Marion County Circuit Court Overview
Kentucky uses a unified state court system. Marion County is assigned to the 11th Judicial Circuit and the 11th Judicial District. Circuit Court is the primary trial court name resolved by the State Court Structure Map, while the required project filename remains district-court.html. The local court facility is the Marion County Judicial Center, 121 North Spalding Avenue, Lebanon, KY 40033.
Circuit Court is Kentucky's general-jurisdiction trial court. It hears civil matters over $5,000, felonies, divorces, adoptions, termination of parental rights, real-property title disputes, contested probate, appeals from District Court, and administrative-agency appeals. District Court is the limited-jurisdiction court for misdemeanors, traffic, violations, small claims up to $2,500, civil cases up to $5,000, probate of wills, juvenile matters, mental commitments, and preliminary felony hearings.
The Kentucky Circuit Court jurisdiction page is the state source for the general-jurisdiction role.
That state role explains why a Marion felony, divorce, or higher civil case is treated as Circuit Court business.
Marion County Circuit Court Judges
The official Marion County KCOJ page lists local judges, divisions, and court contact information. The same Judicial Center phone number serves local Circuit and District Court questions through the Circuit Court Clerk. The court schedule on that page lists District Court on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 9:00 a.m.; Circuit Court is listed as the first and third Thursday after the first Monday, with Circuit Civil schedule by phone.
| Court / Division | Judicial officer | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11th Judicial Circuit, Division 1 | Samuel Todd Spalding, Chief Circuit Judge | 121 N. Spalding Ave., Lebanon, KY 40033 | 270-692-2681 |
| 11th Judicial Circuit, Division 2 | Kaelin G. Reed, Circuit Judge | 121 N. Spalding Ave., Lebanon, KY 40033 | 270-692-2681 |
| 11th Judicial District, Division 1 | Amy S. Anderson, District Judge | 121 N. Spalding Ave., Lebanon, KY 40033 | 270-692-2681 |
| 11th Judicial District, Division 2 | Mike Hall Jr., District Judge | 121 N. Spalding Ave., Lebanon, KY 40033 | 270-692-2681 |
| Office of Circuit Court Clerk | Tammy Morris Edlin, Circuit Court Clerk | 121 N. Spalding Ave., Lebanon, KY 40033 | 270-692-2681 |
Marion County Circuit vs District Court
Marion County does not use a Texas-style county court or justice court structure for these records. Kentucky's local split is Circuit Court and District Court. A user looking for a Marion County felony case, divorce file, contested estate dispute, or high-value civil case should think Circuit Court. A user looking for an ordinary traffic ticket, misdemeanor, probate of a will, small claim, juvenile matter, or first felony appearance should think District Court.
| Point | Circuit Court | District Court |
|---|---|---|
| Civil limit | Civil matters over $5,000 and title disputes | Civil cases up to $5,000 and small claims up to $2,500 |
| Criminal jurisdiction | Felonies after indictment or transfer | Misdemeanors, violations, traffic, and felony probable-cause hearings |
| Family cases | Divorce, adoptions, termination of parental rights, and related Circuit Court family matters | Domestic violence/abuse proceedings and juvenile matters listed for District Court |
| Probate role | Contested probate and appeals where applicable | Probate of wills and estate cases |
| Appeals | Receives District Court appeals and sends Circuit appeals to the appellate courts | Limited court whose appeal path can move to Circuit Court |
The Kentucky District Court jurisdiction page is the state source for lower-court case types.
That District Court role explains why traffic, probate of wills, and misdemeanor records are not always Circuit Court files.
Marion County Circuit Case Flow
Case flow depends on case type. A felony can begin with an arrest, complaint, or District Court preliminary matter, then move to Circuit Court after indictment or transfer. A divorce begins with a Circuit Court filing and moves through service, responses, temporary orders, settlement, hearing, or decree. A higher civil case begins with a complaint, answer, motions, discovery, possible settlement, trial, judgment, and appeal. A contested probate issue may begin in District Court probate and then generate a Circuit Court action.
Felony flow: Arrest or complaint › first appearance or preliminary matter › indictment or transfer › Circuit Court arraignment › pretrial hearings › plea or trial › judgment and sentencing › appeal.
Civil flow: complaint filed › service › answer › motions and discovery › mediation or settlement › trial or judgment › post-judgment enforcement › appeal.
Note: Docket dates are scheduling aids and should be verified with the official court record before travel.
Marion County Court Hierarchy
Kentucky's hierarchy starts with the Kentucky Supreme Court, then the Kentucky Court of Appeals, then Circuit Court, then District Court. Marion County is in the 3rd Supreme Court District and 3rd Appellate District references shown on the official Marion page. Debra Hembree Lambert is listed as Chief Justice for the 3rd Supreme Court District. Jacqueline M. Caldwell is listed for the Court of Appeals 3rd Appellate District, Division 1, and the Marion page showed Division 2 as vacant in the research.
| Level | Role for Marion County cases | Example record path |
|---|---|---|
| Kentucky Supreme Court | Highest state court | Selected appeals and statewide court rules |
| Kentucky Court of Appeals | Intermediate appellate court | Most appeals from Marion Circuit Court |
| Marion Circuit Court | General-jurisdiction trial court | Felony, divorce, higher civil, appeals from District Court |
| Marion District Court | Limited-jurisdiction trial court | Traffic, misdemeanors, small claims, probate of wills |
The Kentucky Court of Justice court system overview provides the statewide structure.
Marion County Circuit Family Cases
Family Court is a division of Circuit Court in Kentucky counties where established. The state Family Court page lists dissolution of marriage, support, custody, paternity, adoption, domestic violence, dependency, neglect, abuse, termination of parental rights, and status offenses. For Marion County records, the research directs users to treat divorce and family case files as Circuit Court matters unless a specific Family Court assignment appears on the record.
The Kentucky Family Court page explains the state family jurisdiction model.
That state-level family structure supports the Marion County distinction between divorce case files and vital-record divorce certificates.
Marion County Court Schedules
The official Marion County court page provides local timing details. District Court is listed for Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 9:00 a.m. Circuit Court is listed as the first and third Thursday after the first Monday, with a note to call for the Circuit Civil schedule. The page also links District Court Zoom information for Judge Amy S. Anderson and Judge Mike Hall Jr.; local rules determine who may attend remotely by Zoom.
Marion County Judicial Center
121 North Spalding Avenue
Lebanon, KY 40033
270-692-2681
Jury line: 270-692-2147
Parking is available in the lot behind the building.
Federal Courts Are Separate
Marion County Circuit Court is a Kentucky state trial court. Federal court records use a different system. Federal civil cases, federal criminal cases, and federal appeals are not held by Tammy Morris Edlin's Circuit Court Clerk office. The Western District of Kentucky and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit are federal paths for federal matters, not substitutes for Marion Circuit or District Court records.
The Sixth Circuit about the court page is the federal appellate source assigned in the manifest.
Federal appellate records follow federal procedure and should not be mixed with Marion County state trial-court records.
CourtListener is a public legal-research source tied to the Marion County Circuit Court research set.
Legal-research tools can help identify opinions, but certified Marion County trial-court copies still come from the correct clerk or court system.