Office of Public Defender, Lauderdale County

01/25/2026

I received word from the Court Administrator that Monday, January 26th 2026 the Lauderdale County Courthouse will be closed.

All clients set for Monday shall report on January 27th at the same time. Trials set for Monday are pushed to Tuesday.

-Mark Chandlee
Chief Public Defender, Lauderdale County

01/24/2024

Congratulations to Attorney Chris Falgout. While defending an indigent client this week on a 1st Degree Murder charge, the jury came back today with a Not Guilty verdict.

01/17/2024

I Just received Notice that THE COURTHOUSE IS CLOSED WEDNESDAY JANUARY 17.
I apologize for any confusion.

01/16/2024

Tuesday, January 16, 2024, Lauderdale County Courthouse will be closed for inclimate weather.

If you were scheduled for Circuit Court on Jan 16th, we will reschedule your appearance for a later date. Please call when the office reopens, which is pending in this current weather situation.

Hopefully we will be back to normal on Wednesday but at this time it is unknown.

10/11/2023

The Public Defenders Office is currently moving into the new courthouse. Should you need to contact us, leave a voicemail or use our email at [email protected].

Thanks, Mark

(Photo is new office location)

09/02/2023

A bit of advice for our clients and the public in general. Don’t make decisions based on legal advice you get on Facebook. A local media outlet had numerous comments and posts by what we can only assume was a “well meaning” citizen who believed Mississippi had lifted firearm restrictions on non-violent felons. A Bill did get introduced (see below) but died in committee and did NOT become law. Similar posts quoted a Federal Court of Appeals case from Pennsylvania that sided with another nonviolent felon there.

This ISN’T the law in Mississippi, it’s not precedent here, Felon in Possession of a weapon, even a non-violent one, is still punishable by 1-10yrs in Prison in State Court (never mind it’s also federally illegal). Bottom line, if you have legal questions, refer to a licensed attorney and be sceptical of anything you see on social media.

06/01/2023

Fundraiser for Bay Springs band, help Mark out, he’s a great musician, teacher and all-around dude. This is for digital discounts at some of your favorite businesses.

https://verticalraise.com/fundraiser/bay-springs-band-fundraiser/f/749373/?fbclid=IwAR2vjz8SKrqcmiPMeiccr59iHWoQxiwM6bAea6ko0H-dVWPw6iyu0R2e9Wg_aem_th_AS8ayGrOf6dDPmdmlUOcECR2AiWIKvXukRCJo2TsNVJBp-8PeKWBCXOcNuEH9vk2fZI&mibextid=Zxz2cZ

Fundraising is vital to the success of our program. Each participant has a monetary goal, please consider buying a membership to our Vertical Discounts App and sharing via email, text, and social media so that they may reach it. Contributions will be used toward the repair & purchase of equipment,....

12/14/2022

Per Judge Wright and Judge Bailey:
The Lauderdale and Kemper docket for today, Wednesday, December 14, will be continued until tomorrow due to weather.

08/29/2021

Circuit Court in Clarke County for Monday, August 30, 2021 has been cancelled.

08/05/2021

Beginning August 2nd we are welcoming our newest attorney in the office, Mrs. Katie Curren. Mr. Chris Collins will begin transferring his cases over to Mrs. Curren and for future court dates the clients will meet with their new attorney.

We are proud to introduce Mrs. Curren to our staff and she brings a wealth of knowledge having come directly from serving on the staff of the MS Court of Appeals and the MS Supreme Court. She will also be opening a private office in Union Mississippi, which hasn't seen an active law office since the passing of Mr. Rex Gordon.

08/05/2021

Lauderdale County Circuit Court for his week (Aug 2-6) has been cancelled and cases set this week (with a few exceptions) have been moved to next week. Please contact your bondsman or the Public Defenders Office for details on your individual court date.

06/11/2021

Press Release from the Office of Public Defender Lauderdale

On Tuesday, June 8, 2021, Lauderdale County Public Defender Chris Collins began a trial in the Circuit Court of Lauderdale County. The trial lasted two days in which a jury heard evidence from the Meridian Police Department regarding a report of robbery from Logan’s restaurant back in 2017. After deliberating, the jury found defendant Juwan King Not Guilty.

We would like to congratulate Attorney Collins for his exemplary work in defending this indigent client and would like to also commend the employees from the Meridian Police Department for their ethical participation in the trial process. This is another example of the quality of representation that Lauderdale County has been able to provide to the underprivileged and underserved citizens of our county.

Chief Defender
Attorney Mark Chandlee

Juwan King was found not guilty by a Lauderdale County jury this week.