2024 Clerk of Courts Suffolk County- Supreme Judicial
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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Allison S. Cartwright
(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
857-220-8782
Most people don’t know about the office or know why it exists. The office is a bridge to the Supreme Judicial Court. Where you can’t hold judges accountable you can hold the Clerk accountable. Transparency would be the best way to tackle both of these issues. I want to create a series of workshops on our court system and how to access it and learn from everyday people what barriers they face. I also think language access is critically necessary and in need of improvement. I would make sure our websites are translated and push for our courts to improve the amount of translators we have available, so that every defendant can fully understand the court's proceedings while they face the potential loss of their liberty.
1. That our state’s highest court is run effectively and efficiently because someone with decades of courtroom and case experience should be the Clerk.
2. That the SJC is open and accessible. I would implement regular meetings of a commission of community members to ensure that I stay aware of ongoing issues with court access at the resident-level. These meetings would be multilingual. Additionally, I would make sure our websites are translated.
3. I would work to ensure a more diverse range of voices are taken into account in decision making, but also that we see more diversity throughout our court system. I will be pushing for more outreach to law schools to create a diverse pipeline for law clerk positions.
I have nearly 32 years of legal experience. I launched my legal career with the Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS – the state’s public defender agency). I then served the City of Boston as Assistant Corporation Counsel, and then entered private practice. As a public defender and a private practice attorney, I represented clients in courts in Suffolk County, including District, Superior, Probate & Family, & Juvenile. I have tried hundreds of cases before judges and juries. I returned to CPCS in 2019 to become the Attorney In Charge of the Roxbury Defenders, and was later promoted to Managing Director of the Public Defender Division’s Central Region where I currently manage offices in Suffolk and Norfolk overseeing 70-80 staff.
I will bring a public defender’s perspective to the court. Immediately I would see accessing the court through a poor defendant’s perspective. I would create a commission of community members that meet regularly and that speak to the judges about their experiences in the courts. These meetings will be multilingual.
Although judges need to be neutral, they can still be accessible. It is critical for judges and court employees to see the communities they serve beyond the courtroom. I also will be pushing for more outreach to law schools to create a diverse pipeline for law clerk positions. Additionally, I would focus on expanding the court's translation services, ensuring the court is understood by everyone, and avoiding unnecessary delay.
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