Circuit Courts hear felony criminal prosecutions and civil lawsuits. Circuit Courts hear appeals from County, Justice and Municipal courts and from administrative boards and commissions such as the Workers’ Compensation Commission and the Mississippi Department of Employment Security.

There are 22 Circuit Court districts and 53 Circuit Court judges. The number of Circuit
Judges per district ranges from one to four. Circuit Court judges are selected in non-partisan elections to serve four-year terms.

Trials are heard with a 12-member jury and usually one or two alternate jurors. A judge may preside without a jury if the dispute is a question of law rather than fact.