Dubois County Trial Courts
Indiana does not use a county-level district court model for Dubois County. The state trial-court system is built around circuit courts, superior courts, and local city or town courts where created. Dubois County's two courts of record are Dubois Circuit Court and Dubois Superior Court. Both are housed at One Courthouse Square in Jasper, and both feed official records through the Clerk of the Courts.
The Indiana Judicial Branch Dubois County page links to local rules, MyCase, e-filing, and Judicial District 25 information. Those sources matter because the court names alone do not tell the full local allocation. Civil matters are generally concurrent between Circuit and Superior. Probate and juvenile matters belong to Circuit Court. Traffic and small claims belong to Superior Court. Criminal matters are divided by local rule.
Dubois County Court Table
The full local court table is short because Dubois County has two courts of record and one unified Clerk of the Courts. The table still matters because the Circuit Court and Superior Court have different local assignments, judges, phone numbers, and public-facing functions.
| Court | Type | Address | Phone | Judge or officer | Local role |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dubois Circuit Court / 57th Judicial Circuit | Circuit court of record | One Courthouse Square, Jasper, IN 47546 | (812) 481-7020 | Nathan A. Verkamp | Chief trial court; exclusive probate and juvenile jurisdiction; concurrent civil and domestic jurisdiction; assigned criminal categories. |
| Dubois Superior Court | Superior court of record | One Courthouse Square, Jasper, IN 47546 | (812) 481-7070 | Anthony D. Quinn | Equal jurisdiction generally; exclusive traffic and small claims jurisdiction; problem-solving drug court; assigned criminal categories. |
| Clerk of the Courts | Trial-court records office | One Courthouse Square, Jasper, IN 47546 | (812) 481-7035 | Amy L. Kippenbrock | Maintains official trial-court records, certified copies, marriage licenses, fees, support funds, and election duties. |
Dubois County Circuit Court
Dubois Circuit Court is the 57th Judicial Circuit. The Circuit Court page states that circuit courts in Indiana were originally created by the Indiana Constitution, Article 7, Section 8, and that the boundaries for the 57th Judicial Circuit are the same as the boundaries of Dubois County. The court page lists Judge Nathan A. Verkamp, phone (812) 481-7020, fax (812) 481-7030, and circuitcourt@duboiscountyin.org.
Local rules give Dubois Circuit Court exclusive jurisdiction over all probate and juvenile matters. Circuit Court also shares civil and domestic jurisdiction with Superior Court unless a local rule assigns the matter elsewhere. For court-record users, that means probate case searches and juvenile routing start with Circuit Court, but official copies still go through the Clerk. The Circuit Court page also warns against ex parte communication, which means private communication with the judge outside the presence or hearing of other parties is generally prohibited.
Dubois County Superior Court
Dubois Superior Court was created to supplement the Circuit Court and has equal jurisdiction with Circuit Court generally. The official page lists Judge Anthony D. Quinn, phone (812) 481-7070, fax (812) 481-7086, and superiorcourt@duboiscountyin.org. The Superior Court page states that the court handles all traffic offenses and small claims matters and administers a problem-solving drug court.
Superior Court is the local path for traffic and small claims records. Small claims filings have their own local amount limits and fees, while traffic records often begin as citations or infractions. Criminal matters are not all in Superior Court, but certain criminal categories are assigned there by local rule. Like the Circuit Court page, the Superior Court page includes an ex parte warning that communications with the judge must follow court rules.
Dubois County Case Allocation
The current local rules, effective March 22, 2024, explain how the two courts divide work. Probate and juvenile matters are exclusive to Circuit Court. Traffic and small claims are exclusive to Superior Court. Both courts have concurrent jurisdiction over all other civil matters. Criminal cases are assigned under LR19-AR1-2, which lists categories for Circuit and Superior Court.
| Case type | Dubois Circuit Court | Dubois Superior Court |
|---|---|---|
| Probate | Exclusive jurisdiction | Not locally assigned |
| Juvenile | Exclusive jurisdiction | Not locally assigned |
| Traffic | Not locally assigned | Exclusive jurisdiction |
| Small claims | Not locally assigned | Exclusive jurisdiction |
| Other civil matters | Concurrent jurisdiction | Concurrent jurisdiction |
| Domestic relations | Concurrent unless otherwise assigned | Concurrent unless otherwise assigned |
| Criminal cases | Assigned by offense category | Assigned by offense category |
Dubois County Criminal Assignment
Criminal records in Dubois County can be Circuit Court records or Superior Court records. Circuit Court categories include homicide, mischief, burglary, trespass, forgery, battery, kidnapping, sex crimes, robbery, misconduct, perjury, crimes against public administration, miscellaneous Article 46 offenses, interference with governmental operations, weapons, and violence. Superior Court categories include arson, theft, home improvement fraud, drug cases, alcohol cases, public health, order, and decency offenses, prostitution, gambling, racketeering, loan sharking, gang control, stalking, obscenity or pornography, and conservation violations.
A person searching criminal court records should start with Indiana MyCase, then use the Clerk for official copies or records not online. The Prosecutor represents the State of Indiana and prosecutes violations of state law, but the prosecutor is not the official copy office for the court file. The full case file and sentencing details are covered more closely in Dubois County criminal court records.
Dubois County Court Comparison
Indiana's local court terms can be confusing because a county may have both Circuit and Superior courts with broad trial power. Dubois County is best understood through the local-rule allocation rather than by assuming one court is always higher or broader than the other.
| Point | Circuit Court | Superior Court | Lower or local courts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local record role | Court of record for assigned trial matters | Court of record for assigned trial matters | No separate county-published municipal portal located |
| Exclusive areas | Probate and juvenile | Traffic and small claims | Local city or town courts may exist where created |
| Civil cases | Generally concurrent | Generally concurrent | Not the main county record path |
| Criminal cases | Assigned categories by local rule | Assigned categories by local rule | Not documented as a county case-search channel |
| Record copies | Official copies through Clerk | Official copies through Clerk | Use the court or clerk that created the record |
Dubois County Case Flow
A Dubois County trial-court case usually moves through the court that has the local assignment, while official records are maintained by the Clerk. Public case information may appear in MyCase, but certified documents, older files, and records not online must be requested through the office that maintains the official file.
Civil flow: Complaint or petition filed › service or notice › answer or response › motions or hearings › mediation or trial where used › judgment or order › appeal to the Indiana Court of Appeals where allowed.
Criminal flow: Police report and prosecutor review › charge filed › initial hearing and bond › pretrial motions or discovery › plea or trial › disposition and sentence › post-conviction or expungement filing where applicable.
Probate flow: Will, estate, trust, guardianship, or estate claim identified › Circuit Court filing › Clerk fee and docket processing › hearings or orders › certified copies from the Clerk if needed.
Dubois County Judicial District 25
The Indiana Judicial Branch lists Dubois County in Judicial District 25 with Daviess, Knox, Martin, Perry, Pike, and Spencer counties. Local rules allow additional judicial resources from District 25 when needed and list surrounding courts for special-judge assignment. For civil special judge selection, the sequence includes courts in Daviess, Knox, Martin, Perry, Pike, and Spencer counties. For criminal special judge selection, the list expands to Orange, Crawford, and Warrick courts.
This district information does not move ordinary Dubois County filings out of Jasper. It explains how special judge needs and regional judicial resources can be handled when the local court requires outside assignment. For routine case lookup, MyCase and the Clerk remain the public access channels.
Visiting Dubois County Courts
Dubois County adopted Ordinance 2024-03 on February 20, 2024 for courthouse and annex security. The ordinance applies to buildings containing the County Circuit Court, County Superior Court, or County Small Claims Court, including the courthouse at One Courthouse Square and the annex at 602 Main Street. During normal business hours, most visitors enter or exit the courthouse through the east entrance.
Entry implies consent to a search of the person or property for weapons and listed dangerous items. Refusal results in denied entrance. Prohibited items include firearms, deadly weapons, electric stun weapons, stun guns, tasers, knives, explosive devices, clubs, objects readily capable of causing serious bodily injury, and certain biological items. Court users should allow time for screening before hearings, filings, or copy requests.