Appling County Superior Court Overview
Georgia does not use a local district-court model for Appling County. The State Court Structure Map identifies Superior Court as the primary trial court, with State, Magistrate, Probate, Juvenile, and Municipal courts handling narrower work. For a records search, that distinction matters because a felony, divorce, major civil case, or land-title matter is not searched the same way as a traffic citation, jail booking, probate estate, or city-police record.
Appling County is in the Brunswick Judicial Circuit with Camden, Glynn, Jeff Davis, and Wayne counties. The circuit arrangement explains why several judge offices listed by the Appling clerk are in Brunswick, Woodbine, or Hazlehurst. The local records office is still the Appling County Clerk of Superior, State, and Juvenile Court, led by Clerk Marsha Thomas at the courthouse annex in Baxley.
The official Appling Superior Court judges page lists the Brunswick Judicial Circuit judges connected to Appling County.
That local source is the strongest page for judge names and circuit contact points tied to Appling Superior Court records.
Appling County Superior Court List
Appling has one county Superior Court within a multi-county circuit rather than separate numbered district courts. Related lower courts and court offices should still be checked because a case can begin in Magistrate Court, proceed in State Court, route to Probate Court, or remain in a restricted Juvenile Court file.
| Court or office | Type | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appling County Superior Court | General-jurisdiction trial court | 110 Tippins Street, Baxley, GA 31513 | Clerk: (912) 367-8126 |
| Clerk of Superior, State, and Juvenile Court | Records office | 69 Tippins Street, Suite 103, Baxley, GA 31513 | (912) 367-8126 |
| State Court | Misdemeanor and county traffic venue | 442 North Boulevard / US 1 North, Baxley, GA 31513/31515 | (912) 367-2476 |
| Magistrate Court | Warrants, first appearances, small claims | 77 Tippins Street, Baxley, GA 31513 | (912) 367-8117 |
| Probate Court | Estates, guardianships, marriage licenses | 36 South Main Street, Baxley, GA 31513 | (912) 367-8114 / (912) 367-8115 |
| Juvenile Court | Restricted juvenile matters | 132 West Parker Street, Baxley, GA 31513 | (912) 367-2636 |
Appling County Superior Court Judges
The Appling clerk lists multiple Superior Court judges for the Brunswick Judicial Circuit. Several are based at the Glynn County courthouse in Brunswick, others are listed in Woodbine or Hazlehurst, and one is listed as senior judge. A hearing notice may therefore show a judge whose office is outside Appling County while the Appling County Superior Court case file remains with the local clerk.
| Judge | Office listed in research | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Stephen Scarlett, Chief Judge | Courthouse, 701 H Street, Brunswick, GA 31520 | (912) 554-7356 |
| Roger B. Lane | Courthouse, 701 H Street Box 202, Brunswick, GA 31520 | (912) 554-7364 |
| Stephen Kelley | Courthouse, 701 H Street, Brunswick, GA 31520 | (912) 554-7372 |
| Anthony Harrison | P.O. Box 609, Woodbine, GA 31569 | (912) 576-6670 |
| Burton Guy | P.O. Box 610, Woodbine, GA 31569 | (912) 510-5970 |
| E.M. Wilkes, Senior Judge | P.O. Drawer 1540, Hazlehurst, GA 31539 | Not published in research |
| Carla Powell | P.O. Box 88 / 8 E. Franklin Street, Hazlehurst, GA 31539 | (912) 375-3772 |
Note: Use the hearing notice or clerk's office to verify courtroom location before traveling.
Appling County Superior Court Cases
Superior Court is the place to look for felony criminal files, major civil cases, divorce and family matters, land-title or equity matters, and other cases assigned to Georgia's general-jurisdiction trial court. The clerk manages Superior, State, and Juvenile Court records, so the clerk office is the practical access point for Superior Court case records, certified copies, and older files not visible through account-gated portals.
State Court handles many misdemeanors and county traffic citations in Appling. Magistrate Court may hold warrant applications, first appearances, small claims, and dispossessory matters before anything moves into another court. Probate Court separately handles estates, guardianships, conservatorships, marriage licenses, and weapons carry license matters. Juvenile records are not open like adult files.
| Record question | Likely court | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Felony charge, indictment, sentence | Superior Court | Felony case file and final disposition are court records. |
| County traffic ticket or misdemeanor | State Court | The clerk says the office handles county traffic and misdemeanors. |
| Arrest warrant or first appearance | Magistrate Court | Early warrant and bond records may start there. |
| Estate, will, guardianship | Probate Court | Probate Court is a separate local office. |
| Juvenile case | Juvenile Court | Access is restricted for many juvenile records. |
Appling County Case Flow
A criminal matter may start with law enforcement, booking, a warrant, and a first appearance, then move to State Court for a misdemeanor or Superior Court for a felony. A civil matter starts when pleadings are filed with the clerk, followed by service, answers, motions, orders, hearings, trial or settlement, judgment, and possible appeal. Divorce matters are Superior Court case files even when a party uses the clerk's pro se form links.
Criminal flow: arrest or warrant › Magistrate or first appearance › accusation or indictment › arraignment › pretrial motions › plea or trial › disposition › sentencing › appeal.
Civil flow: complaint or petition filed › service › answer › motions › mediation or hearing › trial or judgment › post-judgment action › appeal.
Search Appling Superior Court Records
For online access, begin with Georgia Courts e-access and select the Appling Superior provider entry, then expect an account gate. The clerk also names PeachCourt for Superior, State, civil, and juvenile e-filing. If the record cannot be found online, call the clerk at (912) 367-8126 or visit 69 Tippins Street, Suite 103.
The Appling jury and courtroom conduct page includes rules that matter for anyone visiting Superior Court in person.
Those local rules are practical: no shorts, no purses or backpacks, and no phones, smart watches, or pagers in the courtroom unless a judge allows an exception.
Brunswick Judicial Circuit Records
Appling's Superior Court is part of the Brunswick Judicial Circuit, so criminal prosecution and public defense may involve circuit offices outside the county. The Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney serves Appling, Camden, Glynn, Jeff Davis, and Wayne counties. The Georgia Public Defender Council lists Appling County in the Brunswick Circuit, with the main public defender office in Jesup.
The Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney website identifies the regional prosecution structure for felony matters involving Appling County.
District Attorney records are not the same as clerk case files, but the prosecutor's role explains why felony charges and record-restriction requests may leave the clerk counter.
The Georgia Public Defender Council Appling County page is the official public-defense route for eligible criminal and juvenile defendants.
Public defender records and attorney files are not public case-search portals, but counsel may appear in the Superior Court docket as attorney of record.
The Brunswick Judicial Circuit Public Defender page provides another official circuit-level contact point for Appling County Superior Court defendants who qualify for appointed counsel.
That circuit source reinforces the split between case-file access at the clerk and defense representation through a separate public defender office.
Federal Court Is Separate
Some cases tied to Appling County are federal rather than state cases. The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia includes Appling County in its 43-county district, but federal criminal, civil-rights, federal-question, diversity, bankruptcy, and federal appeal records are not Appling County Superior Court records. PACER and federal CM/ECF are the correct channels for federal district case files.
The Southern District of Georgia website is the federal district court source for cases that do not belong to Appling Superior Court.
Use the federal court route only when the case has a federal basis; county divorce, probate, traffic, and ordinary state criminal files remain in local or state court.