Montgomery County Circuit Court Clerk, Cheryl J. Castle

"Serving the citizens of Montgomery County with excellence and pride.
Dedicated to providing the leadership and the services that keep our courts
at the forefront of the Tennessee Judiciary."

Whether you are visiting this site in order to conduct business with the Clerk's Office or just learning more about how your government works, we hope that you will find our web site useful. We constantly strive to improve the services we provide. If you have a recommendation on how we can improve this site or any of our services, please do not hesitate to contact me or my staff at (931) 648-5700. Thank you for allowing me the privilege and honor of serving the citizens of Montgomery County.

Cheryl J. Castle
Circuit Court Clerk

Circuit Court Clerk’s Office Overview

The Circuit Court Clerk is a constitutional officer and is elected to four (4) year terms. The Circuit Court Clerk ensures the efficient operations of our courts by maintaining dockets and records, handling administrative matters and serving as goodwill ambassadors to the public. The duties and authority of a Circuit Court Clerk are outlined in T.C.A. 18-1-105 and T.C.A. 18-1-108. Circuit Court Clerks also serve as the Clerk of General Sessions and Juvenile Courts and as the Chairman of the Board of Jury Commissioners. The Circuit Court Clerk’s Office is comprised of six primary divisions: Administration, Civil, Criminal, Traffic, Records/Archives and Jury Administration. The office of the Circuit Court Clerk coordinates and manages the general legal business, public communications, and financial operations of the courts in Montgomery County. Annual receipts in the Circuit Court Clerk’s office average $12,000,000. The Circuit Court Clerk’s office employees thirty five (35) full time employees and five (5) part time employees.

The business services and responsibilities are defined by state statute, court rules and county policies, and include:

• Administrative management
• Technology planning and deployment
• Court case management
• Records management and preservation of exhibits
• Financial management (statutory fiduciary for Circuit, General Sessions and Juvenile Court)
• Juror Administration
• Staff development - training and implementation of new laws and court procedures
• Statutory dissemination of information and data reporting to various agencies
• Courtroom support for judges and judicial equivalents

CIRCUIT COURTS are courts of general jurisdiction in Tennessee. Circuit judges hear civil and criminal cases and appeals of decisions from City, Juvenile, Municipal and General Sessions courts. The jurisdiction of Circuit Courts often overlaps that of the Chancery Courts. In FY 2008/2009, we had 5,515 criminal cases and 1,863 civil cases filed in Circuit Court.

GENERAL SESSIONS COURT jurisdiction varies from county to county based on state laws and private acts. Every county is served by the court which hears civil and criminal cases, including matters formerly handled by justices of the peace. Civil jurisdiction is restricted to specific monetary limits and types of actions. Criminal jurisdiction is limited to preliminary hearings in felony cases and misdemeanor trials in which a defendant waives the right to a grand jury investigation and trial by jury in Circuit or Criminal Court. General Sessions judges also serve as juvenile judges except in counties in which the legislature has established a separate Juvenile Court. In FY 2008/2009, we had 11,302 criminal cases, 19,130 traffic cases and 7,901 civil cases filed in General Sessions Court.

JUVENILE COURT jurisdiction is vested in General Sessions Courts in all counties except those in which the law establishes special Juvenile Courts. Juvenile Courts have exclusive jurisdiction in proceedings involving minors alleged to be delinquent, unruly, dependent and neglected. Juvenile Courts also have concurrent jurisdiction with Circuit, Chancery and Probate Courts in some areas.