Closing the court or decreasing fines to pressure the city council to increase salary and benefits for court personnel is proper or improper for a clerk.

• A. P
• B. I
• C. True
• D. False

Answer: (B)

Clerks must stay neutral and not use court functions to press for policy or salary changes. Closing the court would deny the public access to justice and signal that court operations are being used as leverage, which is inappropriate. Decreasing fines to pressure the city council would weaponize penalties to gain a personnel benefit and undermine the fairness of the justice system. For these reasons, such actions are improper for a clerk.