Kershaw County Circuit Court Overview
South Carolina does not use a District Court as the primary county trial court for Kershaw County. The State Court Structure Map identifies Circuit Court as the primary trial court. Circuit Court is the state's court of general jurisdiction. Its civil side is the Court of Common Pleas, and its criminal side is the Court of General Sessions. The SC Judicial Branch Kershaw page identifies the county as Judicial Circuit 5 and County Number 28.
Kershaw County's current court-records courthouse is the Kershaw County Courthouse at 1121 Broad Street, Camden, SC 29020. The Clerk of Court is in Room 313, Family Court is in Room 213, Probate Court is in Room 225, Magistrate Court is in Room 202, and Bond Court is listed by the SC Judicial Branch in Room 118. Circuit Court jurors report to the third-floor main courtroom, Room 300. Probate visitors should note that the county estate page says purses are not allowed in the courthouse.
The SC Judicial Branch Kershaw County court directory is one official map of local court offices.
That directory anchors the county court contacts used for Circuit, Family, Probate, Magistrate, Bond Court, clerk, solicitor, and public defender routing.
Kershaw County Circuit Court Contacts
Kershaw County does not have multiple numbered district courts in the Texas sense. The practical court table is a local court and office table showing which court handles which type of matter, the address, and the phone number. Circuit Court records flow through the Clerk of Court, while Family Court, Probate Court, Magistrate Court, Bond Court, and Municipal Courts handle their own lanes.
| Court / Office | Type | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Circuit Court / Clerk of Court | Common Pleas civil and General Sessions criminal | 1121 Broad Street, Room 313, Camden, SC 29020 | 803-425-7223 |
| Family Court | Divorce, custody, support, juvenile, name change | 1121 Broad Street, Room 213, Camden, SC 29020 | 803-425-7225 |
| Probate Court | Estates, marriage licenses, guardianships, commitments | 1121 Broad Street, Room 225, Camden, SC 29020 | 803-425-1503 |
| Magistrate Court | Traffic, summary criminal, small civil, bail, warrants | 1121 Broad Street, Room 202, Camden, SC 29020 | 803-425-7226 |
| Bond Court | Bond hearings and initial bond matters | 1121 Broad Street, Room 118, Camden, SC 29020 | 803-425-1500 |
| Bethune Municipal Court | Municipal ordinance and city offenses | 101 Elm Street, Bethune, SC 29009 | 843-334-6238 |
| Camden Municipal Court | City traffic and municipal cases | 1000 Lyttleton Street, Camden, SC 29020 | 803-432-2421 |
| Elgin Municipal Court | City traffic and municipal cases | 2469 Main Street, Elgin, SC 29045 | 803-438-2362 |
Circuit Court vs Magistrate Court
The State Court Structure Map lists Magistrate Court and Municipal Court as lower courts for Kershaw County. They are not county-court substitutes. Circuit Court handles general-jurisdiction civil and criminal matters, while Magistrate and Municipal Courts handle lower-level criminal, traffic, small civil, bond, warrant, and city ordinance matters. Probate Court and Family Court are separate statewide trial courts with subject-specific records.
| Feature | Circuit Court | Magistrate Court | Municipal Court |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civil role | Common Pleas civil cases, judgments, larger disputes, appeals from lower courts | Small civil matters not exceeding $7,500 | Limited municipal jurisdiction where allowed |
| Criminal role | General Sessions felony and higher-level criminal cases | Offenses generally punishable by up to $500 or 30 days unless statute says otherwise | City ordinance and municipal offenses generally within the same fine/jail ceiling |
| Traffic role | Not the usual first stop for a routine ticket | County and SCHP traffic matters routed to Magistrate Court | Bethune, Camden, or Elgin tickets issued in city court |
| Warrant role | May receive higher criminal case records after charges move forward | Issues arrest and search warrants, sets bail, and conducts preliminary hearings | May issue or manage bench warrants tied to city cases |
| Record custodian | Clerk of Court | Magistrate Court | Relevant city court |
The South Carolina Judicial Branch Circuit Court overview explains the Common Pleas and General Sessions split.
That statewide structure is why Kershaw County civil and criminal Circuit Court records are not the same as summary court traffic or municipal ordinance records.
Kershaw County Case Flow
Civil and criminal cases move through different tracks. A Common Pleas civil case starts with pleadings and may include motions, discovery, mediation, trial, judgment, and appeal. A General Sessions criminal case may begin with arrest or warrant activity, bond, solicitor review, indictment or other charging action, first and second appearances, pretrial hearings, plea or trial, disposition, sentencing, and appeal. Lower-court or municipal matters may never become Circuit Court cases unless appealed or transferred.
Criminal flow: Arrest or warrant › Bond or first appearance › Solicitor review › Grand jury or charging decision › First and second appearances › Plea or trial › Disposition and sentence › Appeal.
Civil flow: Complaint filed › Answer or response › Motions and discovery › Mediation where required › Trial or settlement › Judgment › Appeal.
The Fifth Circuit Solicitor staff page identifies prosecution-side contacts for Kershaw and Richland County criminal matters.
The Solicitor's role matters for General Sessions cases because prosecution records and charging decisions are not the same as Clerk case copies.
The Solicitor also publishes a General Sessions Court process page for appearances.
That process explains why represented and unrepresented defendants may have different first-appearance obligations after counsel files notice.
Kershaw County Circuit Divisions
Common Pleas is the civil side of Circuit Court. It includes civil complaints, answers, motions, orders, judgments, liens, lis pendens filings, real-estate-related disputes, appeals from lower courts, and financial or judgment entries. The Public Index supports civil filters, action types, judgment for and against fields, and tax map number searches for some real-estate cases.
General Sessions is the criminal side of Circuit Court. It includes felony and higher-level criminal prosecutions, indictments, appearances, pleas, motions, dispositions, sentencing, financial assessments, and docket actions. Lower-level criminal matters may remain in Magistrate or Municipal Court. Family Court is separate from Circuit Court, but the Clerk of Court also supports Family Court records for divorce, custody, support, adoption, juvenile, and related domestic matters, subject to privacy limits.
Kershaw County Fifth Circuit
Kershaw County is in the Fifth Judicial Circuit with Richland County. The SC Judicial Branch lists Circuit Court judges for Kershaw that include Daniel Coble, Robert E. Hood, Thomas W. McGee III, Jocelyn Newman, and Christopher D. Taylor. Family Court judges listed for Kershaw include Michelle M. Hurley, Gwendlyne Y. Jones, M.S. Rankin, and C.V. Stricklin Jr. The Solicitor for the Fifth Judicial Circuit is Byron E. Gipson, and the Kershaw Solicitor office is at 1121 Broad Street, Camden, SC 29020.
Public defense is a separate court-appointed counsel system for indigent criminal defendants. SCCID lists Kershaw County public defender contacts and a local office at 1121 Broad Street, Room 101, Camden, SC 29020, with mailing at P.O. Box 725, Camden, SC 29020. Phone and fax details conflicted across SCCID pages in the research, so direct confirmation is prudent before relying on a number for a pending case.
The SCCID Kershaw public defender listing is the county-specific source for public defender contacts.
Public defender contact information should be checked against SCCID because local phone listings were not fully consistent across official pages.
Kershaw County Lower Courts
Kershaw Magistrate Court is the summary court for traffic, lower-level criminal, small civil, bail, warrants, and preliminary hearings. The county Magistrate Civil Court page cites South Carolina Code sections 22-3-10 and 22-3-20 and explains the $7,500 civil jurisdiction limit. Magistrates may issue arrest and search warrants, set bail, and conduct preliminary hearings.
Municipal Courts serve Bethune, Camden, and Elgin. They handle city ordinance cases, city traffic tickets, and municipal bench warrants. Elgin Municipal Court is held Thursdays at 1 PM and publishes courtroom rules, including no shorts or hats, shoes and shirt required, no food or drink, and cell phones or pagers turned off. Camden Municipal Court lists Clerk Belinda Davis and business hours Monday through Friday 8:30 AM to 5 PM.
The SCCID locations page provides broader public defender location context for South Carolina.
That statewide location source is helpful when Kershaw criminal court users need counsel routing rather than a public record copy.