Monroe County
Monroe County, formed in 1819, has its county seat in Madisonville, and it is home to about 46,250 people. Covering 635.8 square miles of land area, Monroe County is the 6th largest county by area in Tennessee.
Monroe County's judicial system consists of the Circuit, Criminal, Chancery, Juvenile, and General Sessions Courts. The Circuit Court is a trial court with the authority to oversee civil cases without any monetary limit. It shares jurisdiction with the Chancery Court on family-related matters and hears appeals from the Juvenile and General Sessions courts. Monroe County operates a Criminal Court established to relieve the Circuit Court of all criminal cases, including felonies. Misdemeanor appeals from the General Sessions Court are also heard by Monroe County Criminal Court.
The Chancery Court in Monroe County has jurisdiction over breach of contract cases and name change matters. It also shares jurisdiction with the Circuit Court on family law cases like divorces and adoptions. Juvenile cases, such as delinquencies, neglect, and abuse, are handled by the Juvenile Court in Monroe County. The General Sessions Court, on the other hand, is a court of limited jurisdiction empowered to handle misdemeanor trials and decide civil cases with certain monetary limits. The court also conducts preliminary hearings of felony cases.
Most materials and information gathered during court case filings and proceedings constitute the court records in Monroe County. They include affidavits, warrants, summons, exhibits, notices, motions, and court orders, which are typically kept by the clerks of the respective courts. Most Monroe County court records are publicly accessible. However, juvenile, expunged, confidential, and sealed court records are restricted from public disclosure.
Some public court records in Monroe County include:
- Criminal Records
- Civil Records
- Probate Records
- Family Law Records
Most Monroe County criminal and civil case records are available online through the Circuit Court search portal. To request Circuit, Criminal, and Chancery courts' case records in the county, interested individuals may contact the courthouse in person or by mail. Similarly, court records maintained by the General Sessions Court, as well as those not available online in Monroe County, may be obtained directly from the courts where the cases were heard.
