District Clerk Duties

District Clerk Duties and Responsibilities

District clerks are called on to assure that the affairs of the district courts are maintained objectively with the full confidence of judicial authorities.

The Texas Government Code states the duties and powers of the clerk of the district court: "The clerk of the District Court has custody of and shall carefully maintain and arrange the records relating to or lawfully deposited in the clerk's office." The district clerk shall:

Record the acts and proceedings of the district court;
Enter all judgments of the court under the direction of the judge;
Record all executions issued and the returns issued on the executions;
Process passport applications;
Administer child support payments;
Administer trust accounts for minors ordered by the courts;
Keep an index of the parties to all suits filed in the court, and make reference to any judgment made in the case; and
Keep an account of all funds collected by the office, by way of fines and fees, and the amount due jurors in district court for service.
Manage records so they are easily retrieved for public information, preserved for permanent storage in archives and dispose of according to law.
Gather data and report to State and Local agencies (County Treasurer, County Auditor, Voter Registrar, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Department of Public Safety, Attorney General, State Treasurer, State Board of Medical Examiners, State Library, Comptroller of Public Accounts and Office of Court Administration)

Be in charge of the jury selection process to determine the number of potential jurors required to begin trial, send summons to jurors, process jurors on trial day, pay jurors for service and act a liaison between the jurors, courts and employers.