Butler County Circuit Court Overview
Kentucky uses a unified state court system called the Kentucky Court of Justice. The trial courts include Circuit Court, Family Court, District Court, and Business Court. Circuit Court is the court of general jurisdiction and can hear all case types unless the General Assembly assigns exclusive jurisdiction elsewhere. In Butler County, the State Court Structure Map resolves the primary trial court page to Circuit Court, not District Court.
Butler County is in the 38th Judicial Circuit and the 38th Judicial District. Local trial-court records are kept by Circuit Court Clerk Melissa Cardwell at the courthouse in Morgantown. The clerk's office is the record access point for Circuit, Family, and District Court files, while the separate County Clerk handles marriage licenses, deeds, mortgages, liens, elections, tax matters, vehicles, and other county records.
Butler County Courthouse
110 North Main Street, P.O. Box 625
Morgantown, KY 42261
270-526-5631
Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Butler County Circuit Court List
The Kentucky Court of Justice Butler County page lists local and appellate judicial officers connected to the county. Circuit Court, Family Court, and District Court all use the Butler County courthouse address for local trial matters. The table below uses the court and office roles identified in the research.
| Court or office | Type | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Butler County Circuit Court, 38th Judicial Circuit, Division 1 | General-jurisdiction trial court | 110 N. Main St., Morgantown, KY 42261 | 270-526-5631 |
| Butler County Family Court, 38th Judicial Circuit, Division 2 | Family-law division | 110 N. Main St., Morgantown, KY 42261 | 270-526-5631 |
| Butler County District Court, 38th Judicial District, Division 1 | Limited-jurisdiction trial court | 110 N. Main St., Morgantown, KY 42261 | 270-526-5631 |
| Butler County District Court, 38th Judicial District, Division 2 | Limited-jurisdiction trial court | 110 N. Main St., Morgantown, KY 42261 | 270-526-5631 |
| Office of Circuit Court Clerk | Trial-court records, filings, payments, juries, bonds | 110 N. Main St., P.O. Box 625, Morgantown, KY 42261 | 270-526-5631 or 270-526-5632 |
Butler County Court Officers
The Kentucky Court of Justice Butler County page lists the current judicial officers tied to the county. Chief Circuit Judge Timothy R. Coleman serves Circuit Court, 38th Judicial Circuit, Division 1. Judge Benjamin D. McKown serves Family Court, 38th Judicial Circuit, Division 2. Judge Gregory Vincent serves District Court, 38th Judicial District, Division 1, and Judge Daniel Boling serves District Court, 38th Judicial District, Division 2.
For appellate context, the same research identifies Justice Kelly Thompson for the 2nd Supreme Court District and Court of Appeals Judges Jeff S. Taylor and Kelly Mark Easton for the 2nd Appellate District. Appeals from District Court go to the local Circuit Court. Appeals from Circuit Court generally go to the Kentucky Court of Appeals, with the Supreme Court of Kentucky at the top of the state system.
Butler County Circuit and District Courts
Circuit Court and District Court are both trial courts, but they do not handle the same work. Family Court is a division of Circuit Court where assigned and handles family-law matters. In Butler County, the Circuit Court Clerk is still the records contact for these trial-court files.
| Category | Circuit Court | Family Court | District Court |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civil | General jurisdiction unless assigned elsewhere. | Family-related civil matters. | Civil cases involving $5,000 or less; small claims $2,500 or less. |
| Criminal | Felonies and higher criminal proceedings. | Domestic and family matters where applicable. | Misdemeanors, violations, traffic, arraignments, felony probable-cause hearings. |
| Probate | Not the primary local probate venue in the research. | Not the primary probate venue. | Probate of wills and related District Court probate matters. |
| Juvenile | Some matters through Family Court structure. | Family and juvenile matters where assigned. | KCOJ lists juvenile matters in District Court jurisdiction. |
| Appeals | Most appeals go to Court of Appeals. | Generally follows Circuit Court appellate path. | Appeals go to local Circuit Court. |
Butler County Case Flow
Case flow depends on the case type. A felony may begin with a citation, arrest, complaint, or first appearance in District Court before moving into Circuit Court after indictment or other felony charging action. A civil case begins with a complaint or petition and follows pleadings, motions, hearings, judgment, and possible appeal. A divorce starts in Family Court under the Circuit Court structure, while probate of wills is handled in District Court.
Criminal flow: Citation or arrest › District Court first appearance or probable-cause stage › indictment or information where applicable › Circuit Court arraignment › pretrial events › plea or trial › disposition and sentence › appeal if allowed.
Civil flow: Complaint or petition filed › service › answer or response › motions and hearings › judgment or order › post-judgment activity › appeal if allowed.
Note: Online dockets help with schedule checks, but the official court record and verified hearing time come from the clerk.
Butler County Circuit Court Dates
The local Circuit Court Clerk page lists recurring court dates. Circuit Motion Days are the second Tuesday of each month. Circuit Civil cases are heard at 9:00 a.m., and Circuit Criminal cases are heard at 10:00 a.m. Family Court is held on the first and third Wednesday of each month, with the non-confidential docket beginning at 1:30 p.m. and the confidential docket at approximately 2:00 p.m. District Court meets on the first and third Wednesday at 8:30 a.m.
The clerk warns users to verify court date and time with the clerk's office. That warning is consistent with the Kentucky trial-court docket generator's public disclaimer that generated dockets are not official and are subject to change.
| Court schedule item | Published local timing |
|---|---|
| Circuit Motion Days | Second Tuesday of each month. |
| Circuit Civil | 9:00 a.m. |
| Circuit Criminal | 10:00 a.m. |
| Family Court | First and third Wednesday; non-confidential docket at 1:30 p.m. |
| District Court | First and third Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. |
Butler County Circuit Court Records
Circuit Court records may include complaints, petitions, summonses, answers, motions, orders, hearing notices, judgments, appeal notices, criminal indictments, plea agreements, dispositions, sentencing orders, bond orders, probation conditions, restitution orders, and related filings. Family Court divorce records may include dissolution petitions, custody orders, support orders, property division orders, and final decrees. District Court records can include traffic, misdemeanors, small claims, probate, and lower-value civil cases.
Record access starts with the Butler County Circuit Court Clerk. Public online case access may be available through KYeCourts/CourtNet for registered users, and public docket checks may be run through the KCOJ docket generator. Certified copies, full files, older records, and official availability questions should be handled through the clerk.
Butler County Courthouse Access
The Kentucky Court of Justice lists the Butler County Courthouse at 110 North Main Street in Morgantown. Free parking is listed around the building, and elevator access to the second floor is identified by KCOJ. The research did not locate official security-screening rules, transit routes, or detailed public-transportation information for the courthouse.
A new Butler County Judicial Center project has been authorized by the General Assembly. The Kentucky Court of Justice capital-construction page says the project is in Phase C Design and expected to be completed in 2028. The planned building will house court services for Butler County, including circuit and district court, the circuit court clerk's office, and statewide programs. Current court-record access remains with the existing courthouse and clerk until official changes occur.
Search Butler County Court Cases
Online access depends on the task. The Kentucky trial-court docket generator can show public schedule information by county, division, and date, but it warns that the generated result is not an official docket and is subject to change. KYeCourts/CourtNet is the broader online access point for civil and criminal case information, but it requires a login. Neither route replaces the Circuit Court Clerk for full files, certified copies, or archive-location questions.
For a complete Butler County Circuit Court records search, use the online tools as a first screen and then verify with the clerk. Case number, party names, division, event date range, citation fields, and county of origin all help narrow the search. If the clerk determines the file is stored at a state record facility, the clerk's case and file locator numbers are required before the State Records Center request can move forward.
This access chain is especially important for older cases, certified copies, and records that may be restricted. Juvenile matters, sealed records, expunged criminal records, adoption material, mental-health proceedings, and protected personal identifiers may not be available through ordinary public search tools even when a docket entry or case reference exists.
The lower-court map also matters for appeals. District Court matters can move to the local Circuit Court on appeal, while Circuit Court appeals generally move to the Kentucky Court of Appeals. That path helps explain why one Butler County record search may require checking both District Court history and Circuit Court activity before the final order is clear.