Mississippi Code 1972 (2023) › Title 9 - COURTS (§§ 9-1-1 — 9-27-21) › Chapter 11 - JUSTICE COURTS (§§ 9-11-1 — 9-11-35) › Section 9-11-27 - Appointment of clerk; designation of powers; compliance with Section 9-1-46; agreement between two or more counties to appoint one clerk to serve for all participating counties

(1)
Except as otherwise provided under this section, the board of supervisors of each county shall, at its own expense, appoint one (1) person to serve as clerk of the justice court system of the county, and may appoint such other employees for the justice court of the county as it deems necessary, including a person or persons to serve as deputy clerk or deputy clerks. The board of supervisors of each county with two (2) judicial districts may, at its own expense, appoint two (2) persons to serve as clerks of the justice court system of the county, one (1) for each judicial district, and may appoint such other employees for the justice court system of the county as it deems necessary including persons to serve as deputy clerks. The clerk and deputy clerks shall be empowered to file and record actions and pleadings, to receive and receipt for monies, to acknowledge affidavits, to issue warrants in criminal cases upon direction by a justice court judge in the county, to approve the sufficiency of bonds in civil and criminal cases, to certify and issue copies of all records, documents and pleadings filed in the justice court and to issue all process necessary for the operation of the justice court. The clerk or deputy clerks may refuse to accept a personal check in payment of any fine or cost or to satisfy any other payment required to be made to the justice court. All orders from the justice court judge to the clerk of the justice court shall be written. All cases, civil and criminal, shall be assigned by the clerk to the justice court judges of the county in the manner provided in Section
11-9-105
and Section
99-33-2
. A deputy clerk who works in an office separate from the clerk and who is the head deputy clerk of the separate office may be designated to be trained as a clerk as provided in Section
9-11-29
.
(2)
By August 1, 2015, and each year thereafter, the Administrative Office of Courts shall report the names of all justice court clerks who have failed to comply with the reporting requirements of Section
9-1-46
to the boards of supervisors that selected them. Each clerk shall be given three (3) months from the date on which the board was given notice to come into compliance with the requirements of Section
9-1-46
. The Administrative Office of Courts shall notify the board of supervisors of any justice court clerk who fails to come into compliance after the three-month notice required in this subsection. Any noncompliant clerks shall be terminated for failure to comply with Section
9-1-46
reporting requirement.
(3)
From and after July 1, 2022, two (2) or more counties may, upon resolution duly adopted by the board of supervisors of each such counties, agree to appoint one (1) person to serve as clerk of the justice court system of the counties. When two (2) or more counties enter into such agreement, each county shall pay the amount mutually agreed upon and duly adopted by resolution of the respective boards of supervisors for the justice court clerk. If the boards of supervisors make an appointment as authorized under this subsection for a justice court clerk, the boards of supervisors may also appoint such other employees for the justice court system of the counties as it deems necessary, including a person or persons to serve as deputy clerk or deputy clerks. Such other employees, including a deputy clerk or deputy clerks, shall be paid an amount mutually agreed upon and duly adopted by resolution of the respective boards of supervisors.
Laws, 1979, ch. 409; Laws, 1981, ch. 471, § 11; Laws, 1982, ch. 423, § 7; Laws, 1985, ch. 440, § 4; Laws, 1990, ch. 380, § 1; Laws, 1991, ch. 480, § 2; Laws, 1991, ch. 551, § 3; Laws, 1994, ch. 341, § 1; Laws, 2001, ch. 462, § 1, eff. 7/1/2001.
Amended by Laws, 2022, ch. 322, HB 1017,§ 1, eff. 7/1/2022.
Amended by Laws, 2014, ch. 457, HB 585, 70, eff. 7/1/2014.