The Circuit Court of the City of Roanoke is the City's court of general jurisdiction, established by the General Assembly of Virginia. Its primary mission is to provide an effective, efficient, fair and open forum for adjudication, under the law, of every sort of civil and criminal controversy that can be decided in the courts of the City of Roanoke.
The clerk of the circuit court is one of five constitutional officers elected by the citizens of Roanoke. In Virginia, the office dates from 1619. The Code of Virginia provides for over 800 responsibilities for the clerk of circuit court, but his or her chief responsibilities include serving as recorder of deeds, deciding certain issues of probate, issuing marriage licenses, creating court records, and certifying and archiving all records of the circuit courts and other records as provided by law. Roanoke's current clerk of circuit court, Brenda Hamilton, was elected in 2003.