The concept of a Clerk of Court dates back to the medieval cleric. Clerics were responsible for issuing writs and other correspondence ordered by the court. In Ohio, the Clerk of Courts became a part of the state constitution in 1802 when the judicial system was put in place. In 1851 the Ohio Constitution called for a three-year elected term and was extended to four years in 1936. There is some consideration in this year 2000 that the Clerk's term be made to coincide with the judges' term.

The Clerk of Courts has many different responsibilities. There are more than 310 sections of the Ohio Revised Code dealing with duties of the County Clerk of Court. The Clerk administers all titled vehicles in the county through the TITLE DIVISION. In 1999, Ohio's 88 counties processed and certified 5.3 million titles. They also collected and disbursed more than $48 million in title fees and $875 million in tax dollars for the state of Ohio.

The Clerk of Courts administers the Title Department and Legal Department and serves as the county administrator for the County Court of Appeals. The Clerk is described as being the "keeper of the records" of the County Common Pleas Court and the Court of Appeals. The Clerk records all the paperwork filed through the court, administers the records on civil actions and felony cases and collects money for court costs. The Clerk is second only to the County Treasurer in the amount of money handled. Clerks have the authority to administer oaths, take and certify affidavits and depositions and administer acknowledgements of deeds, mortgages, and powers of attorney. They also handle notary public commissions and serve as the passport agent for Ohio and the federal government.

The Clerk's office deals directly with pro se litigants and common law filers and issues numerous arrest warrants each year.

Some clerks are referred to as "working clerks" while others fulfill roles which are more managerial (budget issues, employee management, data management) and then there are those such as Washington County's Clerk, Judy R. Van Dyk who is a "working clerk" and also managerial.

Our current Clerk, Judy R. Van Dyk, boasts a 19 year career of service to the public ranging from Tax Administrator for the City of Marietta, Ohio 1981 to the present position of Clerk of Courts, year 2000. Judy Van Dyk's experience in private enterprise and nine (9) years in banking gives her a strong background in business and finance.

Judy Van Dyk has an Associates Degree in Liberal Arts from Marietta College, Marietta, Ohio. She has completed courses at West Virginia University of Parkersburg, West Virginia, Washington State Community College and Mountain State Business College. She is currently completing work on a BA degree in Human Resource management at Wheeling Jesuit University. She has also attended, and hosted, a number of seminars.

Washington County Clerk, Judy R. Van Dyk serves on the County Records Commission, County Microfilm Board, Southern Ohio Domestic Violence Commission, and holds positions on several committees of the Ohio Clerk of Courts Association. Of all the 88 counties in the State of Ohio, Washington County is the fifth largest county boasting 641 square miles. The largest county is Ashtabula County at 709 square miles, the smallest county is Lake County at 232 square miles and the average size county is 465 square miles.