The U. S. District and Bankruptcy Courts for the Southern District of Texas make up one of the largest and busiest districts among the country's 94 federal judicial districts. The district and bankruptcy courts, combined with the appellate courts and the Supreme Court, make up the judicial branch of the federal government. The Southern District of Texas consists of the following seven divisional offices: Brownsville, Corpus Christi, Galveston, Houston, Laredo, McAllen, and Victoria.
The United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas is seeking qualified applicants for its Judicial Support Specialist Program, which is a developmental program designed for individuals interested in a career with the federal judiciary. A fully certified Judicial Support Specialist (JSS) performs a variety of critical duties for the Court, including opening of cases; summarizing case events on the automated docket; assisting with the selection of juries; recording court proceedings electronically; certifying court records; ensuring data quality; and closing cases.
Total Compensation:
Starting salary depends on qualifications, experience, and locality pay area. Pay table may be viewed here:
In addition to the opportunity to serve your country in a rewarding public service position, the federal judiciary, the third branch of the federal government, provides a generous benefits package which, in addition to salary, is an important component of total compensation:
- Time off: 13 days of paid vacation for the first three years, increasing with service thereafter, 13 sick days accrued per year, 11 paid holidays.
- Federal pension plan.
- One percent automatic contribution and 5% employer-matching to the Thrift Savings Plan (similar to a 401K).
- Choice of a variety of employer-subsidized federal health and life insurance plans. Optional dental, vision, and long-term care coverage.
- Flexible spending account to pay out-of-pocket health care, dependent care, and commuter expenses with tax-free dollars.
- Eligibility for Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.
Employees are expected to assist customers with the use of publicly designated computer terminals and provide basic non-legal information to the public, bar, and the Court. Some limited cashiering duties associated with the collection of fines and fees as well as mail processing are required.
Employees are also expected to regularly perform duties in these areas:
- Electronic Court Recording Operator (ERO): Attends court hearings and produces a clear electronic recording and logs of the proceedings. Monitors and processes requests for transcripts and CDs of recorded hearings.
- Docketing: Makes summary entries of all documents and proceedings on the docket and closes cases upon receipt of terminating documents, such as judgments and closing orders.
- Intake: Receives, reviews, and files incoming documents; collects appropriate fees; verifies attorneys' authority to practice before the Court; and furnishes information to a wide variety of people within and outside of the Court.
- Jury: Assists in Jury Administration under direct supervision of Supervisor and/or Deputy-in-Charge on an as needed basis.
- Appeals: Receives documents pertaining to a variety of case types and refers them to appropriate personnel with minimum delay.
Applicants should be able to handle a large volume of work and possess the ability to multi-task, prioritize, and manage his/her own workload. Excellent customer service, communication, and organizational skills are also required.
Preference will be given to applicants who have a four-year college degree in related fields; experience and judgment with legal documents such as those that might be found in a law office or in another court of any jurisdiction, or prior paralegal experience.
Strong preference is given to candidates who have experience in both civil and criminal law.
Previous experience working with finance and procurement preferred. Internal Applicants- Please ensure that you inform your supervisor of your application to this position.
Applicants must be United States citizens or able to meet the citizenship requirements. Go to https://www.uscourts.gov/careers/search-judiciary-jobs/citizenship-requirements-employment-judiciary for more information on the citizenship requirement
Participation in the interview process is at the applicant's own expense. Applicants may be asked to take a proficiency test. The Court will only communicate with those qualified applicants who are selected for an interview. If you are not notified, another applicant was selected. Employees of the United States Courts are not included in the government's Civil Service classification. They are, however, entitled to the same benefits as other federal government employees.
Employees who work for the Court are considered "at-will" and work at the pleasure of the Court. As a condition of employment, successful applicants will be subject to a background check, credit check, and/or records check with law enforcement agencies. Also, this position is subject to mandatory electronic funds transfer participation for payment of net pay.
The Court reserves the right to modify the conditions of this announcement, withdraw the announcement, or fill the position at any time before the closing date, any of which may occur without prior written notice.