Criminal Court Clerk

Criminal Court Clerk

Criminal court clerks perform administrative duties for the operation of the General Sessions and State Trial Criminal Courts, assisting other officers of the court as well as judges and lawyers.

The largest part of a court clerk’s job is handling court records. They process legal documents, schedule cases and hearings, audit files for accuracy, and ensure consistent records are kept at all times. Clerks handle payments for fees, fines, and court costs and should perform a level of customer service when dealing with the public. They maintain court records, administer oaths to witnesses and jurors, and authenticate copies of the court’s orders and judgments with the court’s seal.

During trials, a court clerk will take on a secondary set of duties. Clerks maintain court calendars and handle and assemble documents such as subpoenas, judicial orders, writs, injunctions, and judgments. Clerks review briefs, motions, and lawsuits submitted to the court to ensure they are accurate

HOWARD GENTRY

Seventy-year-old incumbent Howard Gentry is a veteran of Nashville political and professional circles. He earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Education from Tennessee State University, where he served in various positions over 15 years, including Director of Athletics and Executive Director of the TSU Foundation. He was appointed to his current position of Criminal Court Clerk in 2011, where he has implemented systematic changes to streamline efficiency of the court and facilitate access to public records.

The Sentencing Project places Tennessee No. 2 in the nation for the number of voting age residents unable to vote because of a felony conviction, and Gentry’s office has worked to restore the voting rights of felons.

Gentry served as a Metro Council member-at-large and was elected Vice Mayor in 1999 and 2003; he is Nashville’s first African-American Vice Mayor. Other civic engagements include former Board positions on the Metro Homelessness Commission, 100 Black Men of Middle Tennessee, Alliance for Public Education, Nashville Poverty Reduction Council, NAACP, and more.