{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"TOM \"TJ\" JONES","chatgptsummary":"Tom \"TJ\" Jones currently serves as the incumbent Circuit Court Clerk for Dyer County, demonstrating direct experience in maintaining court records, managing jury duties, and supervising clerical staff within Tennessee's 29th Judicial District. His tenure involves handling docket management, fee collection, and financial controls for court costs under state rules. The biography contains no record of disciplinary action or controversy. Bio does not indicate prior administrative leadership experience outside the clerk's office or specific legal training experience.","notes":null,"party":"I","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nTom \"TJ\" Jones is the incumbent Dyer County Circuit Court Clerk and is running for re-election as an Independent in the August 6, 2026 county general election, challenged by Republican nominee Lara Jo Gorman [1][4].\n\n## Office history\nJones currently serves as Circuit Court Clerk for Dyer County, in Tennessee's 29th Judicial District; his current term ends in August 2026 [1][2][3].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Dyer County Elected Officials](https://www.dyercounty.com/elected-officials) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[2] [T.J. Jones - Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts](https://www.tncourts.gov/courts/state-court-clerks/clerks/t-j-jones) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[3] [Circuit Court Clerk (T.J. Jones) - UT County Technical Assistance Service](https://www.ctas.tennessee.edu/official/tj-jones) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[4] [Next Election Info | Dyer County, TN](https://www.dyercounty.com/next-election) - accessed 2026-07-23","firstname":"TOM","lastname":"JONES","middlename":"\"TJ\"","suffix":null,"token":"mtpVJWBMiF"},"token":"tom_tj_jones"},{"candidatename":"LARA JO GORMAN","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"R","person":{"biography":null,"firstname":"LARA","lastname":"GORMAN","middlename":"JO","suffix":null,"token":"aqOZsGaWa6"},"token":"lara_jo_gorman"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":"circuit_court_clerk","o.office":null,"office":"circuit_court_clerk","officedescription":"The circuit court clerk keeps the records of the circuit court \u2014 and often the criminal and general-sessions courts \u2014 managing case files, collecting court costs and fines, and handling jury administration under the court's deadlines.","officequalities":"- Maintains records of the Circuit Court (general civil and criminal trial court); in many counties also responsible for jury management.\n- Records management in conformity with the Tennessee Rules of Civil/Criminal Procedure and the orders of the assigned judges.\n- Working knowledge of the court's docket, fee schedule, and pleading requirements.\n- Financial controls for collecting and disbursing court costs, fines, restitution, bonds, and trust funds \u2014 with public accountability.\n- Supervision of a clerical staff handling high case volume and frequent statutory deadlines.\n- Administrative reliability \u2014 the office's filings are legally binding and its records are evidence.","officeterm":4,"officetitle":"Circuit Court Clerk","partisan":1,"pgr":"general","quantity":1,"referendum":null,"source":{"retrieved_at":"2026-07-21","title":"Dyer County, TN \u2014 August 6, 2026 Sample Ballot","url":"https://files.elfsightcdn.com/eafe4a4d-3436-495d-b748-5bdce62d911d/231ab3db-b3b5-4de8-a358-6b12acd12a71/Dyer-PG26-Newspaper-Ballot.pdf"},"title":"Circuit Court Clerk"}