Clerk of the Court

General Duties

MARYLAND COURTS AND JUDICIAL PROCEEDINGS Code Ann. § 2-201 delineates the general duties of the Clerk of a Maryland court as follows:

1. Have custody of the books, records, and papers of the office.
2. Make proper legible entries of all proceedings of the court and keep them in well-bound books or other permanent form.
3. When requested in writing to do so, record any paper filed with his/her office and required by law to be recorded in the appropriate place, whether or not the title to land is involved.
4. Unless prohibited by law or order of the court, provide copies of records or papers in his/her custody to a person requesting a copy, under the seal of the court if required.
5. Issue all writs which may legally be issued from the court.
6. Deliver a full statement of the costs of a suit to a party requesting a copy.
7. Receive all books, documents, public letters, and packages sent to him/her pursuant to law, and carefully dispose of them as the law requires.
8. Administer an oath.
9. Replace worn books and records with new ones.
10. In conjunction with the Motor Vehicle Administrator, establish uniform procedures for reporting both traffic cases and criminal cases involving a motor vehicle in the Circuit Court to the Motor Vehicle Administration.
11. Perform any other duty required by law or rule.

Biography of Barbara H. Meiklejohn, Clerk of the Court

Barbara Meiklejohn was elected as the Clerk of Montgomery County Circuit Court in 2014. She took office on December 1, 2014 and brought with her over 39 years of experience with the judiciary.

As Clerk of the Circuit Court, Ms. Meiklejohn has served on many committees statewide to benefit the Maryland Court system and Montgomery County residents. Ms. Meiklejohn is a member of the Conference of Circuit Court Clerks and the Maryland Circuit Court Clerks' Association, and she is also an active member of the Mid-Atlantic Association of Court Management (MAACM). Ms. Meiklejohn is currently serving on the Non-Case Record Technology Subcommittee, the Expungement workgroup, the Juvenile Law Subcommittee, Court Forms Subcommittee, the Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) workgroup, and the GEARS/CONNECT Change Management Committee.

Her commitment of service to the Judiciary as a whole has earned her the respect of colleagues and other leaders in the Maryland Courts. Ms. Meiklejohn’s priority has always been to the citizens of Montgomery County. Her goal is to ensure that her office provides accurate and knowledgeable information in a prompt, professional, and courteous manner.

Ms. Meiklejohn is a lifelong resident of Montgomery County. She has two children: a daughter and son. Ms. Meiklejohn resides in Clarksburg with her husband of 35 years.