← Back to Shelby County, Tennessee: Election on 2026-08-06
Contest for Juvenile Court Clerk
County
general - Partisan - Juvenile Court Clerk
About this office
The Juvenile Court Clerk handles case records for the Shelby County Juvenile Court, which has jurisdiction over delinquency, dependency/neglect, child-support, and status-offense cases involving minors. The clerk's office screens detained juveniles, coordinates referrals for mental-health and substance-abuse evaluations, and manages records for the court's eight courtrooms at 616 Adams Avenue, Memphis.
Term length: 4 years.
This role calls for
- Maintains records of the Juvenile Court — which handles delinquency, dependency-and-neglect, and child-custody/support matters. Records are partially confidential under state law.
- Records management for the court served by this clerk's office, in conformity with Tennessee Rules of Civil/Criminal Procedure and the orders of the assigned judges.
- Working knowledge of the relevant 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
Janeen Gordon's biography shows nine years of tenure as Juvenile Court Clerk, supervising a staff of over ninety and managing court records for delinquency and dependency cases. In May 2024, she ordered an indefinite building closure after staff reported health concerns regarding mold, asbestos, and lead. Bio does not indicate prior experience in financial controls or specific knowledge of Tennessee civil procedure rules.
Teresa Maclin-Garvins currently serves as Juvenile Court Clerk for Shelby County, providing direct experience with court records and community coordination. Biography documents a 2023 non-jury divorce trial filed against her in Circuit Court. Bio does not indicate prior financial management of court funds or supervision of large clerical staffs.
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