We’ve looked at the office of Harris County Clerk (i.e. chief recordkeeper, marriage licenses, deeds, birth & death certificates, and even elections oversight in counties without an elections administrator). So what is the Harris County District Clerk?
County District Clerk
Like the county commissioners court, the office of county district clerk originates in Article V of the state constitution. In each of Texas’ 254 counties, county district clerks are elected to serve four-year terms.12
Marilyn Burgess serves her second term as Harris County District Clerk. Burgess was re-elected in November 2022.
Harris County District Clerk Marilyn Burgess courtesy of Houston Chronicle
Record-keeper
For people who don’t live and breathe county government, there is some confusing language around this (and many) positions depending on the county’s population and structure. Like the county clerk’s office, the county district clerk’s office also serves as record-keeper — for over 90 courts in Harris County:3
Memorandum from Harris County District Clerk’s Office - About the office
November 2023 Elections
The Harris County District Clerk’s office isn’t scheduled to have an election until 2026.
Nothing really for us to do as voters, aside from registering to vote!
Historical Context
So now that we know the county district clerk’s office is the record-keeper of so many courts in the county, it makes sense why they were in the news lately due to many, many cases being lost — including some from over twenty years ago. The county’s population and backlog make the volume of adminsitrative data unmanageable for a state with unprecedented population growth.4
Appendix: Sources
Texas Legislature Online - Texas Constitution Article V Judicial Department Section 9 Clerk of a District Court ↩
Texas Legislature Online - Government Code Title II Judicial Branch Subtitle D Subtitle D Judicial Personnel and Officials Chapter 51 Clerks Subchapter D District Clerks ↩
Texas Tribune — Texas courts struggle to resolve criminal appeals that got lost in Harris County for decades ↩