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Clerk of the Court

Location: Judicial Center, Room 122a
Phone: (240) 777-9466
Hours: 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

• General Information
• General Duties of the Clerk
• Responsibilities of the Clerk
• Clerk of the Court

General Information

Do you need a Spoken Language Interpreter for a hearing or trial? If so,

• Click here to download the Interpreter Request Form (English and Spanish)
• File the completed form at the appropriate Department two (2) weeks before the scheduled trial or hearing date.

The Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court is a public institution rich in tradition and history of the State of Maryland.  Established by the Maryland Constitution (Article 4, Part III, §25), the Clerk of Court is one of the oldest public offices in our state and dates back as far as 1658 to the first Maryland settlement in St. Mary's County.

The Clerk's Office was established as an independent keeper of the records to maintain their integrity in a safe and impartial manner.  Ensuring the integrity of the court record ultimately ensures that the people are being served in a fair and just manner. 

 Departments:

• Civil Department
• Criminal Department
• Family Department
• Finance Department
• Juvenile Department

• Land Records Department
• License Department
• Office of Courtroom Clerks

General Duties of the Clerk

Maryland Code 2-201 delineates the general duties of the Clerk of a Maryland court as follows:

(1) Have custody of the books, records, and papers of the office. 

(2) Make proper legible entries of all proceedings of the court and keep them in well-bound books or other permanent form.

(3) When requested in writing to do so, record any paper filed with his/her office and required by law to be recorded in the appropriate place, whether or not the title to land is involved. 

(4) Unless prohibited by law or order of the court, provide copies of records or papers in his/her custody to a person requesting a copy, under the seal of the court if required. 

(5) Issue all writs which may legally be issued from the court. 

(6) Deliver a full statement of the costs of a suit to a party requesting a copy. 

(7) Receive all books, documents, public letters, and packages sent to him/her pursuant to law, and carefully dispose of them as the law requires.

(8) Administer an oath.

(9) Replace worn books and records with new ones. 

(10) In conjunction with the Motor Vehicle Administrator, establish uniform procedures for reporting both traffic cases and criminal cases involving a motor vehicle in the Circuit Court to the Motor Vehicle Administration.

(11) Perform any other duty required by law or rule. 

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Responsibilities of the Clerk

As part of executing the tasks described above, the Clerk of the Court is responsible for:

1. Supervising approximately 190 court employees in eight divisions (Criminal, Civil, Courtroom Clerks, Family, Juvenile, License, Land Records, and Finance) with a budget of approximately $7.5 million.
2. Collecting revenue of over $50 million from the recording of land records, criminal bonds and fines, license fees, and filing fees in civil and other departments.
3. Performing approximately 3,400 marriages a year.
4. Administering over 600 statutory obligations established by Maryland law.

The Clerk of the Circuit Court also administers the Oath of Office to elected officials, judges, county police officers, sheriff officers, special police officers, assistant and deputy state's attorneys, fire department members, and gubernatorial appointees.

The Clerk of the Circuit Court serves the public and is here to assist all.  If there are issues of concern, please contact the Clerk's Office by calling (240)777-9466.  Suggestions and comments regarding ways to improve the Court’s service to Montgomery County residents are highly appreciated.

Below is a biographical sketch of Loretta E. Knight, the current Clerk of the Court, Circuit Court for Montgomery County, Maryland.

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Loretta E. Knight, Clerk of the Court

Loretta Knight is the current Clerk of the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, Maryland.  Ms. Knight was elected in 2006 by a 74% margin and took office December 1, 2006.  She has 25 years of experience at the Circuit Court, holding a variety of positions in the Assignment Office, the Clerk’s Administrative Office, and the Civil Department.  In fact, she was Deputy Clerk and Manager of the Civil Department before she became the Clerk of the Court. 

Currently, Ms. Knight is also the President Elect of the Maryland Association of Circuit Court Clerks and a member of the State’s Conference of Circuit Court Clerks. As a member of the Critical Barriers Committee of the Maryland Access to Justice Commission, as well as an active participant on the Conference Committee and a member of the Advisory Board of the Mid Atlantic Association of Court Management (MAACM), Ms. Knight takes great pride in ensuring that court records are accurate, efficiently processed and accessible according to the law. 

As Clerk of the Court, she is a member of Montgomery County’s Criminal Justice Coordinating Commission and is a departmental legislative contact for the Office of Intergovernmental Relations, which requires her to review all new legislation that may impact Maryland courts.  As Clerk of the Court, Ms. Knight has testified before the Maryland House, Senate Joint Committee for Montgomery County Circuit Court on a variety of issues, including the pilot program for e-recording in Land Records and court interpreters.  As part of the Leadership Team for Montgomery County Circuit Court, Ms. Knight is working closely with Administrative Judge John W. Debelius, III and Court Administrator Pamela Harris to create a collaborative working environment in the Court, ensuring that all functions of the Court work cohesively and productively to serve the needs of County residents. 

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