Clerk of the Supreme Court of the Un-
ited States
United States of America
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The Clerk of the Supreme Court of the
United States is the officer of the Supreme
Court of the United States responsible for
overseeing
filings with
the Court and
maintaining its records.[1] The current Clerk
is William Suter, who has served since 1991.
History
The first Clerk was appointed on February 3,
1790, two days after the first of the court it-
self.[1] The position had been authorized by
Congress on September 24, 1789, with the
position’s purpose being to "enter and record
all the orders, decrees, judgments and pro-
ceedings of the said court."[2]
The Judicial Code (28 U.S.C. § 671)
provides that the Clerk is appointed, and may
be removed, by order of the Supreme Court.
The Clerk’s duties are prescribed by the stat-
ute and by Supreme Court Rule 1, and by the
Court’s customs and practices.
The Clerk of the Supreme Court is a court
clerk. His role and that of his deputies and
assistants should not be confused with the
Court’s law clerks, who assist the Justices by
conducting research, making recommenda-
tions on which cases to hear, and preparing
drafts of opinions.
The Clerk’s Office is responsible for main-
taining the dockets and records of the Court.
However, since approximately 1960, most of
the Court’s non-current case files and other
records have been placed in the custody of
the
National
Archives
and
Records
Administration.
The Clerk is one