The clerk of the Supreme Court of the United States is the officer of the

Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

responsible for overseeing filings with the court and maintaining its records. The current clerk is Scott S. Harris. __NOTOC__

History

The first clerk was appointed on February 3, 1790, two days after the first session of the court itself. The position had been authorized by

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...

on September 24, 1789, with the position's purpose being to "enter and record all the orders, decrees, judgments and proceedings of the said court." The Judicial Code (28 U.S.C. § 671) provides that the clerk is appointed, and may be removed, by order of the Supreme Court. The clerk's duties are prescribed by the statute and by Supreme Court Rule 1, and by the court's customs and practices. The clerk of the Supreme Court is a

court clerk A court clerk (British English: clerk to the court or clerk of the court ; American English: clerk of the court or clerk of court ) is an officer of the court whose responsibilities include maintaining records of a court, administer oaths to witn ...

. The role of the clerk and deputies or assistants should not be confused with the court's

law clerk A law clerk or a judicial clerk is a person, generally someone who provides direct counsel and assistance to a lawyer or judge by researching issues and drafting legal opinions for cases before the court. Judicial clerks often play significant ...

s, who assist the justices by conducting research, making recommendations on which cases to hear, and preparing drafts of opinions. The Clerk's Office is responsible for maintaining the dockets and records of the court. However, since approximately 1960, most of the court's non-current case files and other records have been placed in the custody of the

National Archives and Records Administration The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an " independent federal agency of the United States government within the executive branch", charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It i ...

. The clerk is one of the court's four statutory officers. The others are the

marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated o ...

, the

librarian A librarian is a person who works professionally in a library providing access to information, and sometimes social or technical programming, or instruction on information literacy to users. The role of the librarian has changed much over time, ...

, and the

reporter of decisions The Reporter of Decisions (sometimes known by other titles, such as Official Reporter or State Reporter) is the official responsible for publishing the decisions of a court. Traditionally, the decisions were published in books known as case repor ...

. Traditionally unlike others, the clerk and deputies wear

morning coat A tailcoat is a knee-length coat (clothing), coat characterised by a rear section of the skirt, known as the ''tails'', with the front of the skirt cut away. The tailcoat shares its historical origins in clothes cut for convenient horse riding i ...

s when performing their duties as the court is in session.William Suter, Clerk of the U.S. Supreme Court, interview, C-SPAN U.S. Supreme Court Week
/ref> One of the traditional duties of the clerk was holding the Bible at presidential inaugurations. James R. Browning became the last clerk to perform this duty at John F. Kennedy's inauguration on January 20, 1961. Four years later, at Lyndon B. Johnson's inauguration,

Lady Bird Johnson Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Johnson (''née'' Taylor; December 22, 1912 – July 11, 2007) was First Lady of the United States from 1963 to 1969 as the wife of President Lyndon B. Johnson. She previously served as Second Lady from 1961 to 1963 when ...

History

List of clerks

See also

References

External links