By Ashley Richardson, MCJ Director of Housing Law
Mississippi trial courts include two categories: general jurisdiction and limited jurisdiction. Justice Courts are included in the category of limited jurisdiction, giving them authority to handle small claims civil cases with an amount in controversy of $3,500 or less; misdemeanor criminal cases; and traffic offenses that occur outside of a municipality. Within our state, there are 82 Justice Courts with 198 judges. (Source: https://courts.ms.gov/trialcourts/tc_aboutthecourts.php)
Justice Court jurisdiction also includes the ability to hear landlord-tenant disputes, such as evictions covered under the Mississippi Landlord Tenant Law. The Mississippi Center for Justice (MCJ) Housing Law Campaign regularly represents tenants in Justice Courts for eviction matters. Although many cases may have similar facts, the outcome may vary depending on the Judge, city, and county.
Justice Court is publicly known as the “Court of the People.” In translation, disputes handled within Justice Courts can be handled without an attorney. However, due to the inconsistency of the process, many pro se litigants and tenants contact the Mississippi Center for Justice for pro bono legal representation. As a result, MCJ remains committed to the fight for consistency across the state within Justice Courts.
On October 2, 2025, MCJ attorneys and staff attended the Fall 2025 Continuing Education Course for Justice Court Judges and presented to over 100 Justice Court Judges from across the state. MCJ Housing Law Director, Ashley Richardson, and Staff Attorney, Ian Gustafson, provided a thorough overview of the Mississippi Landlord Tenant Statute. During this presentation, both attorneys covered notice requirements that must be provided to a tenant before eviction proceedings, the duty of good faith, when a default judgment should and should not be granted, the authority of judges to grant continuances, curable breaches, and the areas where judges have discretion in proceedings. Most importantly, the attorneys discussed the most recent statute change that took effect in 2022, which provides tenants with seven days to gather their property and vacate a property once a judge has granted an eviction.
MCJ highlighted the discretion that judges have, including their authority to extend the time pass seven days if the court deems an acceptable reason from the tenant. Further, MCJ highlighted other defenses and rights that might be brought before the court, such as the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and the Fair Housing Act.
MCJ remains dedicated to working with the Mississippi Access to Justice Commission and the Mississippi Judicial College to bring consistency in the “People’s Court” throughout Mississippi while developing a relationship with Judges and clerks across the state through training and educational avenues.
Click here to learn about MCJ’s Justice Court Access Program, through which an MCJ attorney provides direct representation and/or advice for unrepresented Mississippians with Justice Court matters.
