Clarification from the agency

This position is in the federal judiciary, not the executive branch, and therefore is not subject to the executive orders and DOGE mandates that apply only to the executive branch.

The official court reporter is responsible for reporting verbatim testimony of court proceedings as specified by statute, rule, or order. The position requires the ability to read back any or all of the court record, to work well under pressure, and to timely produce transcripts of court proceedings consistent with the fee schedule of the Judicial Conference of the United States and the Court Reporter Management Plan.

Conditions of employment

Employees of the United States District Court are appointed in the excepted service, are considered "at-will" employees, and serve at the pleasure of the Court. All employees of the clerk's office are required to adhere to a Code of Conduct, copies of which are available upon request. All employees serve a one-year probationary period. As a condition of employment, the selected candidate must successfully complete a criminal background check and a check of financial and credit records. All offers of employment are provisional until a full suitability determination has been made. The Federal Financial Reform Act requires direct deposit of federal wages for Court employees. Applicants must be United States citizens or eligible to work in the United States. The United States District Court is a part of the judicial branch of the United States government. Although comparable to the executive branch (civil service) in salary, leave accrual, health benefits, life insurance benefits, and retirement benefits, generally court employees are not subject to the many statutory and regulatory provisions that govern civil service positions.

The selectee for this position is subject to a criminal record check and satisfactory adjudication by the employing office to be eligible for employment. Candidates will not be asked about their criminal history prior to receiving a tentative offer of employment. Candidates completing the AO-78 are not required to complete questions 18-20 regarding criminal history. Criminal history is not in itself disqualifying. All available information, past and present, favorable, and unfavorable, about the reliability and trustworthiness of an individual will be considered when making an employment suitability determination. Providing false and/or misleading information may be grounds for removal from the application and selection process as well as disciplinary action if discovered after an individual's date of hire.

Qualifications

MANDATORY QUALIFICATIONS:

• At least one year of prime court reporting experience as a freelance or in-court reporter (or a combination of the two);
• Qualified by testing for listing on the registry of professional reporters of the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) or passed an equivalent qualifying examination; and
• Skilled in the use of Computer Aided Transcription (CAT) equipment.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
Preference will be given to Registered Merit Reporters (RMR), Certified Realtime Reporters (CRR), and those with an equivalent certification. Salary is commensurate with skills certifications as outlined below.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

All applicants will be screened, and only the best qualified candidates will be invited for an interview. Interview and relocation expenses are not reimbursable.