Clark County Trial Court Overview
Clark County's official courts page describes the Clark Circuit and Superior Courts as having original jurisdiction over civil and criminal cases, then assigns work among six numbered courts by local rule. The Indiana Judicial Branch local page identifies Clark County as part of Judicial District 23 with Clark, Floyd, and Scott counties. That statewide page also links to MyCase, e-filing, local rules, court statistics, and official county contact resources.
The core rule is local assignment. Serious felony cases, drug felonies, Level 6 felonies, OWI cases, traffic infractions, domestic relations, civil collection, foreclosure, eviction, small claims, protective orders, estates, trusts, adult guardianships, child guardianships, and adoptions do not all go to one generic bench. They are divided among Circuit Court Nos. 1 through 4 and Superior Court Nos. 5 through 6. Attorneys are required to e-file in Clark County, while other users are encouraged to e-file.
For public case information, use Indiana MyCase. For court structure, judges, phone numbers, and assignments, use the official Clark County courts page and the Indiana Judicial Branch Clark County page.
Clark County Circuit and Superior Courts
All six numbered trial courts use the same main courthouse address in Jeffersonville, but their assignments differ. The table keeps the judge, magistrate, main work, address, and phone in one place so the correct Clark County court can be matched to the case type before a call, filing, or records request is made.
| Court | Judge / Magistrate | Main assignments | Address / phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Circuit Court No. 1 | Judge Nicholas A. Karaffa | Murder and Class A/B/C/Level 1-5 felony cases filed in even-numbered months; adult guardianships; supervised and unsupervised estates; trusts; tax sale and conservancy cases; one-sixth of adoptions. | 501 East Court Avenue, Jeffersonville, IN 47130; 812-285-6308; fax 812-285-6283 |
| Circuit Court No. 2 | Judge Bradley B. Jacobs; Magistrate William Dawkins | Higher felony controlled-substance and legend-drug cases under Indiana drug statutes; one-sixth of adoptions. | 501 East Court Avenue, Jeffersonville, IN 47130; 812-285-6333; fax 812-285-6380 |
| Circuit Court No. 3 | Judge N. Lisa Glickfield; Magistrate Jeffrey Branstetter | Class D and Level 6 felony as most serious charge; misdemeanor and felony OWI and motor-vehicle Title 9 Chapter 30 cases; OWI homicide except listed overlap; one-sixth of adoptions. | 501 East Court Avenue, Jeffersonville, IN 47130; 812-285-6316; fax 812-280-5662 |
| Circuit Court No. 4 | Judge Lisa Garcia Reger; Magistrate Andrew Adams | Murder and Class A/B/C/Level 1-5 felony cases filed in odd-numbered months; juvenile defendants; CHINS, TPR, juvenile matters, child guardianships, and adoptions. | 501 East Court Avenue, Jeffersonville, IN 47130; 812-285-6294; fax 812-285-6258 |
| Superior Court No. 5 | Judge Abraham Navarro; Magistrate Darren Wilder | Misdemeanors except OWI; traffic infractions; ordinance violations; domestic relations DC and DN cases; one-sixth of adoptions. | 501 East Court Avenue, Jeffersonville, IN 47130; 812-670-4949 |
| Superior Court No. 6 | Judge Kyle P. Williams; Magistrate Darren Wilder | Mortgage foreclosure, civil collection, small claims, eviction, civil tort, civil plenary, protective orders, reciprocal support, and Title IV-D child support; one-sixth of adoptions. | 501 East Court Avenue, Jeffersonville, IN 47130; 812-670-4950 |
The Court Administrator is R. Thomas Lowe, listed as Chief Administrative Officer for the Clark Circuit and Superior Courts, with phone 812-207-2341 and email tlowe@clarkcounty.in.gov.
Clark County Trial and Lower Courts
Indiana's hierarchy for Clark County starts with local trial courts, then routes appeals through the Court of Appeals of Indiana and the Indiana Supreme Court. Local city and town courts can handle narrower municipal, ordinance, or traffic matters where they exist. The research map identifies lower courts as City Court and Town Court, not county court or justice court.
| Feature | Clark Circuit and Superior Courts | City Court | Town Court |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main role | Primary trial courts for civil, criminal, family, juvenile, probate, guardianship, traffic, and protective order cases. | Local municipal or ordinance matters where a city court exists. | Local town matters, often ordinance or traffic-related, where a town court exists. |
| Clark County examples from research | Six numbered courts at 501 East Court Avenue. | Jeffersonville City ordinance-violation matters are referenced in traffic contact notes. | Clarksville Town Court is referenced for traffic or ordinance bench matters. |
| Records path | MyCase plus Clerk of the Courts for copies and certified records. | Local court contact for municipal matters, with MyCase when the case is in the state system. | Town court contact for town matters, with Clerk or MyCase fallback when applicable. |
| Appeal path | Indiana appellate system, including the Court of Appeals of Indiana. | Depends on the case type and governing Indiana procedure. | Depends on the case type and governing Indiana procedure. |
Clark County Case Movement
A Clark County case moves first by case type, then by local assignment rule. Serious felony cases are split partly by filing month between Circuit Court Nos. 1 and 4. Drug felony work routes to Circuit Court No. 2. Level 6 felony and OWI-heavy matters route to Circuit Court No. 3. Misdemeanor non-OWI and traffic infractions route to Superior Court No. 5. Civil collection, foreclosure, eviction, small claims, civil tort, plenary civil, protective order, reciprocal support, and Title IV-D matters route to Superior Court No. 6.
Criminal flow: Charge or arrest › filing in the assigned Clark Circuit or Superior Court › initial hearing or arraignment › pretrial events › plea or trial › disposition › sentence › appeal.
Civil flow: Complaint or petition › assignment to the proper numbered court › service and response › motions or mediation where required › hearing or trial › judgment or order › appeal.
Probate and family flow: Petition › local-rule assignment › notices and hearings › order, letters, support order, guardianship order, or final decree › later filings or appeal if allowed.
Clark County Case Assignments
Criminal cases are not grouped by a single criminal division. The assignment depends on severity, filing month, and subject matter. Circuit Court No. 1 handles murder and Class A/B/C/Level 1-5 felony cases filed in even-numbered months, while Circuit Court No. 4 handles the same serious felony group when filed in odd-numbered months. Circuit Court No. 2 handles higher felony controlled-substance and legend-drug cases. Circuit Court No. 3 handles Level 6 felony and OWI-centered matters.
Family and juvenile assignments also split by topic. Domestic relations DC and DN cases go to Superior Court No. 5. Juvenile paternity, CHINS, status, termination of parental rights, juvenile miscellaneous matters, child guardianships, and adoption-heavy work are tied to Circuit Court No. 4. Estates, trusts, adult guardianships, tax sale matters, and conservancy cases go to Circuit Court No. 1, which is why the Clark County probate records path is part of the trial court system rather than a separate probate court.
Civil work is concentrated in Superior Court No. 6 for mortgage foreclosure, civil collection, small claims, eviction, civil tort, civil plenary, protective orders, reciprocal support, and Title IV-D child support. Traffic infractions and ordinance violations are assigned to Superior Court No. 5.
Judicial District 23
The Indiana Judicial Branch places Clark County in Judicial District 23 with Floyd and Scott counties. District placement does not create a separate Clark County trial court; it is an Indiana administrative and judicial structure around the local circuit and superior courts. Appeals from local trial courts go through Indiana's appellate system, including the Court of Appeals of Indiana and, where allowed, the Indiana Supreme Court.
Clark County local rules are published through the Indiana Judicial Branch local-rules index and the county-specific local rules PDF. Local rules are important for family law, proposed orders, problem-solving court fees, court reporter fees, alcohol and drug program fees, and self-represented litigant procedures. E-filing rules should be checked before filing because attorneys must e-file in Clark County.
Clark County Magistrates and E-Filing
Several Clark County numbered courts list magistrates. Circuit Court No. 2 lists Magistrate William Dawkins. Circuit Court No. 3 lists Magistrate Jeffrey Branstetter. Circuit Court No. 4 lists Magistrate Andrew Adams. Superior Court Nos. 5 and 6 list Magistrate Darren Wilder. Magistrates may handle assigned hearings and case work under the court's authority, while the elected or appointed judge remains tied to the numbered court listed in the official table.
Lower courts in the structure map are City Court and Town Court. Traffic, ordinance, and local matters may involve a city or town venue before a person ever needs the main trial court file. The Clerk traffic research references Clarksville Town Court and Jeffersonville City ordinance-violation matters for certain local contacts. For a full case file in the Clark Circuit and Superior Courts, MyCase and the Clerk of the Courts are the main access channels.
Note: The visible court name used here is Clark County Circuit and Superior Courts because the resolved map says Indiana does not use a literal county trial court by the filename label.