Union County Circuit Court
Union County is part of Kentucky's unified Court of Justice. The KCOJ Union County page places the county in the 5th Judicial Circuit and 5th Judicial District. Circuit Court is the court of general jurisdiction. It hears capital offenses and felonies, civil cases over $5,000, divorces, adoptions, termination of parental rights, real-property title disputes, contested probate matters, injunctions, writs, and appeals from District Court and administrative agencies.
Chief Circuit Judge Daniel M. Heady is listed for Circuit Court, 5th Judicial Circuit, Division 1. Judge Brandi H. Rogers is listed for the Family Court division, 5th Judicial Circuit, Division 2. District Judge Ben Leonard is listed for Union District Court, and Jo Sheridan is listed as Circuit Court Clerk. The county is also shown in the 1st Supreme Court District and 1st Appellate District for Kentucky appellate assignments.
Union County Court Table
The active state-court address for case records and hearings is the Union County Courthouse Annex in downtown Morganfield. The historic courthouse at 100 West Main Street is also a county-government building, but practical court case records, dockets, jury contacts, traffic matters, criminal files, and probate matters start with the state court annex and the Circuit Court Clerk.
| Court or office | Local official | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union Circuit Court | Chief Circuit Judge Daniel M. Heady | 121 S. Morgan St., Morganfield, KY 42437 | 270-389-1811 |
| Union Family Court | Judge Brandi H. Rogers | 121 S. Morgan St., Morganfield, KY 42437 | Use Circuit/Family clerk channel through 270-389-1811 |
| Union District Court | Judge Ben Leonard | 121 S. Morgan St., Morganfield, KY 42437 | 270-389-0800 |
| Office of Circuit Court Clerk | Jo Sheridan | 121 S. Morgan St., P.O. Box 59, Morganfield, KY 42437 | Circuit: 270-389-1811; District: 270-389-0800 |
| County Clerk | Garrick Thompson | 100 W. Main St., P.O. Box 119, Morganfield, KY 42437 | 270-389-1334 |
Circuit District and Clerk Records
Kentucky's trial-court split is by subject matter and case stage. Circuit Court handles the broader and more serious cases. District Court handles limited-jurisdiction matters, including many first appearances and lower-level cases. The County Clerk is not a state court clerk and does not keep the Circuit Court case file. For full case records, use the Union County Circuit Court Clerk.
| Record or case type | Circuit Court | District Court | County Clerk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civil jurisdiction | Civil matters over $5,000, injunctions, real-property title disputes, and appeals | Civil cases of $5,000 or less and small claims of $2,500 or less | Recorded liens, deeds, mortgages, plats, and related instruments |
| Criminal jurisdiction | Felonies, capital offenses, probation issues, and appeals from lower court | Misdemeanors, violations, arraignments, traffic offenses, and felony probable-cause hearings | No criminal case file role |
| Family or probate | Divorce, adoptions, termination of parental rights, Family Court division, contested probate | Probate of wills, juvenile, mental-health, domestic violence and abuse matters | Marriage licenses, recorded wills, affidavits of descent, and estate-related recordings |
| Where records start | Circuit Court Clerk, Circuit side | Circuit Court Clerk, District side | County Clerk office or eCCLIX |
Union County Case Movement
A felony often starts with arrest, citation, complaint, or preliminary proceedings in District Court. District Court may handle arraignment and a probable-cause hearing before a felony is bound over or presented for indictment. Once a felony proceeds in Circuit Court, the Circuit Court record can show indictment or information, arraignment, bond orders, motions, pretrial hearings, plea, trial, disposition, sentence, probation terms, costs, and appeal notices.
Criminal flow: Arrest or citation › District Court arraignment or probable-cause stage › grand jury or transfer path › Circuit Court arraignment › pretrial motions › plea or trial › disposition and sentence › appeal.
Civil flow: Complaint or petition filed › summons and answer › motions and discovery › mediation or hearings › trial or agreed order › judgment › post-judgment collection or appeal.
Family Court cases use the Circuit Court division focused on families and children. A divorce, child support matter, domestic violence docket, dependency or neglect case, or private attorney domestic matter can move on a different schedule from general Circuit Court. Juvenile, adoption, and domestic violence records can have access limits even when a docket event exists.
Union County Court Schedules
The KCOJ Union County page lists schedule blocks by court type. Schedules can change by order, holiday, conflict, emergency, or docket load, so the clerk should confirm a specific hearing date before travel. Courthouse security is handled by the Union County Sheriff, whose court-security page says deputies secure Circuit, District, Juvenile, and Family Courts and handle daily movement and transport of prisoners scheduled for court appearances.
| Court or docket | Schedule listed by KCOJ | Record implications |
|---|---|---|
| District Court traffic | Thursday, 9 a.m. | Traffic cases, citations, payment status, failures to appear, and District Court dockets. |
| District civil | Second and fourth Thursday, 1:30 p.m. | Small claims and limited civil matters. |
| Juvenile | First and third Thursday, 1:30 p.m. | Juvenile records are generally confidential under Kentucky law. |
| Circuit Court | Second and fourth Monday, 9 a.m. | Felony, major civil, divorce, contested probate, and appeal activity. |
| Family Court child support | First and third Wednesday | Support matters in the Family Court division. |
| Family Court private attorney matters | Second and fourth Wednesday | Domestic matters handled by private counsel. |
| Family Court domestic violence | Every Wednesday, 11 a.m. | Protective-order and domestic-violence records may have redactions or restricted details. |
| Family Court dependency and neglect | Every Wednesday, 1:30 p.m. | Child-related records are often confidential or limited. |
Union County Family Court
Family Court is a division of Circuit Court in Kentucky counties where it operates, including Union County. The Kentucky Family Court page describes it as a division dedicated to family and child-related cases so they do not compete with criminal and other civil cases for judicial time. In Union County, the KCOJ schedule separates child support, private attorney domestic matters, domestic violence, and dependency or neglect dockets.
Family Court case records can be more restricted than routine civil records. Divorce dockets and final decrees may have public components, but adoption, juvenile, dependency, neglect, domestic violence, protected addresses, minor information, medical details, and safety-related material may be sealed or redacted. A party seeking a certified copy should ask the Circuit Court Clerk which portions are public and whether a court order is needed for access.
Access and Courthouse Logistics
The Union County Courthouse Annex is at 121 South Morgan Street in Morganfield. KCOJ lists parking behind Spring Street, but notes there is no entrance from that side. Designated disability-permit parking is in front on Morgan Street. Visitors must enter through the front and pass through security scanning. Accessibility features listed by KCOJ include an outside ramp, elevator, and equipped bathrooms.
The historic Union County Courthouse at 100 West Main Street remains a county-government facility and local landmark. It houses many county departments, including the County Clerk, and has a courtroom used by local government and some court functions. For Circuit Court case records, dockets, trial files, traffic matters, and District Court probate, use the Circuit Court Clerk and the state-court annex contacts first.
Note: The Circuit Court Clerk can tell requesters whether a case file is local, archived, sealed, or subject to a retention limit.