Warren County Circuit Courts Overview
Kentucky's court hierarchy begins with the Kentucky Supreme Court, then the Kentucky Court of Appeals, then trial courts. Circuit Court is the trial court of general jurisdiction. District Court is the limited-jurisdiction trial court. Family Court is a division of Circuit Court where established, and Warren County has a Family Court division. Business Court exists for selected Kentucky business and commercial matters, but Warren County record access in the research centers on Circuit, Family, and District Court.
Warren County is in the 8th Judicial Circuit for Circuit Court and Family Court and the 8th Judicial District for District Court. Kentucky Court of Justice lists Warren County under the 2nd Supreme Court District and 2nd Appellate District. The county page identifies Circuit Court Clerk Brandi Duvall as the records access point for court files at the Warren County Justice Center. That same office supports Circuit, Family, and District Court records, so most record requests start with the Circuit Court Clerk.
Circuit Court hears felonies, capital offenses, larger civil cases, divorces, adoptions, termination of parental rights, land-dispute and title cases, contested probate, and appeals from District Court. Family Court handles many family and child-related matters as a Circuit Court division. District Court handles traffic, misdemeanors, violations, local ordinances, probate of wills, arraignments, felony probable-cause hearings, small claims, limited civil cases, juvenile matters, mental-health matters, and domestic-violence protective-order matters.
List of Warren County Circuit Court Divisions
The Kentucky Court of Justice Warren County page lists three Circuit Court divisions, two Family Court divisions, and three District Court divisions serving the county from the Warren County Justice Center. The table below keeps the full local court structure together because public users often need to know whether a case is a Circuit, Family, or District Court matter before asking for records.
| Court / Office | Role | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warren County Circuit Court, 8th Judicial Circuit Div. 1 | Felony, higher civil, appeals, general jurisdiction; Judge Christopher T. Cohron | 1001 Center Street, Suite 102, Bowling Green, KY 42101 | 270-746-7400 |
| Warren County Circuit Court, 8th Judicial Circuit Div. 2 | General jurisdiction; Judge John R. Grise, listed as Vice Chief Regional Circuit Judge | Same | 270-746-7400 |
| Warren County Circuit Court, 8th Judicial Circuit Div. 5 | General jurisdiction; Judge J.B. Hines; published criminal, civil, interpreter, revocation, and show-cause dockets | Same | 270-746-7400 |
| Warren County Family Court, 8th Judicial Circuit Div. 3 | Divorce, custody, support, adoption, domestic violence, dependency, neglect, abuse, termination; Judge Rebecca Simpson | Same | 270-746-7400 |
| Warren County Family Court, 8th Judicial Circuit Div. 4 | Same Family Court jurisdiction; Judge Catherine Rice Holderfield | Same | 270-746-7400 |
| Warren County District Court, 8th Judicial District Div. 1 | Traffic, misdemeanors, probate of wills, small claims, civil under limit, juvenile, preliminary hearings; Judge Kimberly Geoghegan | Same | 270-746-7400 |
| Warren County District Court, 8th Judicial District Div. 2 | Same District Court jurisdiction; Judge Brent J. Potter | Same | 270-746-7400 |
| Warren County District Court, 8th Judicial District Div. 3 | Same District Court jurisdiction; Judge John B. Brown | Same | 270-746-7400 |
| Office of Circuit Court Clerk | Case records, payments, jury scheduling, bonds, and copies for Circuit, Family, and District Court | Same | 270-746-7400 |
| Warren County Clerk | Marriage, land records, legal records, wills in CCLIX, elections, and County Clerk open records | 429 East 10th Street, Suite 100, Bowling Green, KY 42102 | 270-843-5306 / 270-842-9416 |
Circuit Court vs. Family Court vs. District Court
Kentucky does not use local county courts or justice of the peace courts for the record types covered here. Warren County's lower-court matters route through District Court rather than a separate city court. Family Court is not a separate county clerk system; it is a Circuit Court division, and its records are maintained through the Circuit Court Clerk with confidentiality limits for adoption, juvenile, dependency, and sealed materials.
| Circuit Court | Family Court Division | District Court | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civil Jurisdiction | Larger civil cases and appeals from District Court | Family-related civil matters such as divorce, custody, and support | Small claims up to $2,500 and civil cases up to $5,000 |
| Criminal Jurisdiction | Felonies, capital offenses, sentencing, and probation revocations | Domestic-violence and family-related matters may intersect with other courts | Misdemeanors, violations, traffic, arraignments, and felony preliminary hearings |
| Probate Role | Contested probate and title disputes | Generally not the probate division | Probate of wills and routine probate jurisdiction |
| Records Clerk | Circuit Court Clerk | Circuit Court Clerk | Circuit Court Clerk |
| Appeal Path | Kentucky Court of Appeals | Kentucky Court of Appeals | Local Circuit Court |
How a Case Moves Through the Warren County System
Case movement depends on the charge or claim. A felony may start with arrest, District Court arraignment, preliminary hearing, grand jury, Circuit Court arraignment, pretrial proceedings, plea or trial, sentencing, and possible appeal. A misdemeanor or traffic case may stay in District Court unless appealed. A divorce or custody case is filed in Family Court as a Circuit Court division. A probate file may begin in District Court, while a contested probate dispute or title issue may move into Circuit Court.
| Process Diagram | Typical Warren County Path |
|---|---|
| Felony criminal | Arrest or charge › District Court first appearance › preliminary hearing › grand jury or information › Circuit Court arraignment › pretrial › plea or trial › sentencing › appeal |
| District criminal or traffic | Citation or complaint › District Court arraignment or docket › payment, plea, trial, or dismissal › appeal to Circuit Court if taken |
| Family case | Petition › service › temporary orders › mediation or hearings › final decree or order › post-judgment enforcement or modification |
| Probate case | Will or estate filing › District Court probate action › fiduciary appointment › inventory and settlement steps › contested issues to Circuit Court when applicable |
| Civil case | Complaint › answer › motions › discovery › mediation or trial › judgment › appeal |
Civil, Family, Criminal, and Docket Details
The Warren County page publishes unusually specific Circuit Court Division V schedule details. It lists criminal in-custody defendants on the first and third Monday at 9 a.m.; criminal sentencing on the first and third Monday at 11 a.m.; criminal out-of-custody defendants on the first and third Monday at 1 p.m.; civil matters on the second and fourth Monday at 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.; in-custody criminal cases on the second and fourth Monday at 1 p.m.; interpreter docket on the third Tuesday at 9 a.m.; probation, violation, and revocation hearings on the third Tuesday at 1 p.m.; and show-cause hearings on the third Tuesday at 2 p.m.
Those schedule details are not a substitute for a live docket search because the Kentucky docket portal warns that results are not official and are subject to change. They do explain local courthouse rhythm. First and third Mondays, in-custody dockets, sentencing settings, revocation hearings, and interpreter dockets can draw significant traffic at the Justice Center. For any particular case, verify the current date, courtroom, and status through the KCOJ docket search or the Circuit Court Clerk.
Justice Center Access, Security, and Transit
The Warren County Justice Center is the active state trial-court building at 1001 Center Street in downtown Bowling Green. The Sheriff's Office has a specific court-security role there. Sheriff Brett Hightower's office says court security helps ensure safety and provides information and direction to visitors. The sheriff page reports between 1,400 and 2,000 visitors daily and says the court-security model has been emulated by other sheriff's offices. Visitors should arrive early, expect screening, and avoid bringing prohibited items.
The City-County Planning Commission transit page provides local GoBG service context.
Transit information matters because the Justice Center sits in Bowling Green's downtown court district, but route details should be checked before travel.
The GoBG Transit homepage provides the public route-map and service source.
GoBG service can help some visitors reach downtown court facilities, while docket timing still needs court confirmation.
Judicial Circuit and District
Warren County's Circuit and Family Court divisions belong to the 8th Judicial Circuit. District Court divisions belong to the 8th Judicial District. Kentucky Court of Justice also lists Warren County in the 2nd Supreme Court District and 2nd Appellate District, with Justice Kelly Thompson for the 2nd Supreme Court District and Court of Appeals Judges Jeff S. Taylor and Kelly Mark Easton for the 2nd Appellate District divisions. Appeals from Circuit and Family Court go to the Kentucky Court of Appeals, while appeals from District Court go to local Circuit Court.
The Western Kentucky University early Warren County history exhibit provides historical courthouse context.
The history source helps explain why Bowling Green's court district includes both a modern Justice Center and a historic courthouse.
Lower Courts and Local Programs
Warren County city ordinance and traffic matters route through District Court rather than a separate city court under the research map. District Court is also where many residents first encounter the judicial system through citations, misdemeanors, first appearances, small claims, probate of wills, and preliminary felony hearings. The 2026 local news research also identified Warren County District Drug Court certification, with Judge Kimberly Geoghegan named in reporting as the volunteer presiding judge for the program.
The WBKO report on Warren County District Drug Court certification provides local court-program context.
The Drug Court source is local program context, not a case-record search system, and case records still route through court clerks and court portals.