Duties and Responsibilities of the District Clerk 

CUSTODIAN OF THE RECORD

The District Clerk maintains the official court record and receives for filing all documents in the felony criminal, family, juvenile, delinquent tax and other civil court cases.

After a court case is filed, the District Clerk may be requested by an attorney or directed by court order to issue certain documents. Some of the documents issued may include a citation to notify a party that a case was filed, a capias to have someone arrested, a protective order to keep someone from harm, a writ to withhold income for child support, or an order to sell property to satisfy a judgment.

The District Clerk performs duties from the time a case is filed through disposition, appeal and ancillary proceedings that may occur for many, many years after judgment.  According to statutory requirements, the District Clerk gathers data and reports to many State and local agencies. This extensive reporting assists the County, the State and the Texas legislature to determine the proper operation of the courts, the effectiveness of the statutes and the need for changes.

  RECORDS MANAGEMENT

The District Clerk is responsible for managing the records so they are easily retrieved for court use and public information. The Wichita County District Clerks' office maintains records that date back to 1882. As custodian of these permanent records, the Clerk must assure that they are preserved and archived.

  FINANCIAL OFFICER

As a financial officer, the District Clerk collects court costs and fines set by statuettes that are deposited in the general fund of the County.  Other fees are collected and allocated to the State for the benefit of various State agencies.  The District Clerk collects and distributes over $1,000,000.00 annually.

During litigation, money or other valuable items may be placed in the registry of the court with the District Clerk. The District Clerk is ordered to invest the money in interest bearing accounts for minor children until they reach the age of majority or until final judgment. The District Clerks administers numerous accounts totaling millions of dollars.

JURY MANAGER

The District Clerk is the officer of the Court in charge of the jury selection process for Wichita County. Jurors are randomly selected by the County computer system from a source consisting of the current voter registration lists from all the precincts in the county and residents of the county that are valid Texas drivers license or valid personal identification card or certificate issued by the Department of Public Safety.