DeSoto County Circuit Court Clerk

Dale Kelly Thompson, Circuit Court Clerk

DeSoto County Courthouse | 2535 Highway 51 South | Hernando, MS 38632 | (662) 429-1325

Voter Registration
You may register to vote either by mail or by visiting the Circuit Clerk's office or the municipal clerk's office. You may also register to vote when applying for or renewing your driver's license, or when applying for services at numerous state and federal government agencies. These agencies forward your application to the Circuit Clerk's Office, however you should call the Circuit Clerk's Office to verify the receipt of your application. If you are unable to visit the locations aforementioned, you may call the Circuit Clerk's Office to request an application to register to vote by mail. The form must be completed and it must be witnessed by a registered voter of DeSoto County. You must register 30 days prior to an election in order to be eligible to vote in that election. Once your voter registration application has been processed in the Circuit Clerk's Office, you will be mailed a voter registration card which will give your voting precinct, precinct location address, Supervisor's District number, and Congressional District number.

For your convenience, you may download a voter registration application. Complete the application and mail to the Circuit Clerk at the address listed on page two of the application.

Voter Registration Application

If you move or need to change your name on the Voter Registration database, you must notify the Circuit Clerk's office in writing. For your convenience, you may print out the Change of Address form and mail it to the Circuit Clerk's office. Please follow the instructions on the form.

Change of Address/Name Form

The forms provided are in Portable Document Format (pdf). If you do not already have the Acrobat Reader plug-in, click on the icon below to go to the Adobe website where you may download it.

Jury Duty
Jurors are called upon to try two types of cases -- civil and criminal. A juror will not know which type of case they will be serving on and it may change from one day to the next. Civil cases are usually disputes between two or more parties concerning monies, damages for injures, or property. Criminal Cases are filed in the name of the State of Mississippi on an indictment returned by the Grand Jury charging that person, or persons, called defendants, committed the particular crime. Because crime is a violation of the laws of the State there are laws which provide specific punishment for the guilty.

Once you are called upon to serve you MUST CALL the night before (after 5:00 p.m.) you are summoned to court and each night thereafter.

Circuit Court

County Court

662-449-1415

662-429-4126

Becoming a Juror --

Qualifications:

21+ years of age

Can read and write

NOT a convicted felon, habitual drunkard, or common gambler

Has not been convicted of the illegal sale of (or does not have interest in) alcoholic beverages in the last five years

Does not have a case pending in this court

Selection of Prospective Jurors:

Prospective jurors' names are drawn at random-- by lot or chance -- from a jury wheel. Therefore, an individual may never be called to serve and others may be called several times.

Excuses from Jury Service: All citizens are obligated to take part in seeing that justice is done and our form of government "by the people" is to endure. Therefore, only legal excuses provided by law should be presented. In general these include:

Illness, or presence required at home

Personal hardship

Emergency

Served on jury duty (on actual trial of a case) in this court in last two (2) years

Over the age of 65 years and you desire to claim this personal exemption

Compensation: A juror is paid a nominal fee by a pay warrant for their services. The Circuit Clerk keeps a daily record of the jurors who serve.

Marriage License

A Marriage License Application may be printed out and brought to the Circuit Clerk's office by clicking here. To obtain a marriage license, both parties must apply in the Circuit Clerk's office. Both parties must have the results of a blood test ( ON A MEDICAL CERTIFICATE ) from any laboratory whether in state or out of state, that is authorized to do pre-marital syphilis testing and is registered with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The information must be supplied to the applicant in duplicate on a standard medical certificate form supplied by the Mississippi Department of Health. Application for marriage must be made within (30) day of having the blood test done, or the results will not be valid.

The following information is required on the marriage application:

Full names and addresses of both parties applying for marriage
Names and addresses of the parents of both parties applying (maiden name of Mother)
Age, Date of Birth, and State of Birth (or Foreign Country)
Proof of Age (e.g., Driver's License, Birth Certificate, School Record, etc.)
Highest Grade Completed in School
Number of Previous Marriages
How the Last Marriage Ended (divorce, death, etc)
Date Last Marriage Ended (Bring proof of divorce if it was within the last six months)

In the even that the female applicant shall be under the age of TWENTY-ONE (21) years of age, and is a resident of the State of Mississippi, the application of marriage shall be made to the Circuit Clerk of the county of residence of the parent or legal guardian of such female applicant.

If either applicant is under TWENTY-ONE (21) years of age, parental consent is needed. If the parent does not accompany the applicant to the office when applying, the Clerk shall send notice of filing of the application via certified mail to the parents or legal guardian.

Marriage licenses cannot be issued unless the MALE applicant is at least SEVENTEEN (17) years of age, and the FEMALE applicant is at least FIFTEEN (15) years of age.

There is a SEVENTY-TWO (72) hour waiting period from the time and date of application until the license can be issued by the Clerk.

The Marriage License issued by the DeSoto County Circuit Court Clerk is valid ONLY in the State of Mississippi.

The Marriage License fee is $21.00 in cash.