January 22, 07

NEWS / Area prothonotary experiences rise in caseloads at her office

WELLSBORO ??” The workload for the Tioga County Prothonotary??™s office is on the rise, according to Mary Kay Clark, prothonotary and clerk of courts.

Clark said from 2002 until last year, caseloads have risen steadily, with some increasing more than others.

For instance, civil cases have increased from 1,158 in 2002 to 1,211 last year. In between, during 2003, 2004 and 2005, the numbers fluctuated between 1,088 in 2003, up to 1,175 in 2004 and down again to 1,064 in 2005.

Mortgage foreclosures have tripled to 69 in 2006 from 26 in 2002. In 2005 there were 52 mortgage foreclosures in the county, she said.

Divorces have remained steady, changing little since 2002.

According to Clark, there were 177 divorces in 2006, down from 2005??™s total of 175. In 2002, there were 177 divorces finalized.

The number of people filing for divorce decreased last year, with 174, down from 183 in 2005.

Protection from Abuse orders also have decreased since 2002, from 66 to 34 last year.

Criminal cases are up slightly from 2005, when there were 445, to 449 in 2006. Part of the criminal division is summary appeals and miscellaneous criminal. The summary appeals filed in 2006 numbered 41, lower than the previous year??™s total of 105. The miscellaneous criminal filings for 2006 were 108, down from 173 in 2005.

Passport applications also are on the increase, with 667 in 2006, compared with 380 in 2002 due to new passport regulations. Beginning Jan. 23, all air travelers, including Americans, entering the U.S. from Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean (excluding Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands) must show a passport. Land and sea travelers coming from those areas likely will need passports by 2008, although exact dates have not been set.

An elected official, Clark has been the Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts since Jan. 2, 2006. Previously, she was deputy for 23 years before running for her post when Darlene Webster retired in 2005. It is a four-year term.

The word prothonotary comes from the Latin meaning ???first notary.??? It dates back to Ecclesiastical Law as the highest administrator of the Court of Rome and the First Notary, known as the prelate of a body of 12 notaries. When a case was ready for trial, the prothonotary would notify the judges to appear in court to try the case.

Later, when the English court system was established, the prothonotary acted as the chief administrator in the courts of the King??™s Bench and Common Pleas.

When the American court system was set up, the same procedure was adopted, although only the older New England states and Pennsylvania still have prothonotaries.

Most of the other states have a clerk of the common pleas court.

The prothonotary??™s office collects filing fees for services rendered and turns them over to the county and state, making it a self-supporting office at no cost to taxpayers.

For more information visit www.tiogacountypa.us.
By CHERYL R. CLARKE cclarke@sungazette.com


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