In the News...

Our "In the News" page is your central source for quick access to our key updates. It brings together our publications and newsletters all in one place, making it easy to follow our latest initiatives, service improvements, and community-focused work.

The Circuit (Public Newsletters of the Prince William County Circuit Court Clerk, Jacqueline C. Smith):

The Circuit (January 2026)
The Circuit (July 2025)
The Circuit (November 2024)

News & Publications:

Young artists honored at Manassas Law Day Ceremony (InsideNova.com)
May, 2026 — Jacqueline Smith, clerk of the 31st Judicial Circuit Court, hosted the sixth annual Law Day Award Ceremony May 1 at the Prince William County Old Manassas Courthouse, recognizing student artists from across the region. 

Young Artists Recognized at Circuit Court Clerk’s Annual Law Day Award Ceremony (Prince William Living)
May, 2026 — The event celebrated student artwork illustrating this year’s theme, “The Rule of Law and the American Dream.” Several young artists were recognized for their creativity and received awards for their submissions.

Circuit Court Clerk’s Seals on Wheels to Visit Local Libraries, Festivals, and Farmers Markets (Prince William Living)
April, 2026 — Seals on Wheels, the Circuit Court Clerk’s mobile service center, is returning to communities across Prince William County, Manassas, and Manassas Park. The first program of its kind in Virginia and the nation, Seals on Wheels was launched by Circuit Court Clerk Jacqueline C. Smith to bring essential services directly to residents at convenient times and locations.

Circuit Court Clerk’s 6th Annual Law Day Art Contest Open to Local Students (Prince William Living)
April, 2026 — Each May, legal professionals nationwide observe Law Day to promote public understanding of the rule of law and its importance in society. Clerk of Circuit Court Jacqueline C. Smith encourages students to reflect on the 6th Annual Law Day Art Contest theme and express their perspectives through their artwork.

19 couples say 'I do' at 'Seal the Deal' event in Occoquan (InsideNova.com)
Jan., 2026 — Nineteen local couples tied the knot at the Prince William Circuit Court Clerk Office's latest "Seal the Deal" wedding event.. The December event was organized by Circuit Court Clerk Jacqueline C. Smith in partnership with the town of Occoquan.

Seal the Deal: Circuit Court Clerk’s Winter Wedding Experience Set to Bring Romance to Occoquan (Prince William Living)
Nov., 2025 — This winter, couples are invited to let their love shine amid the charm and warmth of the Town of Occoquan. On Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, the Prince William County Circuit Court Clerk, Jacqueline C. Smith, in collaboration with the Town of Occoquan, will host the second Annual Seal the Deal, a signature civil wedding experience. Set along the backdrop of Occoquan’s historic streets and eclectic storefronts...

Seal the Deal: Tying the Knot in Occoquan! (Fox 5 DC)
July, 2025 — Tucker joins Jacqueline Smith of the Circuit Court to watch her officiate Charles and Gloria's wedding in Occoquan, VA!

PWC Circuit Court Clerk Launches New Property Alert Notification System (Prince William Living)
June, 2025 — The Prince William County Clerk of the Circuit Court, Jacqueline Smith, Esq., is now offering a Property Alert System to residents of Prince William County and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park.

Prince William County Circuit Court Clerk’s Seals on Wheels Returns (Prince William Living)
Mar., 2025 — Beginning on Saturday, March 29, 2025, Circuit Court Clerk Jacqueline C. Smith, Esq. will be bringing Seals on Wheels, a fully equipped mobile court services center, into communities within the greater Prince William County area.

Prince William County Circuit Court clerk receives Influential Women of Law Award (InsideNova.com)
Mar., 2025 — Prince William Clerk of Circuit Court Jacqueline Smith was named among the awardees of the Influential Women of Law Award at a ceremony hosted by Virginia Lawyers Weekly in February, according to a news release from the clerk's office.

Call for Art: Circuit Court Clerk Opens Annual Law Day Art Contest to Local Students (Prince William Living)
Feb., 2025 — The goal for the Clerk’s Law Day Art Contest is to provide an exciting and educational way for students to expand their understanding of justice within the framework of the Constitution while also encouraging civil discourse about the common good and the foundation of our democracy.

Prince William County's Circuit Court marries 20 couples during Valentine's Day Bash (7News - WJLA)
Feb., 2025 — Reporter's Notebook: The Prince William County Circuit Court Clerk's Office hosts about eight weddings every Friday. But on this Valentine’s Day, employees went several steps further by pulling out all the stops. On the day we celebrate love, twenty couples, one just about every 15 minutes, filed into a makeshift wedding venue at the Art Factory in Manassas...

A lovely day to say ‘I do’ (Prince William Times)
Feb., 2025 — County clerk marries 20 couples on Valentine’s Day. Frank Comer and Victoria Kelminsky, of Woodbridge, have been together for 12 years and are raising their two kids together. On Valentine’s Day, they sealed their relationship with formal vows...

Couples say 'I do' at annual Valentine's Day Bash in Manassas (InsideNova.com)
Feb., 2025 — Manassas residents Kimberly Jordan and Giovanni Hilaya Vargas could think of no better day to tie the knot than on their 13th anniversary as a couple, which happened to fall on the most romantic day of the year. 

PWC Circuit Court Clerk Selected as Recipient of the Influential Women of Law Award (Prince William Living)
Feb., 2025 — The Clerk of the Circuit Court, Jacqueline Smith, Esq., was named among the awardees of the prestigious Influential Women of Law Award at a ceremony hosted by Virginia Lawyers Weekly on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025. According to Lawyers Weekly, honorees of the award “are inspiring and accomplished leaders, serve as mentors to others, and contribute significant time and effort to volunteerism, pro bono initiatives, or both.”

VLW names Influential Women of Law, Circle of Excellence (Virginia Lawyers Weekly)
Jan., 2025 — Virginia Lawyers Weekly is excited to announce the lawyers selected as the Class of 2025 Influential Women of Law and the Circle of Excellence honorees.

Calling all lovebirds: 'Seal the Deal' in Occoquan this holiday season (InsideNova.com)
Oct., 2024 — Local lovebirds can celebrate their relationship in a unique and intimate setting in Occoquan this holiday season. On Dec. 13, Prince William County Circuit Court Clerk Jacqueline Smith, in collaboration with the town of Occoquan, will host “Seal the Deal,” a special event for civil celebrant weddings and vow renewals.

Library of Virginia grants help fund Prince William historical preservation (InsideNova.com)
Sep., 2024 — Civil War-era court minute records and other surviving documents from colonial times are among the Prince William County historical records to be preserved under two new grants from the Library of Virginia’s Circuit Court Records Preservation program, according to a county news release.

Circuit Court Clerk Set to Roll Out Self-Service Kiosks at Prince William County Libraries (Prince William Living)
Feb., 2024 — “Libraries offer a space where our residents can gather information and spend time. Having kiosks available in easily accessible spaces throughout the jurisdiction makes it easy for our residents to receive court and government services at a time convenient for them,” said Clerk Smith.

IN PHOTOS: Love Was in the Air at the Prince William Circuit Court Clerk's Annual Valentine's Day Bash (InsideNova.com)
Feb., 2024 — Twenty-five couples said “I do” this Valentine’s Day at the Circuit Court Clerk’s 6th Annual Valentine’s Day Bash in Manassas. Jacqueline Smith, the Prince William County Circuit Court clerk, officiated the ceremonies. Couples exchanged vows surrounded by friends and family at the ARTFactory, a contemporary art hub located in the refurbished historic Hopkins Candy Factory building in downtown Manassas.

Clerk of Circuit Court Language Interpretation Services and Historical Online Portal – Deeds (Prince William Living)
Oct., 2023 — The Circuit Court for Prince William, Manassas, and Manassas Park has announced the availability of language interpretation services and a historical online portal for deeds.

Circuit Court Clerk Upgrades Format Design for Concealed Handgun Permits (Prince William Living)
Sep., 2023 — The Clerk of the Circuit Court, Jacqueline Smith, is offering a new hard card design replacement of paper concealed handgun permits. As a part of Circuit Court Clerk Smith’s initiatives to make services convenient and efficient for residents, she is providing plastic hard cards in lieu of paper concealed handgun permits (CHPs). The upgraded hard card is secure, durable, and free.

Prince William Clerk of Circuit Court brings services to the streets (WUSA9)
Sep., 2023 — On select Saturdays, residents can file marriage license applications, notary applications, concealed handgun permits, and more through the mobile service center.

Prince William Circuit Court launches 'Seals on Wheels' mobile services (InsideNova.com)
Sep., 2023 — The Prince William County Circuit Court recently opened a mobile office out of a vehicle that visits communities across the county on weekends to bring services directly to residents.

Prince William Launches DIY Court Services with New Self-Serve Kiosks (Northern Virginia Magazine)
Aug., 2023 — New self-serve kiosks at Prince William County’s two government buildings now offer easier access to government and court services.

Circuit Court Clerk Opens Self-Service Kiosks at Prince William County Administrative Buildings (Prince William Living)
Aug., 2023 — Circuit Court Clerk’s Office self-service kiosks are now available to the public at Prince William County government buildings. The Circuit Court Clerk, Jacqueline Smith, has partnered with several Prince William County agencies to provide the public with self-service kiosks in the McCoart and Ferlazzo buildings in Woodbridge. The program is 100% funded by Virginia Technology grants.

‘Actual blackmail:’ How Prince William’s stolen founding-era deeds — thought lost to history — were recovered (InsideNova.com)
July, 2023 — Two of Prince William County’s earliest records were recently returned to the clerk of the Circuit Court after being stolen from a courthouse in Brentsville during the Civil War and withheld from the county by a northeastern book dealer in the early 20th Century.

Stolen historical records return to Prince William County after 300 years, officials say (FOX 5 DC)
June, 2023 — Two of Prince William County’s earliest documents were returned to the Clerk of the Circuit Court Friday after nearly 300 years. 

300 years later, stolen records returned to Virginia courthouse (WUSA9)
June, 2023 — Two of Prince William County's earliest records were returned to the to the circuit court clerk after nearly 300 years. Both documents were taken from the courthouse during the Civil War and returned to Virginia during the mid-20th century.

Circuit Court Clerk Brings Services to Constituents on Saturdays (Prince William Living)
May, 2023 — Jacqueline C. Smith, Esq., Clerk of the Circuit Court, is bringing her services to the streets. Clerk Smith is launching her latest outreach initiative, “Seals on Wheels,” a fully mobile service center to make the Clerk’s services even more accessible and convenient to her constituents.

Prince William Clerk of Circuit Court launches new portal for historical records (InsideNova.com)
Apr., 2023 — The historic documents of Prince William, Manassas and Manassas Park are now available online as part of an effort by Circuit Court Clerk Jacqueline C. Smith to provide constituents greater access to the local historical archives dating back to Colonial times, according to a county news release.

Prince William County's historical court documents now online (Prince William Times)
March, 2023 — Thanks to an eight-year effort by the Prince William County Clerk's office and dozens of volunteers, several local historical court documents dating back to colonial times are now accessible online.

Prince William County clerk's office to hold 5th Annual Valentine's Day Wedding Bash (Prince William Times)
Feb., 2023 — “It’s a happy day for so many people,” Smith said about the event, to be held at 9329 Main St. from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. “We look forward to Valentine’s Day all year, and the old church is such a charming place for weddings.”

Get hitched with Prince William's clerk of the court this Valentine's Day (InsideNova.com)
Jan., 2023 — Jacqueline Smith, the Prince William County Circuit Court Clerk, will host the 5th Annual Valentine’s Day Wedding Bash on Tuesday, Feb. 14 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Three Monkeys Pub & Chophouse, located in downtown Manassas.

Prince William County Circuit Court Clerk Case Study (Advanced Kiosks)
June, 2022 — The Prince William County court system in Virginia is home to over 470,000 residents, many of whom face an increasingly common problem in counties across the United States – lack of convenient access to government services.

Prince William Clerk of the Court hosting Valentine's Day wedding event (InsideNova.com)
Feb., 2022 — Love is in the air as the Prince William County Circuit Court Clerk’s Office plans for its 4th Annual Valentine’s Day Wedding and Vow Renewal event on Monday, Feb. 14.