Every four years the voters of each county in North Carolina elect a Clerk of Superior Court. J. R. Rowell, a Union County native, was elected Clerk of Superior Court for Union County in November 2006. Mr. Rowell is a graduate of Gardner-Webb University where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Social Science with a minor in Criminal Justice. He also graduated from Pfeiffer University where he earned a Master of Science Degree in Organizational Management. Before being elected Clerk, Mr. Rowell served as a State Trooper with the North Carolina Highway Patrol from 1987 until 2006.
Unlike clerks of court in other states, the Clerk of Superior Court in North Carolina has numerous judicial functions. As judge of probate, the Clerk has exclusive original jurisdiction over matters relating to the probate of wills, and the administration of estates, including appointing personal representatives, auditing their accounting, and removing them from office if necessary. The Clerk also presides over many other legal matters including adoptions, incompetency proceedings, condemnation of private lands for public use, and foreclosures. The Clerk is responsible for all clerical and record-keeping functions of the district and superior court. In addition, the Clerk receives and disburses money collected each year from court fees and fines.
The Clerk's office is open from 8:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. The telephone number is (704) 296-4600, the fax number is (704) 289-1283. The Clerk's office is located in the Union County Judicial Center at 400 North Main Street in Monroe. The mailing address is P. O. Box 5038, Monroe, N.C. 28111-5038.
The Courthouse is closed for scheduled
Judicial Branch holidays.