Day Two of the 2026 MMCCA Summer Conference wrapped up our time together with updates on domestic abuse protection orders, the AOC PEER Report, public records requests, a motivational session, and the final conference closing.
Day Two Agenda
We started the morning with the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office from 9:15–10:15 a.m. Anna Claire Brumfield presented Domestic Abuse Protection Order Training and a Protection Order Registry Update.
From 10:30–11:30 a.m., Lisa Counts with the Mississippi Administrative Office of Courts provided an update on the AOC PEER Report, including what the report is, why courts are required to submit it, and the applicable reporting deadlines.
Beverly Craft also presented training on Public Records Requests.
After a short break and the presentation of prizes, we returned from noon–1:00 p.m. for The Power of Your Inner Blueprint, presented by motivational speaker Adaina Biggs.
The conference officially closed and adjourned from 1:00–1:15 p.m. The MMCCA Board held a brief meeting afterward to discuss the conference, review how things went, and wrap up the event.
Domestic Abuse Protection Orders and the Protection Order Registry
The protection order session was largely a refresher for clerks who have attended this training before, but it included several important reminders.
Do Not Create Your Own Protection Order Forms
One of the biggest takeaways is simple: you should never have to create your own form for anything involving a domestic abuse protection order.
The Mississippi Attorney General’s Office provides the forms courts are authorized and expected to use. These forms are available on the Attorney General’s website under the clerk forms section.
{PROTECTION ORDER FORMS ARE LINKED HERE.}
If your court needs a petition, order, notice, or other form related to a domestic abuse protection order, check the Attorney General’s website before creating anything internally.
Filing and Jurisdiction Questions
We reviewed the statutes governing protection orders and discussed how to determine whether a petition should be filed in your court or whether there may be a jurisdictional issue.
The practical reminder for clerks was this: we do not turn petitioners away.
The best practice is to allow the petitioner to file the petition and let the judge determine whether to grant or deny the ex parte request or otherwise address any legal or jurisdictional issue.
That decision belongs to the judge—not the clerk.
Required Content of the Petition
We also reviewed what a domestic abuse protection order petition must include and the required content necessary for the court to consider the request.
This is another reason it is important to use the approved forms. The forms are designed to capture the information required by law and help reduce the risk of a petition being incomplete because a court attempted to create its own local version.
Knowing Violations of a Protection Order
We discussed Mississippi Code Section 99-3-7(3), which provides for arrest in cases involving a knowing violation of a protection order.
This is an important distinction for clerks, law enforcement officers, and courts handling alleged violations. A knowing violation of a protection order is not treated the same way as every other alleged offense or warrant situation.
Clerks May Serve an Ex Parte Order
I made a practical side note during the training that is worth sharing.
A clerk can serve an ex parte protection order if the respondent is physically present in the court.
That does not mean the clerk should leave the office, track down the respondent, or take over law enforcement’s responsibility for service. But if the respondent is already in your court for some reason, a clerk has the authority to serve the order.
Violation of a DAPO: Statutory Violation or Contempt
Another important note from the training involved how the court handles a violation of a domestic abuse protection order.
The court may address the conduct as:
- a violation of the protection order under Mississippi Code Section 93-21-21, or
- contempt of court.
The same violation should not be handled as both.
Appeals Do Not Suspend the Protection Order
We also discussed appeals under Mississippi Code Section 93-21-51.
A domestic abuse protection order remains in effect during the appeal process. The filing of a notice of appeal does not automatically suspend the protection order while the appeal is pending.
That is an important procedural point because criminal court clerks may be accustomed to certain criminal sentences being stayed or suspended during an appeal. Protection orders are different.
Unless the appropriate court orders otherwise, the protection order remains in effect while the appellate process moves forward.
A Practical Office Idea: Protection Order File Checklist
We already use a protection order checklist in our office, but I made a note during the conference that we may want to take that one step further.
I am considering placing a checklist inside the left cover of every protection order file.
The goal would be to allow a clerk to open the file and immediately see the current status of the case without first accessing the case management system. A quick visual checklist could show what has been filed, what has been served, what is still pending, and what action needs to happen next.
I plan to discuss this with the clerks in my office who primarily handle protection orders.
Sometimes the best conference takeaway is not a major policy change. Sometimes it is one small process improvement that makes the work easier to track when you get back home.
Additional Protection Order Training Resources
If you were unable to attend the conference—or if you have never received in-depth protection order training—there are additional resources available through the Mississippi Judicial College.
The Mississippi Judicial College maintains archived conference agendas and training materials from prior clerk conferences.
To locate the materials:
- Go to the Mississippi Judicial College website.
- Scroll to the conference listings.
- Select the archived conferences.
- Locate the 2024 Municipal Court Clerks Conference.
- Anna Claire Brumfield’s protection order session is listed at the top of Page 2 of the agenda.
From there, you can access the available training materials, including the presentation and a bench card that can be printed and laminated for your court.
I am not going to repost her slide show materials here, but I am happy to direct clerks to where the materials are officially available.
If you have trouble finding them, but you found this website and this article, send me an email. I will be happy to help you locate the training materials.
There is a tremendous amount of useful information in that presentation. If you have not had this training—or if you attended the conference but did not take many notes—it is absolutely worth reviewing.
Wrapping Up the 2026 Summer Conference
That was essentially the end of Day Two and the end of this year’s summer training conference.
I wish I had written down who won all of the prizes so I could share that too! The Clerks Association had some great giveaways this year.
Attendees also received a really nice briefcase-style tote bag with the Association emblem on the front and a folder containing the conference handouts.
Now we begin looking ahead to next year.
If you were unable to attend the summer conference and need copies of available handouts—or if you would like additional information about any of the training sessions—please send me an email through the website.
I am always happy to help connect another clerk with the information or training resources they need.
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