. The jury and election duties run in the background but matter just as much, since the same office that builds a Circuit Court jury list also keeps the county's voter and election records.

How to Request a Certified Copy

A certified copy is a court copy stamped and signed by the clerk to prove it is a true match of the file. Banks, employers, and other courts often want a certified copy rather than a plain print. The Circuit Clerk issues certified copies of Circuit Court papers and marriage records. Divorce, probate, and land copies come from the Choctaw County Chancery Clerk instead, so confirm the right office before you pay. Follow these steps to ask the Choctaw County Circuit Clerk for one.

1. Find the case first. Have the party names, and a case or cause number if you know it, plus a rough date.
2. Tell the clerk what you need. Name the document and how many certified copies you want.
3. Reach the office by phone at (662) 285-6245, by mail to P.O. Box 34, or at the counter at 22 E. Quinn Street.
4. Ask the fee and the payment type before you mail a check, since copy charges were not posted in official sources.
5. Pick the copy up in person or have the office mail it once the request and the fee clear.

The reason a certified copy matters is simple. A court, a bank, or a government office often will not accept a plain printout as proof, because a plain copy carries no stamp and no signature. The clerk's certification is what turns a copy into evidence that the document is real and unchanged. For Circuit Court matters, that can mean a judgment, an order, or a sentencing record. For the office's other duties, it can mean a certified marriage record. Each one starts with the same request, and each one ends with the clerk's seal.

Note: Older Circuit Court files may predate the county's electronic system, so a paper search at the clerk's counter can take longer than a recent case.

Choctaw County Records Request Fields

A written request to the clerk works best when it spells out exactly what you want. There is no special county request form posted online, so a clear letter or counter request that names the record, the parties, and the date range is the practical tool. If the office denies a public record, the Mississippi Ethics Commission complaint form is the next step, and it asks for the same kind of detail. The table maps the fields on that complaint form, which double as a checklist for any focused request.

Choctaw County Circuit Clerk Fees

Fees split into two groups. The state electronic court system charges set, published amounts for remote access, while the clerk's counter copy and filing charges were not posted in the official sources reviewed. That gap is the reason to call ahead. The amounts below show what is on the record and what you must confirm with the office before you pay.

The $0.15 page rate is a state model figure, not the clerk's posted court-copy fee. Treat it as a guide and ask the Circuit Clerk for the real number before mailing payment.

Choctaw County Circuit Clerk Resources

The clerk does not run a stand-alone county website, so the most useful tools sit on the statewide court pages. These links explain the electronic system, the registration path, and the court information for the Fifth Circuit District that the clerk supports. Each one is an official Mississippi Judiciary or state court resource.

• Mississippi Electronic Courts (MEC) - the statewide e-filing and public-access program.
• PAMEC online registration - sign up for paid remote access to case information.
• Fifth Circuit court information - the Choctaw County Circuit Court address, phone, and go-live date.

Online Filing and Federal Cases

Choctaw County Circuit Court joined Mississippi Electronic Courts, the system the state calls MEC, on October 12, 2020. Attorneys file through MEC, and the public reaches non-restricted case information through PAMEC, which stands for Public Access to MEC. It is a paid, login-gated service, not a free county portal, so plan for the annual fee and the per-page charge before you search. For records that are too old for the system, sealed, or simply not online, a call or letter to the clerk is the route that works.

Even with the online system, the counter, the phone, the mail, and the fax stay open for records that the system does not reach. In person, the office is at 22 East Quinn Street in Ackerman during posted hours. By phone, the line is 662-285-6245, and the fax is 662-285-2196. By mail, requests go to P.O. Box 34. A focused written request that names the record, the parties, the case number if known, and a date range moves fastest. When a court denies a record that should be public, the Mississippi Ethics Commission complaint route gives the public a way to push back.

The Circuit Clerk only handles state court cases. Federal matters do not pass through this office. The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi serves Choctaw County and keeps its own clerk channels, shown on the Northern District clerk contact page.

That federal page lists filing, jury, and technical contacts that are entirely separate from the county Circuit Clerk. If your case is federal, those numbers are the right ones; for any Choctaw County Circuit Court file, the Circuit Clerk in Ackerman remains the place to start.