User:Fccarep
U.S. District Clerks
This article is about the position United States District Clerk, a position authorized by the first Congress under the Judiciary Act of 1789, and not court clerks in state or municipal courts. Incumbents are appointed as officials of the 94 federal district courts under 28.U.S.C. § 751.
A U.S. District Clerk is the executive of a U.S. District Court responsible for overseeing filings made with the court, maintaining the court’s records, processing fees, fines, and restitution, and managing the non-judicial work of the court, including information technology, budget, procurement, human resources, and financial. Clerks may appoint deputies, clerical assistants, and employees to carry out the work of the court. The clerk of each district court must reside in the district for which the clerk is appointed, except that the clerk of the District of Columbia and the clerk of the Southern District of New York may reside within twenty miles of their respective districts. The current U.S. District Clerks are listed below.
History
The Judiciary Act of 1789 authorized the Supreme Court and the judge of each U.S. District Court to appoint a clerk to assist with the administration of federal judicial business in those courts. The clerk for each district court was to also serve as clerk of the corresponding circuit court. The Judiciary Act required each clerk to issue the writs summoning jurors and "to record the decrees, judgments and determinations of the court of which he is clerk." The Judicial Code (28 U.S.C. § 571) provides that the clerk is appointed, and may be removed, by the court. The clerk's duties are prescribed by the statute, by the court's customs and practices, and by policy established by the Judicial Conference of the United States. The clerk is appointed by order of the court en banc to serve the entire court. The role of the clerk and deputies or assistants should not be confused with the court's law clerks, who assist the judges by conducting research, making recommendations on which cases to hear, and preparing drafts of opinions. To be eligible to serve as a U.S. District Clerk, a person must have a minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible administrative experience in public service or business that provides a thorough understanding of organizational, procedural, and human aspects of managing an organization, and at least 3 of the 10 years must have been in a position of substantial management responsibility. An attorney may substitute the active practice of law on a year-for-year basis for the management or administrative experience requirement. Clerks do not have to be licensed attorneys, but some courts specify that a law degree is a preference for employment.
List of U.S. District Clerks[edit]
Sources:
Messinger, I. Scott. Order in the Courts: A History of the Federal Court Clerk's Office.Washington, D.C.: The Federal Judicial Center, 2002.
The Judiciary Act Of 1789, the Foundation of the Federal Judicial System. [College Park, M.D.]: National Archives and Records Administration, 1989. Print.
Guide to Judiciary Policy, Vol. 12, Appx. 5F