VOTE411 Voter Guide

Chancery Courts have jurisdiction over disputes in matters involving equity; domestic matters including adoptions, custody disputes and divorces; guardianships; sanity hearings; wills; and challenges to constitutionality of state laws. Land records are filed in Chancery Court.Chancery Courts have jurisdiction over juvenile matters in counties which have no County Court. The chancellor may appoint a lawyer in private practice to sit as a youth court referee to hear juvenile matters such as delinquency, abuse and neglect.Trials are typically heard by a chancellor without a jury, although state law allows parties to request a jury in Chancery Court.There are 20 Chancery Court districts and 52 Chancery Court judges. The number of chancery judges per district ranges from one to four. Chancery Court judges are selected in non-partisan elections to serve four-year terms.