Cases in District Court include custody and divorce cases, juvenile cases, traffic tickets, criminal misdemeanors, and general civil cases. These same judges also hold court in Franklin, Vance, and Warren counties, which together with Granville County, comprise the Ninth Judicial District. The district attorney's job is to prosecute those charged with criminal offenses in both district and superior court. Magistrates are officers of the district court, and as such, are subject to the supervision of the Chief District Court Judge. The number of magistrates allowed for each county is fixed by law.
Magistrates have jurisdiction in both criminal and civil cases.
Magistrates issue arrest and search warrants, and set the conditions for bail. The magistrate is the only civil official in the State that is allowed to perform marriages. The Granville County Sheriff's Department is located in Oxford. Sheriff David T. Smith has approximately 34 sworn deputies, a jail staff of 2, and a secretarial staff of 2 employees. Included in the Sheriff's building is the Granville County Jail.