← Back to Carter County, Tennessee: Election on 2026-08-06
Contest for Circuit Court Clerk
general - Partisan - Circuit Court Clerk
About this office
The circuit court clerk keeps the records of the circuit court — and often the criminal and general-sessions courts — managing case files, collecting court costs and fines, and handling jury administration under the court's deadlines.
Term length: 4 years.
This role calls for
- Maintains records of the Circuit Court (general civil and criminal trial court); in many counties also responsible for jury management.
- Records management in conformity with the Tennessee Rules of Civil/Criminal Procedure and the orders of the assigned judges.
- Working knowledge of the court's docket, fee schedule, and pleading requirements.
- Financial controls for collecting and disbursing court costs, fines, restitution, bonds, and trust funds — with public accountability.
- Supervision of a clerical staff handling high case volume and frequent statutory deadlines.
- Administrative reliability — the office's filings are legally binding and its records are evidence.
Derived from the office's statutory duties and operational reality. Candidate summaries below map each candidate's documented experience to these requirements.
Campaigns
Johnny Blankenship's biography shows current service as Carter County Circuit Court Clerk, indicating familiarity with court records, docket management, and financial controls for fees and fines. He has supervised clerical staff handling case volume and statutory deadlines while maintaining administrative reliability for legally binding filings. The biography does not indicate prior experience in jury management or specific training regarding Tennessee Rules of Civil Procedure.
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