Lawrence County Circuit Court System
Indiana's trial court structure is not built around county district courts. The Indiana Judicial Branch explains that the trial courts include circuit courts, superior courts, and local city or town courts, with names shaped by state law and local history. In Lawrence County, the local courts of record identified by the official justice pages are Lawrence Circuit Court, Lawrence Superior Court I, and Lawrence Superior Court II. Appeals from those trial courts move through Indiana's appellate system, including the Indiana Court of Appeals and, in limited matters, the Indiana Supreme Court.
The county's Justice directory also lists the County Clerk, prosecutor, public defender, sheriff, probation, community corrections, and traffic violation information. That directory is useful because court records rarely exist in only one office. A criminal case may involve the prosecutor and public defender. A traffic citation may route through Superior Court II and clerk payment instructions. A probate or guardianship matter may use forms from Circuit Court and filings through the County Clerk.
The Lawrence County Justice directory is one of the manifest images assigned to this Circuit and Superior Courts page.
The directory supports the page structure by showing the local court offices and related justice departments in one county source.
Lawrence County Court Table
The Lawrence County court table should be read by office and location. Circuit Court is at the main courthouse. Superior Court I and Superior Court II are in the Courthouse Annex. The County Clerk is not a judge, but the clerk is part of the court record workflow because filings, marriage licenses, payments, and copy access run through that office. The prosecutor and public defender are included as related court-system offices when a criminal case is involved.
| Court or office | Type | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lawrence Circuit Court | Trial court; estate and guardianship forms; calendar and public notice links | 916 15th Street, Bedford, IN 47421 | 812-275-2421 |
| Lawrence Superior Court I | Trial court; Presiding Judge John M. Plummer III | 918 16th Street, Suite 300, Bedford, IN 47421 | 812-275-3124 |
| Lawrence Superior Court II | Trial court; Presiding Judge Bob Cline; small claims, eviction, and traffic links | 918 16th Street, Number 400, Bedford, IN 47421 | 812-275-4161 |
| Lawrence County Clerk | Filings, copies, marriage licenses, protective orders, payments | 916 15th Street, Room 31, Bedford, IN 47421 | 812-275-7543 |
| Prosecutor's Office | Criminal charging, child support, diversion, victim services | 918 16th Street, Suite 500, Bedford, IN 47421 | 812-275-4439 |
| Public Defender | Defense agency for eligible appointed-counsel matters | 918 16th Street, Bedford, IN 47421 | 812-849-9852 |
Lawrence County Superior Courts
Lawrence Superior Court I is located at 918 16th Street, Suite 300, Bedford, IN 47421. The county page names John M. Plummer III as presiding judge, lists phone 812-275-3124 and fax 812-277-2034, and posts hours of 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM with closure from noon to 1:00 PM. The page also links court forms and legal help resources.
The Superior Court I page is assigned to this trial court record page in the manifest.
That source supplies the judge, suite, phone, fax, hours, and help-link context for Superior Court I.
Lawrence Superior Court II is located at 918 16th Street, Number 400, Bedford, IN 47421. The county page names Bob Cline as presiding judge and lists phone 812-275-4161. Superior Court II is especially visible in small claims, eviction, and traffic information because its page links the Eviction Form, Most Requested Information, Notice of Small Claims, Proceeding Supplemental Form, and Small Claims Manual. The traffic page also uses the 812-275-4161 court phone for more information.
The Superior Court II page is also assigned to this page in the image manifest.
Superior Court II is the local source for the small claims and eviction form set captured in the research.
Lawrence County Court Comparison
The resolved manifest uses Circuit and Superior Courts as the primary trial court name. Lower courts in Indiana may include city or town courts where created by local jurisdiction, but the Lawrence County official pages reviewed list Circuit Court, Superior Court I, Superior Court II, and traffic handled through Superior Court II and clerk payment channels. This comparison avoids importing a justice court or county court model from another state.
| Feature | Circuit and Superior Courts | County Clerk | City or Town Courts where created |
|---|---|---|---|
| Role | Hear and manage trial court cases, hearings, orders, judgments, and local court forms. | Receives filings, processes payments, issues marriage licenses, and provides copy access. | Local lower court role depends on the city or town and was not listed in the reviewed Lawrence County pages. |
| Records | Case dockets, orders, hearings, probate, guardianship, civil, criminal, family, traffic, and small claims records. | Certified copies, non-online documents, marriage licenses, filings, payment records, and clerk-maintained case materials. | May hold local ordinance or municipal matters where such a court exists. |
| Search path | Start with MyCase and then contact the specific court for hearing or procedural questions. | Use the clerk for copies, certified copies, filings, and documents not online. | Confirm with the relevant local jurisdiction if a city or town court is involved. |
| Lawrence County source | Justice directory, Circuit Court, Superior Court I, Superior Court II, and local rules pages. | County Clerk official page. | No separate local city or town court page was located in the assigned research. |
Lawrence County Case Flow
Most case access follows a practical flow from filing to search to copy request. A document is filed with the clerk or court, the case is assigned to a court, hearings and orders are entered, public information appears in MyCase when allowed, and certified documents come from the office maintaining the record. Criminal matters also involve the prosecutor, defense counsel, bonds, charges, and possible sentencing. Civil matters may move from complaint to answer, hearings, judgment, and post-judgment collection.
Criminal flow: Arrest or citation › prosecutor filing › initial hearing or arraignment › pretrial hearings › plea or trial › disposition › sentencing › appeal if filed.
Civil and family flow: Petition or complaint filed › service or notice › response › hearings or conferences › order or judgment › post-judgment activity › appeal if filed.
Records flow: MyCase search › case number and court identified › clerk or court contacted for non-online documents › certified copy issued when eligible.
Lawrence County Local Rules
The Lawrence County Circuit and Superior Court Rules page links local rule material. The research also notes a posted 2025 local-rule proposal dated June 1, 2025. That proposal covered case-load allocation, appointment of special judge in criminal cases, and appointment of special judge in civil cases, with a proposed effective date of January 1, 2026 if approved. It was signed by Hon. Nathan G. Nikirk, Judge of the Lawrence Circuit Court.
Local rules matter for records because they can affect case assignment, special judge procedures, filing practice, and court administration. The 2025 proposal said Indiana Supreme Court approval is required for local rules concerning caseload allocation and special judge assignments. Comments were directed to Hon. Nathan G. Nikirk at Lawrence County Courthouse, 916 15th Street, Room 37, Bedford, Indiana 47421, or by email to acase@lawrencecounty.in.gov.
The local rules page is one of the assigned images for Lawrence County Circuit and Superior Courts.
Local rule pages are often the best source for court-specific procedure that does not appear in a statewide case search.
Search Lawrence County Court Cases
For case lookup, start with Indiana MyCase. Search by name, case number, court, location, case category, status, or filing date when those filters are available. A case summary may show the case number, court, case type, case status, file date, case style, parties, attorneys, hearings, events, charges, bonds, judgments, documents, cross-references, and related cases. Documents can be online for some public cases, while other records require the clerk or court counter.
The search result should be matched to the local court before a request is made. Circuit Court, Superior Court I, and Superior Court II have different phone numbers and office pages. The County Clerk is the right point for certified copies and non-online documents, but a hearing question may belong with the specific court. A traffic payment question may point to Superior Court II and the clerk payment address, while an estate form question may point first to Circuit Court.
For certified copies and non-online records, use the Lawrence County Clerk. For hearing calendars, forms, public notices, estate forms, guardianship forms, small claims forms, eviction forms, and court-specific questions, use the court page tied to the case type. Court staff can provide procedural and records information, but the county court pages warn that staff cannot provide legal advice.
The Indiana Judicial Branch court-system page is the final manifest image assigned to this Lawrence County trial court page.
The statewide source explains why Lawrence County uses circuit and superior court labels instead of a district court label.