LaRue County Circuit Court Overview
Circuit Court is Kentucky's general jurisdiction trial court. In LaRue County, Circuit Court handles felonies, larger civil matters, divorces, adoptions, real-property title disputes, contested probate matters, and appeals from District Court. The official Kentucky Court of Justice LaRue County page places local court functions at the LaRue County Courthouse Annex in Hodgenville and identifies the Office of Circuit Court Clerk as the starting point for case records.
LaRue County is in the 10th Judicial Circuit. The official county page identifies Chief Circuit Judge Charles C. Simms III for Circuit Court Division 1 and Judge Joe G. Ballard for Circuit Court Division 2. District Court in the 10th Judicial District is also listed on the same page, with Judge Teresa McMahan-Miller. This compact local structure matters because many court-record questions, even District Court questions, route through the same Circuit Court Clerk office.
The official LaRue County court page is one of the images assigned to this court profile.
The county page is the practical hub for Circuit Court judges, District Court information, clerk contact details, Zoom links, ePay, court dates, and record-request guidance.
LaRue County Circuit Court Divisions
The research did not identify separate courthouse locations for different LaRue County Circuit Court divisions. Circuit Court, District Court, and the Circuit Court Clerk are all tied to the LaRue County Courthouse Annex. A record seeker should use the court name and division when known, but copies and basic access questions go through the clerk's office at the annex.
| Court | Type | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Circuit Court, 10th Judicial Circuit, Division 1 | General jurisdiction, Chief Circuit Judge Charles C. Simms III | 209 W. High St., Hodgenville, KY 42748 | 270-358-3421 via Circuit Clerk |
| Circuit Court, 10th Judicial Circuit, Division 2 | General jurisdiction, Judge Joe G. Ballard | 209 W. High St., Hodgenville, KY 42748 | 270-358-3421 via Circuit Clerk |
| District Court, 10th Judicial District | Limited jurisdiction, Judge Teresa McMahan-Miller | 209 W. High St., Hodgenville, KY 42748 | 270-358-3421 via Circuit Clerk |
| Office of Circuit Court Clerk | Records, filings, fines, fees, jury, bonds during clerk hours | 209 W. High St., P.O. Box 191, Hodgenville, KY 42748 | 270-358-3421; fax 270-358-3731 |
Circuit Court vs District Court
LaRue County court users often need to choose between Circuit Court and District Court, not between county, municipal, or justice courts. Kentucky's unified court system assigns general jurisdiction matters to Circuit Court and limited jurisdiction matters to District Court. Both record sets are maintained through the circuit court clerk system, so the search path overlaps even when the court level differs.
| Point | Circuit Court | District Court |
|---|---|---|
| Main Role | General jurisdiction trial court. | Limited jurisdiction trial court. |
| Criminal Cases | Felonies and related higher-level criminal matters. | Misdemeanors, violations, traffic, and felony preliminary matters. |
| Civil and Family | Larger civil cases, divorces, adoptions, title disputes, and family matters where applicable. | Small claims, lower-value civil cases, domestic violence, juvenile, and mental-health proceedings. |
| Probate | Contested probate matters. | Probate of wills and routine probate jurisdiction. |
| Record Access | Search CourtNet, then contact the Circuit Court Clerk for copies. | Search CourtNet or court-date search, then contact the Circuit Court Clerk. |
LaRue County Case Flow
Criminal and civil cases do not all follow the same path. A felony may begin with a District Court preliminary stage and later move to Circuit Court by indictment or information. A misdemeanor or traffic matter may stay in District Court. A divorce starts as a Circuit Court or Family Court type record. Contested probate can move beyond routine District Court probate into Circuit Court litigation.
Criminal flow: Arrest or citation › first appearance or District Court setting › charge review › indictment or information for felony matters › Circuit Court arraignment › pretrial › plea or trial › disposition › sentence › appeal.
Civil flow: Complaint or petition filed › service › answer › motions or discovery › hearing, mediation, settlement, or trial › judgment › post-judgment activity › appeal.
Search LaRue County Circuit Court
The official LaRue County court page links Find a Case and Find a Court Date. Use Kentucky CourtNet public case search for case lookup and Kentucky court-date search for hearing schedules. Registered users and attorneys may use the Kentucky eCourts login route for registered functions and payment access where allowed.
Online access may show case indexes, parties, filing dates, docket activity, hearing dates, and public dispositions, but it may not provide every document. Certified copies, sealed-case questions, older files, and files that do not appear online should be directed to the Circuit Court Clerk. The Kentucky Court of Justice record-request guidance says the clerk may identify a record facility and file locator numbers when older files are stored outside the office and remain available.
- Use CourtNet when the case number, party name, or court level is known.
- Use court-date search for upcoming Circuit Court or District Court hearings.
- Call the Circuit Court Clerk before visiting for certified copies or older records.
- Use ePay only for eligible fines and fees linked through Kentucky Court of Justice resources.
LaRue County Remote Court
The official LaRue County court page lists Zoom details for local court divisions. Judge McMahan-Miller's District Court listing includes meeting ID 880 823 6385 with no passcode. Judge Simms' Circuit Court Division I listing includes meeting ID 787 979 4550 and passcode 594167. Judge Ballard's Circuit Court Division II listing includes meeting ID 9858 943 0163 and passcode 859884.
Remote appearance permission can change by case, judge, hearing type, and order. A Zoom link on an official page is not the same as permission to skip an in-person appearance. Confirm with the Circuit Court Clerk or the court before relying on remote access for a hearing.
Kentucky Court of Justice structure information is another image assigned to this page.
Remote court access sits inside the statewide court system, so official Kentucky Court of Justice updates should control over older saved links.
LaRue County Court Payments
The official county court page notes that court payments may be made by cash, check, money order, or credit and debit cards with a fee. Cash is required for bonds, probation, and parole fees. The detention center bond page adds a local workflow: during regular Circuit Court Clerk business hours, bond must be paid at the Circuit Court Clerk's office and paperwork taken to the detention center for release. After normal clerk hours, weekends, and holidays, bonds are handled at the detention center.
| Payment Type | Where It Starts | Research Note |
|---|---|---|
| Eligible fines and fees | KCOJ ePay or Circuit Court Clerk | Use ePay only for eligible cases. |
| Bond during clerk hours | Circuit Court Clerk | Take paperwork to detention center after payment. |
| Bond after hours | LaRue County Detention Center | Used outside regular clerk hours, weekends, and holidays. |
| Probation or parole fees | Court payment route | Cash required under the official payment note. |
LaRue County Detention Center required-fees information is included in the page images.
Payment instructions are part of court-record access because fines, bonds, and sentence fees often appear in or follow from a case record.
LaRue County Lower Court Role
District Court is the lower trial court identified in the state structure map. It handles traffic, misdemeanors, violations, city and county ordinances, juvenile matters, small claims, probate of wills, domestic violence, lower-value civil matters, and mental-health proceedings. District Court is not a separate local clerk's office for record access. The Circuit Court Clerk maintains Circuit Court and District Court records for LaRue County.
Note: Kentucky does not use a LaRue County justice court or JP court network for ordinary local court records.