Butler County Circuit Court
Butler County is in Alabama's Second Judicial Circuit. The local court directory lists Presiding Circuit Judge Cleveland Poole, District Judge Nicki M. McFerrin, Circuit Clerk Mattie Gomillion, Probate Judge Ann Steiner Gregory, the District Attorney, jail, sheriff, probation contacts, and drug court or court-referral contact points. The Circuit Court is Alabama's general-jurisdiction trial court for Butler County. It handles felony criminal cases, domestic relations and divorce, circuit civil matters, and appeals from limited courts.
The Circuit Court shares the local courthouse ecosystem with District Court, Probate Court, juvenile functions, magistrate/warrant processes, and municipal courts. That does not make all of those records Circuit Court records. A felony indictment, divorce decree, or circuit civil case routes to Circuit Court and the Circuit Clerk. A small-claims dispute or district civil case starts in District Court. An estate or guardianship routes to Probate Court. A Georgiana municipal misdemeanor or Georgiana Police Department ticket may route to Georgiana Municipal Court unless a felony or unusual circumstance changes the path.
Butler County Court Table
The research did not find multiple numbered Circuit Court divisions in Butler County. Instead, the official directory provides local courts, offices, and contacts in one Second Judicial Circuit framework. This table uses the required court-list format while showing the actual courts and offices supported by the research.
| Court or office | Type | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Circuit Court, Second Judicial Circuit | General trial court | 700 Court Square, Room 9, Greenville, AL 36037 | (334) 382-3621 |
| District Court | Lower trial court | 700 Court Square, Room 18, Greenville, AL 36037 | (334) 382-6125 |
| Circuit Clerk | District and Circuit Court record keeper | 700 Court Square, Greenville, AL 36037 | (334) 382-3521 |
| Probate Court | Separate probate office and court | 700 Court Square, Greenville, AL 36037 | (334) 382-3512 |
| Juvenile Court / Probation | District Court juvenile function | 201 S. Conecuh Street, Greenville, AL 36037 | (334) 382-5443 |
| District Attorney | State prosecution | Second Judicial Circuit | (334) 382-7444 |
Circuit Court vs District Court
Alabama uses both Circuit Court and District Court at the county level. The State Court Structure Map makes Circuit Court the primary trial-court term for this site, while the lower courts include District Court, Probate Court, and Municipal Court. The distinction matters when a person searches records, pays a filing fee, or asks for a certified copy.
| Issue | Circuit Court | District Court | Probate or Municipal Court |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civil role | Circuit civil and appeals from lower courts | District civil claims from $6,000.01 to $20,000; small claims up to $6,000 | Probate handles estates and guardianships; municipal courts handle city matters |
| Criminal role | Felony criminal cases and circuit criminal files | District criminal, traffic, preliminary lower-court matters | Municipal ordinance and city-police ticket matters may stay municipal |
| Family role | Domestic relations and divorce | Juvenile division handles delinquency, CHINS, and dependency | Probate handles adoptions, but those records are confidential |
| Record office | Circuit Clerk | Circuit Clerk | Probate Office or municipal court clerk, depending on matter |
Butler Court Case Flow
Case movement depends on whether the matter is criminal, civil, domestic, probate, juvenile, traffic, or municipal. A public search should start with the court that owns the file. Alacourt ACCESS covers paid public trial-court searches for District and Circuit Court records, but probate and federal records use separate systems.
Criminal flow: Incident or arrest › warrant or charging review › District Court or magistrate stage › felony indictment or circuit filing › arraignment › pretrial › plea or trial › disposition and sentence › appeal.
Civil flow: claim or complaint filed › service › answer › hearing or trial › judgment › collection or appeal. District civil appeals must be filed within 14 calendar days after judgment, while unlawful detainer appeals must be filed within 7 days.
Domestic flow: domestic-relations filing › service › required papers and waiting period where applicable › judge review › decree or order › certified copy through the Circuit Clerk.
Butler Circuit Court Divisions
Circuit Court records in Butler County include felony criminal files, domestic-relations files, and circuit civil matters. A criminal Circuit Court record can show charges as filed, indictment or information, bond, arraignment, pleas, motions, orders, verdict or plea, disposition, sentence, probation, fines, costs, restitution, and appeal notices. Domestic-relations records include divorce files and decrees. Circuit civil files may include pleadings, service, motions, orders, judgments, and appeal papers.
District Court records include district civil, small claims, traffic, district criminal, and juvenile matters. Butler's district civil page sets the claim range at $6,000.01 to $20,000 and says district civil defendants must answer within 14 calendar days after service or risk default judgment. Small claims is a District Court division capped at $6,000, is meant to be simpler and less formal, has no jury, and may be appealed to Circuit Court.
Juvenile records require special caution. Butler Juvenile Court handles delinquency, children in need of supervision, and dependency matters involving children under eighteen, but Alabama Code section 12-15-133 makes juvenile records confidential except for statutory access categories. Public pages and ordinary search routes should not promise broad juvenile file access.
Butler Court Officials
Presiding Circuit Judge Cleveland Poole is listed at 700 Court Square, Room 9, Greenville, with phone (334) 382-3621. The judge's page names judicial assistant Nikki Findley and official court reporter Renny McNaughton. District Judge Nicki M. McFerrin is listed at 700 Court Square, Room 18, Greenville, with judicial assistant Chandler Branum and phone (334) 382-6125. Circuit Clerk Mattie Gomillion is the record keeper and business manager for District and Circuit Court proceedings.
The directory also lists District Attorney Charlotte Tesmer at (334) 382-7444, jail phone (334) 382-3321, and Sheriff David Scruggs at (334) 382-6521. Drug Court or Court Referral contact Elizabeth Pennington is listed with phone numbers (334) 403-7301 and (251) 401-0450. These contacts can appear in the same courthouse ecosystem, but their records are not interchangeable.
Lower Courts in Butler County
District Court is the most important lower court in the local trial-court structure. It handles district civil, small claims, traffic, juvenile, lower criminal, and magistrate/warrant-related functions. The magistrates and warrants page explains that suspected warrant information is not released by phone and that a person must appear at the Clerk's Office with valid ID if they suspect a warrant exists. Unserved arrest warrants are not public records until served.
Probate Court is separate from District and Circuit Court. It handles estates, wills, adoptions, guardianships, conservatorships, marriage recording, and other probate or administrative functions. Municipal courts can also matter. Butler's warrant research specifically flags Georgiana Municipal Court for Georgiana misdemeanors and Georgiana Police Department tickets unless a felony charge is involved or extraordinary circumstances apply.
Note: Use the case type first, then the court name; the filename `district-court.html` is not the legal title of Butler County's primary trial court.
Search Circuit Court Records
Butler County does not publish a free county-only trial court case search on the local AOC pages. The official statewide route is Alacourt ACCESS, a paid public system for Alabama trial-court records. The portal covers criminal, civil, small claims, state traffic, domestic relations, and child support. It offers name searches and case number searches. Case detail reports can include basic case information, court action, case status, setting dates, party information, financial history, and a detailed case action summary. Document images cost extra through the portal.
For older files, certified copies, non-digitized records, or questions that the online portal cannot answer, contact the Butler County Circuit Clerk. For probate matters, use the Probate Office and its online services instead. For appellate filings, use the Alabama appellate public portal rather than the local trial court. For federal cases in the Middle District of Alabama, use PACER and federal court systems.