United States of America
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The Clerk of the Supreme Court of the United States is the officer of the Supreme Court of the United States responsible for overseeing filings with the Court and maintaining its records.^[1] The current Clerk is William Suter, who has served since 1991.

[edit] History

The first Clerk was appointed on February 3, 1790, two days after the first of the court itself.^[1] The position had been authorized by Congress 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."^[2]

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. His role and that of his deputies and assistants should not be confused with the Court's law clerks, 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 Clerk is one of the Court's four statutory officers. The others are the Marshal, the Librarian, and the Reporter of Decisions.

[edit] List of Clerks

John Tucker (1790-1791) Samuel Bayard (1791-1800) Elias B. Caldwell (1800-1825) William Griffith (1826-1827) William T. Carroll (1827-1863) D. W. Middleton (1863-1880) J. H. McKenney (1880-1913) James D. Maher (1913-1921) William R. Stansbury (1921-1927) Charles Elmore Cropley (1927-1952)

Harold B. Willey (1952-1956) John T. Fey (1956-1958) James R. Browning (1958-1961) John F. Davis (1961-1970) E. Robert Seaver (1970-1972) Michael Rodak, Jr. (1972-1981) Alexander Stevas (1981-1985) Joseph F. Spaniol, Jr. (1985-1991) William Suter (1991- )

[edit] See also

• Court clerk
• Procedures of the Supreme Court of the United States.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• "Guide for prospective indigent petitioners for write of certiorari". Case handbook. Office of the Clerk of the Supreme Court of the United States. October 2005. http://www.supremecourtus.gov/casehand/guideforifpcases.pdf. Retrieved 2007-04-25.