Madison County DUI Court Process

DUI cases in Madison County are handled at the General Sessions Court, Suite 300 of the Criminal Justice Complex at 515 South Liberty Street in Jackson. The clerk is Gail Mooney, reachable at (731) 423-6128, and filing hours are 8:00 to 4:00 weekdays. Two General Sessions judges hear the criminal docket: Mark Patey in Division I, who takes most of the arraignments and preliminary hearings, and Christy R. Little in Division II. Cases that go to trial or become felonies move to Circuit Court before Judge Donald H. Allen or Judge Kyle Atkins, who together run the district's Recovery Court.

If you bonded out, your arraignment is on a Tuesday at 8:30 AM, along with dozens of other cases. Security backs up fast under that load. Arrive by 8:00 AM at the latest, because the judge starts issuing failure-to-appear warrants for anyone not in the courtroom when the docket is called. Park in the municipal long-term lots two blocks east or two blocks west of the courthouse, not the short-term spaces at the perimeter, since a morning docket can hold you in the building for hours.

The courtroom rules are strict and enforced by the deputies at the door, not the judge. A Tennessee Attorney General opinion says General Sessions judges cannot override the security and dress rules or excuse a violation, so do not count on leniency. Dress code: no shorts, tank tops, hats, or sunglasses, and men must wear full-length pants with the shirt fully tucked in or be turned away. Phones must be off before you enter; many divisions confiscate them at the door, and a phone caught in use inside becomes the permanent property of the county. Leave electronics in the car.

Tennessee does not allow diversion or pre-trial intervention for DUI. There is no version where you complete classes and the charge disappears. The only routes to avoiding a permanent DUI conviction are an acquittal at trial or a plea to a lesser charge like reckless driving. The 26th Judicial District Recovery Court, covering Madison, Chester, and Henderson counties, is available for serious substance use disorders, but it addresses the sentence, not the conviction.

The mandatory 12-hour DUI school uses the Prime for Life curriculum and cannot be done online in Tennessee. The main provider is the Jackson Area Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependency at 900 East Chester Street, (731) 423-3653, which runs the whole 12 hours in one Saturday, 8:00 AM to 8:30 PM, so you don't lose a work week. The fee is $150, rising to $225 in 2026, and you have to register and pay in person, by cash, card, or money order, by noon on the Thursday before the class. Madison County Community Corrections on South Shannon Street also runs the class.

Sources

• Madison County General Sessions Court
• Madison County Judges
• JACOA DUI Classes