2024 Clerk of Courts Barnstable County
Clerk of Courts coordinate, schedule, attend, and keep records of court hearings and trials. They process all civil and criminal cases, file indictments, information, verdicts and appeals in the Supreme Judicial Court and Superior Court. In the county of Suffolk one clerk serves for the Supreme Judicial Court, two clerks for the superior court of the county, one for civil and one for criminal business. In each of the other counties a clerk of the courts acts as clerk of the supreme judicial court, of the superior court and of the county commissioners. Clerk of Courts serve six-year terms, and at the beginning of each year, they must present their book of records to a justice of the court.
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Susan Lynn Moran
(Dem)
What are the principal challenges facing Clerk of Courts?
What are your priorities, if elected?
What skills do you have that make you a good candidate for the Clerk of Courts?
What changes, if any, would you make as Clerk of Courts?
Campaign Phone
5085249819
In Massachusetts, the Clerk of Courts is just one of three elected judicial positions. The other two offices, the Sheriff and the District Attorney, work as a team alongside the Clerk of Courts to ensure that the county court systems operate efficiently and justly for the citizens, attorneys, and judges involved.
In 2022, Barnstable County voted for change in both the Sheriff’s office and the DA’s. Now, it’s time to do the same for the Clerk of Courts.
The key goals for the next Clerk of Courts are improving technology use in the courts, making the courts easier to navigate for users, and addressing how diversity, equity, and inclusion play a role in so many of the cases that come before the courts.
At the very beginning of my time in office, I will conduct an audit asking staff, consumers, and judges to identify needs in both people and technology resources. From there, I will work with the Superior Court Clerks to build a new state practice program that ensures up-to-date technology, which will improve secure and efficient handling of the court’s business.
I will also establish an organized data collection practice to examine how efficiently the courts are using taxpayer dollars.
Additionally, I plan to create a robust internship program with High School and Cape Cod Community College administrators so that our younger generation can gain an understanding of the judicial system.
The Clerk of Courts office requires someone who has a strong understanding of the court system and experience serving large constituencies of citizens. I spent decades as a trial attorney and in public service, including most recently as the State Senator for the Plymouth and Barnstable district. Before that, I served Capewide in the Assembly of Delegates and as Chair of the Barnstable County Economic Development Council.
Underlying my experience is a foundation of organizational skills, having run and advised businesses. I have the temperament of a mediator successful in problem solving. My background is one of building relationships at every level of government to achieve results for both the person and the system.
I have made it my life’s mission to serve others. For too long, the Clerk of Courts office has been an afterthought for people, despite its place as a cornerstone to the operation of a fair society. On top of the programming changes I outlined above, my overarching goal is to change the way people think about the office. Rather than a distant piece of the bureaucratic puzzle, I want to bring people together to advise how the office can better serve those it represents.
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