New Hanover County Clerk of Superior Court
Jennie Thomason, Democratic challenger
Career: Attorney, social worker, and mom
Education: Juris Doctor (University of Louisville, Brandeis School of Law) and Bachelor of Social Work (NC State University)
Q: Why are you seeking to become New Hanover County’s Clerk of Courts?
A: As a native of New Hanover County, this isn’t just a place where I live and work: this is my home. I am a proud graduate of New Hanover County public schools, where my wonderful teachers inspired me to pursue a career in law and public service. My husband and I are raising my son in the same neighborhood where I grew up.
For the first time in 16 years, the people of New Hanover County have a choice for clerk of court on the ballot and I am the most qualified person for the job. A well-qualified clerk brings legal knowledge, sound judgment, judicial temperament, and strong administrative leadership to keep our courts legally compliant and running smoothly. As a working mom, attorney, social worker, victim advocate, and former magistrate judge, I am well-prepared to deliver a clerk’s office that is accessible, efficient, and accountable to everyone.
I am a licensed North Carolina attorney with strong judicial experience and a person-first mindset. With more than 30 years of public service experience, I’m prepared to manage demanding caseloads, meet strict deadlines, navigate complex and changing statutes, and make careful decisions under pressure. As a magistrate judge, I served the people of New Hanover County for over seven years. I worked days, nights, weekends, and holidays. Through snowstorms, hurricanes, and a global pandemic, I showed up for the people of New Hanover County. I am ready to bring that same level of discipline and commitment to the New Hanover County Clerk’s Office.
Our current clerk has not had an election challenge since 2010, and the people of New Hanover County deserve to have a choice in who serves as their clerk of court. An elected position is not a lifetime appointment, and having a job for a long time does not mean that you are the most qualified for that job. Experience alone is not enough. It must be coupled with education, integrity, transparency, knowledge, service, and innovation.
After 16 years, the voters of New Hanover County finally have the opportunity to evaluate my opponent’s job performance. A vote for me is a vote for the positive changes that we need in the New Hanover County Clerk’s Office.
The Office of the Clerk of Superior Court is the engine that keeps our local judicial system running, and I am excited about the opportunity to meet the ever-changing needs of our court system. It will be my honor to serve.
Q: What is your top campaign priority; why?
A: My top priority is to improve customer service by bringing a new level of professionalism, accessibility, and accountability to the clerk’s office. When I take office, I will end my opponent’s current policy of closing the clerk’s office daily for a one-hour lunch break. This policy does not demonstrate a commitment to customer service. All of the surrounding counties (including Pender, Brunswick, Onslow, and Duplin) keep their offices open to the public all day by staggering employee lunch schedules. The New Hanover County Clerk’s Office operated this way for years without issue. It is absolutely possible to balance the needs of staff members with the needs of the public.
And this daily closure is more than just an inconvenience. It creates a significant barrier to working people whose only opportunity to visit the clerk’s office is on their own lunch break. It creates a barrier for domestic violence victims who come to the clerk seeking the safety of a Domestic Violence Protective Order. It sends the message that access to the clerk’s office is limited by convenience of the clerk. Finally, it is a poor use of public resources. As a public servant (paid with taxpayer dollars), the elected clerk has a responsibility to provide public access to government services. A daily lunch closure that limits access to these services is a misuse of those dollars and is simply bad policy.
Q: What is the biggest challenge facing the office currently, and what steps will you take to help correct it?
A: I want to transform the culture of the clerk’s office to ensure that it is accessible and welcoming to everyone. From the staff behind the desks, to our neighbors that they serve, everyone deserves to be treated with respect and dignity by the clerk. A cultural shift begins with a commitment to excellent customer service while focusing on efficiency, accessibility and professionalism.
The clerk oversees, supervises, and trains more than 60 employees, setting the tone for the entire organization. As your clerk, I will be present and engaged with the public. I will set clear expectations for professional customer service. I will make sure that employees have the support, training, and resources they need to do their jobs well. I will strive to build a workplace where employees are proud of the work they do and are treated like the experienced professionals that they are. I will show up everyday to work with the public, to support my team members and to set the standard for excellent customer service.
This cultural shift will create a workplace culture where employees are valued, take pride in their work, and understand the difference they make in their community. That pride will be reflected in a welcoming and efficient office where everyone receives the highest level of service. Above all, accountability, transparency and professionalism from the elected clerk should set the tone for everyone working in the office. You can count on me to lead by example.
Q: While state law requires providing certain court records to the public, why is this important, and how will you ensure those records are returned in a timely manner?
A: Under NC law, the clerk must oversee responsible record keeping and promptly respond to records requests. Public access to court records is a vital component of a transparent and accountable clerk’s office. A timely response to record requests builds trust and fosters confidence in our court system.
In 2025, my opponent was sued by the American Civil Liberties Union for failing to respond to and fulfill a public records request. Of all 100 counties, only the New Hanover County Clerk’s Office failed to respond to the ACLU’s request for records.This case demonstrates why timely, responsive and transparent records management is such a critical part of the Clerk’s responsibilities. Having our clerk publicly sued for failing to perform one of her most important duties does not reflect positively on New Hanover County.
As your clerk of court, I will evaluate the current procedure for receiving and responding to records requests. Systems will be improved and streamlined to ensure that no request ever falls through the cracks again. Access to public records should never depend on who asks, how persistent they are, or whether they have the resources to take legal action to receive a response.
Q: How do you view the rollout and continuation of the state’s use of eCourts?
A: Change is never easy, but evolution and innovation is necessary to keep pace with our ever changing world. The adoption of electronic filing and the rollout of the eCourts system was an essential step in bringing the NC Judicial Branch into the 21st Century.
New Hanover County officially went live with eCourts in early 2025. As a magistrate judge, I was one of the earliest users of eCourts (eWarrants system) back in 2023. I communicated with both the software developers and judicial branch officials regularly to help identify
issues and offer solutions. I trained multiple new magistrates on the system and identified and addressed problems on a daily basis. By 2024, New Hanover County magistrates were using the expanded eCourts applications for nearly all of our processes, before anyone in the clerk’s office.
As a leader, the clerk of court had a responsibility to provide training for the community and to support the adoption of the new technology. In New Hanover County, the rollout was not handled effectively. There was rampant confusion among attorneys, community partners, and the general public as the rollout date approached. Training opportunities were sparse and ineffective. Most disappointing was my opponent’s apparent lack of interest in supporting the public through the rollout by failing to encourage community buy-in or offer adequate end-user support.
It is the clerk’s responsibility to support our court community in learning and adopting new technologies as they become available. As your clerk, I will offer expanded training on the eCourts system for members of the public, attorneys, and community partners. I will ensure that staff are prepared to assist new users, answer questions and troubleshoot solutions. Better understanding and utilization of eCourts will be a part of my commitment to a more accessible clerk’s office for everyone.
Q: A clerical error can create severe risk, whether it’s wrongful detention or delayed release. What quality-control measures will you put in place to eliminate mistakes?
A: Even in an electronic world, clerical errors will happen. But in our court system, clerical errors can have real world consequences for the person affected by them.
Every identified error is an opportunity to improve procedures and processes. As your clerk, I will oversee random quality control audits to identify frequent errors and make adjustments to prevent future errors. Processes and procedures will be reviewed regularly to find ways to minimize errors and the impacts they may have on peoples’ lives. Staff will be properly trained, supervised and supported so that errors are the exception and not the rule. And when errors do occur, it is critical that the clerk accepts responsibility and takes immediate corrective action. Accountability is the key to building and maintaining trust in our court system.
Q: Navigating the legal system can be overwhelming, especially if people aren’t hiring an attorney. What will you bring to the office to help the community maneuver filings?
A: With the rapidly rising cost of living and cuts to programs like Legal Aid by a short-sighted General Assembly, more people than ever are seeking to handle legal matters without the expense of hiring an attorney. As the entry point of our judicial system, the clerk’s office must rise to the challenge of these unprecedented times and provide service-focused and innovative ways to help people navigate our complicated system on their own. This begins and ends with better customer service.
While the clerk and the clerk’s office staff cannot give legal advice, they can absolutely advise about procedures and processes. They can provide and answer questions about legal forms and filings. They can take the time to patiently listen, answer questions, and help find solutions. As a practical matter, the clerk’s office should have “self-help” packets readily available with the required forms needed for common filings like divorce or child custody. And in the age of electronic filing (eCourts), it is critical that clerk’s office staff are prepared to offer assistance with the technology that may be a barrier to someone’s ability to help themselves.
Q: How do you envision collaboration between multiple systems and parties — judges, DA, civil, pro se litigants, community partners — in the courthouse? What steps would you take to strengthen court processes?
A: I am committed to working collaboratively with all stakeholders in our courthouse, including judges, the DA’s office, attorneys, law enforcement, court staff, pro se litigants, community agencies, nonprofit organizations, and the public. As a lifelong public servant, I have worked closely with these groups throughout my career. I understand how important open communication and positive, professional relationships are to the smooth operation of our court system.
As your clerk, I will focus on building these critical relationships, reducing unnecessary barriers, and improving access to clear and timely information. I will work to create and foster more meaningful partnerships with local nonprofits and agencies to better connect our neighbors with the resources and support they need.
My goal is to create a courthouse that is responsive to the public, efficient in its operations, and connected to the broader community. By listening to the people who rely on our courts and collaborating with our community partners, I will build a clerk’s office that is more accessible, more responsive, and truly centered on serving New Hanover County.
Q: The office is partisan, but what will you do to ensure politics stay out of the profession and its operations?
A: While the race to get the job is partisan, the job itself is anything but. The primary role of the clerk of court is to serve as an unbiased and independent judicial official. The clerk and the clerk’s office staff must treat everyone with the same level of service, dignity and respect. The clerk must guarantee that everyone (no matter who they voted for or where they fall on the political spectrum) receives equal access to justice. I will truly be a clerk for all of the people of New Hanover County.
When you go to the polls to select your next clerk of court, you do have a choice to make. Make sure you choose a candidate that shares your values and is the most qualified for the job. I believe in the constitutional principles of free and fair elections, accepting election results, due process of law, equal protection, and access to justice for everyone. And as an attorney with 20 years of experience in our local courts, including over seven years as a magistrate judge, I am the most qualified candidate on the ballot.
Q: What is one thing you wish the public knew about the role of this office?
A: Most people are surprised to learn that in North Carolina, the clerk of court is actually a judicial official. The clerk is the judge of probate, with original jurisdiction over many important matters, such as wills and estates, guardianship, adoptions, and foreclosures. In these matters, the clerk takes the bench, conducts hearings, hears evidence, and makes impartial decisions based on current law. That requires strong legal knowledge and sound judicial experience.
What’s even more surprising for many people is that despite these important judicial responsibilities, NC law does not require that the clerk of court be an attorney. Still, approximately 25% of NC counties currently have “attorney clerks” and that percentage will likely continue to rise as the responsibilities and complexities of the job increase.
Unlike my opponent, I am a licensed North Carolina attorney with both litigation and judicial experience. With my background in social work and victim advocacy, I will bring empathy and compassion while serving people as they navigate our often confusing justice system. As an attorney and former magistrate judge, I know how to conduct hearings, review evidence, and interpret and apply complex, ever-changing laws. And as a longtime public servant in New Hanover County, I’ve built strong relationships with our legal, law enforcement, judicial, and nonprofit communities.
As your next clerk of court, I will bring a deep understanding of the law, experience in our local legal system, a commitment to ethics, and a reputation for integrity and professionalism. The people of New Hanover County deserve a clerk of court with the education, experience and credentials to serve as judge of probate.