meet the man behind the robe

Judge Clayton Jones, Jr., has served Durham County for 20+ years.  Clayton Jones knows the needs of the Durham County District Court having served as assistant public defender, assistant district attorney and now as a District Court Judge.

He moved to Durham after he graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of South Carolina.  In 2000, Clayton Jones began the journey toward his legal career as a student at North Carolina Central School of Law.  Upon graduating he worked as a public defender for 15 years where he advocated to protect the constitutional rights of his clients as well as zealously defended those clients accused of crimes.  He served defendants accused of minor misdemeanors to serious felonies.  As an assistant public defender, Clayton Jones also advocated for youth charged with crimes in juvenile delinquency proceedings.  He saw the needs of his clients.  As he worked with his juvenile clients, he came to know that many of them were not "bad" kids but rather suffered with addiction. He saw that the addiction led to the "bad" behavior.  Therefore, he fought long and hard for his clients to receive the drug treatment they desperately needed.

In 2016, he accepted an opportunity to work in the District Attorney's office. Clayton Jones worked tirelessly alongside his colleagues to restore integrity to the office.  He served as the District Court Supervisor and managed a caseload of over 200 robberies and homicides.  He worked diligently to fight crime while ensuring quality and fairness in the cases he prosecuted. 

In 2019, Clayton was elected to his first term as District Cout Judge for Durham County. 

During my first term, Judge Jones was assigned primarily to family and civil court. He brought resolution to contested child custody cases while ensuring all parities rights in child matters were protected.   Judge Jones presides in juvenile delinquency, criminal, traffic, first appearance, involuntary commitments and bond forfeitures. 

In 2022, Judge Jones was elected to this second term as District Court Judge for Durham County and received the honor of being appointed Chief District Court Judge for the 16th Judicial District.  As chief district court judge, he implemented a continuous policy to efficiently move cases throughout district court.  With is assistance of the senior resident superior court judge, he oversaw the district court move from paper filing to electronic filing.  He created court scheduled for court coverage to include mental health courts and recovery courts.

Judge Jones is a Judge with a vision to show that he C.A.R.E.S about Durham.  His vision is to continue to bring

• Compassion,
• Accountability,
• Respect,
• Efficiency, and 
• Service to the citizens of Durham

He keeps this vision ever before him!