Clerks serve an important role in the operation of the Tennessee court system, a role that is outlined generally in Title 18 of the Tennessee Code Annotated. Some of the clerks' duties include the following:

1. Attending each court session with all the papers for the cases on the docket;

2. Administering oaths to parties and witnesses who testify;

3. Keeping minutes of the court in a well-bound book or in an electronic format so long as certain

rules relating to the safekeeping of the records are followed;

4. Maintaining the rule docket and an execution docket in which all court judgments or decrees are

entered in order of rendition and all receipts and disbursements in a case are entered;

5. Maintaining indexes for all books and dockets that are kept by the office; and

6. Investing funds pursuant to T.C.A. § 18-5-105.

T.C.A. §§ 18-5-102, 18-1-105.

The clerk must reside in the county where the court is held and maintain an office in the county seat. T.C.A. § 18-1-102.

General sessions clerks have duties similar to other court clerks:

1. Retaining, preserving, and filing in order all papers in civil cases;

2. Transmitting papers when an appeal has been taken to circuit court; and

3. Keeping in a well-bound book a docket of all judgments and executions, or storing such information in an electronic format in accordance with rules for the safekeeping of these records.