The Texas Constitution article 5 section 9 states that:

"There shall be a clerk for the District Court of each county, who shall be elected by the qualified voters for state and county officers, and who shall hold his office for four years, subject to removal by information, or by indictment of a grand jury, and conviction of a petit jury. In case of vacancy, the judge of the district court shall have the power to appoint a clerk, who shall hold until the office can be filled by election."

The District Clerk provides support staff for the District Courts and the County Courts at Law, and works with the Judges to obtain timely disposition of all court cases. The Clerk is Registrar, Recorder and Custodian of all documents that are part of criminal and civil actions.

The District Clerk receives documents for filing and processing in all court cases. The District Clerk maintains the official court records and must mark the exact date and time of receipt, issue papers during the life of a case and for many years after a case is final. Prepare the "docket" or calendar of hearings and trials; compile the court minutes; and prepare transcripts of proceedings for appeals and writs of habeas corpus.

Most court records are public information. The district clerk is responsible for managing records so that they are easily retrieved for public information; preserved for permanent storage in archives; and disposed of according to law.

The District Clerk is charged with the responsibility of collecting and disbursing court costs, fines and other fees that benefit twenty plus agencies at the state and local level in addition to child support payments, money placed in the court registry fund that is in dispute, money invested on behalf of minor children for safekeeping until age eighteen, and preparation of the operating budget for the office.

The District Clerk is responsible for gathering data and reporting to several state and local agencies such as the County Auditor, County Treasurer, Voter Registration, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Department of Public Safety, Attorney General, Supreme Court of Texas, Office of Court Administration and so on.

The District Clerk also acts as the officer in charge of the jury selection process to determine the number of potential jurors required to begin a trial; send summons to jurors; process jurors on trial day; and act as liaison between the jurors, courts and employers.