Union County Circuit Court Overview
The South Carolina Circuit Court is the state's court of general jurisdiction. It has a civil court, the Court of Common Pleas, and a criminal court, the Court of General Sessions. It also has limited appellate jurisdiction over appeals from Probate Court, Magistrate Court, and Municipal Court. Union County is in Judicial Circuit 16 with York County.
The Union County Clerk of Court supports Circuit Court records for General Sessions and Common Pleas, while the state Public Index and Union County court rosters provide online access points for many public case records and scheduled appearances. Family Court, Probate Court, Magistrate Court, and Municipal Court each have separate roles, so not every courthouse record is a Circuit Court record even when the same courthouse address appears in local sources.
The Family Court information source appears in the image from South Carolina family information.
The image is relevant because Union County Circuit Court records must be distinguished from Family Court and family-status records.
Union County Courts and Offices
Union County does not have multiple numbered Circuit Courts in the Texas-style sense. Instead, the county sits in South Carolina's Sixteenth Judicial Circuit and uses court divisions and related offices. The table lists the researched court offices and lower courts that a person may need when a case is not in Circuit Court.
| Court or Office | Judges or Officials | Address | Phone or Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union County Clerk of Court | Stephanie C. Kitchens | 210 W. Main St., Union, SC 29379; P.O. Box 703 | 864-429-1630; Circuit, Common Pleas, General Sessions, Family Court support |
| Circuit Court, 16th Circuit | Resident judges listed by SCJB include William A. McKinnon and Misti H. Shelton | Resident judge offices listed in York County sources | Common Pleas civil and General Sessions criminal trial jurisdiction |
| Family Court | Sammy Diamaduros, David G. Guyton, R. Chadwick Smith | One listing at 210 W. Main St.; others at Rock Hill | Divorce, custody, support, juvenile matters |
| Union Magistrate Court | David K. Morrow, Toney L. Farr Sr., Joseph F. Hart, Robert M. Hope Jr., Harold W. Smith | 210 W. Main St., Union, SC 29379 | 864-429-1648; warrants, bond, preliminary hearings, summary cases |
| Union County Bond Court | Same magistrate structure | Mailing 1657 Jonesville Hwy, Union, SC 29379-2215 | 864-429-1648; bond hearings after arrest |
| City of Union Municipal Court | David K. Morrow and listed municipal or substitute judges | 215 Thompson Blvd., Union, SC 29379-2266; P.O. Box 987 | 864-429-1713; municipal traffic, criminal, ordinance cases |
| Jonesville Municipal Court | Robert M. Hines, Chief Judge | 131 North Main Street, Jonesville, SC 29353-0785; P.O. Box 785 | 864-674-5746; Jonesville municipal cases |
| Union County Probate Court | Toni S. Allen | 210 West Main St., Union, SC 29379-2215 | 864-429-1625; estates, marriage licenses, guardianships, commitments |
Union County Circuit Court Comparison
Circuit Court is not the first court for every dispute or charge. Lower-level matters may begin in Magistrate Court or Municipal Court. Probate matters have a separate Probate Judge. Family Court handles divorce, custody, support, and juvenile issues. Knowing the difference helps decide whether to search the Public Index, call a local lower court, contact Probate Court, or ask the Clerk for a Circuit Court file.
| Point | Circuit Court | Magistrate Court | Municipal Court |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main role | General jurisdiction trial court for major civil and criminal cases. | County summary court for warrants, bond, preliminary hearings, traffic, and small civil matters. | City or town court for municipal traffic, ordinance, and lower criminal matters. |
| Criminal cases | General Sessions prosecutions after higher charges are filed. | Warrants, bond hearings, preliminary hearings, and lower offenses. | Municipal violations and city traffic or criminal cases. |
| Civil cases | Common Pleas civil lawsuits. | Landlord/tenant, summons and complaint, claim and delivery, and small civil cases within the state limit. | Usually not the main forum for county civil lawsuits. |
| Records path | Public Index, rosters, and Clerk of Court. | Public Index or Magistrate Court office when local records are needed. | Municipal court office, state traffic search, or payment portal where available. |
Union County Case Flow
A criminal case may begin with an arrest, warrant, bond hearing, or preliminary hearing in Magistrate Court before reaching General Sessions. The Sixteenth Circuit Solicitor then handles prosecution in General Sessions. Civil cases filed in Common Pleas begin with pleadings, move through answer and discovery stages, and may resolve through settlement, motion, mediation, trial, judgment, or appeal.
Criminal flow: Arrest or warrant › Magistrate or Bond Court › Solicitor review › Indictment or filing › General Sessions › Plea or trial › Sentencing › Appeal.
Civil flow: Complaint filed › Answer › Discovery › Motions or mediation › Common Pleas trial › Judgment › Appeal.
Rosters provide schedule context, while the case record provides filing and disposition history. Use the official Union County court rosters endpoint from the Clerk and Judicial Branch for hearing-date context, and use the Public Index or Clerk for the underlying case file.
Union County Common Pleas Records
Common Pleas is the civil side of Circuit Court. It covers civil lawsuits and related filings that are not assigned to Probate Court, Family Court, Magistrate Court, or Municipal Court. Records may include complaints, answers, motions, orders, judgments, settlement-related entries, and docket events. Common Pleas roster links are listed by the Clerk, and case files are supported by the Clerk of Court.
General Sessions is the criminal side of Circuit Court. Union County General Sessions records show felony and higher criminal prosecutions after charges move into Circuit Court. They may include indictments, hearings, pleas, sentencing, dispositions, and related orders. For prosecution questions, the Solicitor is the relevant criminal prosecution office, not the Clerk. For copies from the case file, the Clerk remains the record custodian.
Union County Circuit 16
Union County is part of the Sixteenth Judicial Circuit with York County. The official county solicitor page identifies Kevin S. Brackett as Solicitor and lists the Union office at 210 West Main Street, Union, SC 29379, with phone 864-429-1639. The solicitor is responsible for criminal prosecutions in General Sessions for York and Union counties and is charged with proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt while ensuring no falsely accused person is unjustly convicted.
The South Carolina Commission on Indigent Defense county list shows Union County in Circuit 16 with public defender phone 864-319-1315. The 16th Circuit Public Defender Office page states that it represents qualifying defendants charged with criminal offenses in York and Union County. Public defender contact belongs in the criminal case workflow because it affects bond, plea, trial, and sentencing decisions.
Note: The Solicitor prosecutes General Sessions cases; the Clerk keeps the court file and certified copy process.
Union County Circuit Appeals
South Carolina's Court of Appeals is the intermediate appellate court. The Judicial Branch says it handles nearly all direct appeals from Circuit Court, Family Court, Administrative Law Court, Workers' Compensation Commission, and other tribunals as provided by statute. Circuit Court also has limited appellate jurisdiction over appeals from Probate Court, Magistrate Court, and Municipal Court, so a record may show a lower-court origin before Circuit Court review.
Federal courts are separate. Union County is in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina, with nearby federal hearing locations in the Spartanburg, Greenville, and Greenwood region. Bankruptcy cases use the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of South Carolina, and federal appellate review goes to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
The bankruptcy source appears in the image from U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of South Carolina.
The image helps separate Union County Circuit Court cases from federal bankruptcy records that use a different court system.
The federal appellate source appears in the image from U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
The Fourth Circuit image reinforces that federal appeals are not the same path as South Carolina Court of Appeals review.
Restricted Circuit Court Records
Union County Circuit Court records are public only to the extent allowed by court rules, public-access law, and confidentiality statutes. Expunged and sealed criminal records should not be expected in public searches. Juvenile records are not ordinary public files. Family Court records can be party-restricted, and child-support case status may require the DSS client portal. Personal identifiers, financial account numbers, dates of birth, minor information, and victim or witness details may be redacted or withheld.
Sex-offender registry information is a separate SLED system rather than a Circuit Court docket. The source appears in the image from SLED sex offender registry information.
The registry image supports the distinction between court case records and state law-enforcement registry records.
Union County Court Rosters
Union County court rosters are schedule tools, not full case files. Use rosters to confirm court-date context, then use the Public Index or Clerk of Court for the record itself. If a roster date conflicts with information received from a court office, the office should be treated as the current source because hearings can be continued, reset, or removed from a list.
The Clerk of Court is the best local fallback when the Public Index does not open, when a browser blocks case detail popups, or when a certified copy is needed. For copy workflow and Clerk contact details, see Union County Clerk of Court.