Clarification from the agency

Applicants must be a citizen of the United States or eligible to work in the United States.

Duties include, but are not limited to, the following:

• An official court reporter will cover court proceedings as assigned for active and senior district judges, which includes providing a realtime feed to the court.
• Attending and recording verbatim all proceedings as directed by the court; reading back all or any portion of the court record; reviewing the court calendar and noting the appearance of attorneys, witnesses, and the proper spelling of their names; producing transcripts within strict time limitations; billing, delivering, and/or mailing official transcripts prepared; certifying and filing with the Clerk of Court original records and a copy of transcripts prepared; covering other courts as needed.
• Incumbents will provide transcripts within the time and cost limitations set by the Judicial Conference and will concurrently electronically file with the Clerk of Court a copy of all transcripts prepared.
• Must work well under pressure, including extended court and transcription production hours within strict time limitations.
• Work as part of a team of reporters.
• Perform administrative duties as required, such as billing for transcripts, financial reports, and responding to official correspondence and telephone calls.
• Travel to Lincoln or North Platte may be required.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Conditions of employment

• Applicants must be a citizen of the United States or eligible to work in the United States. To review citizenship requirements for employment in the Judiciary, please visit http://www.uscourts.gov.
• The final candidate will be subject to a background security check after a conditional offer of employment has been extended and accepted.
• Applicants will not be asked about their criminal history prior to receiving a tentative offer of employment. Applicants completing the AO 78 Application for Judicial Branch Employment are not required to complete questions 18 through 20 regarding criminal history. Criminal history is not in itself disqualifying.
• 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. All application information is subject to verification.
• Employment will be provisional and contingent upon the satisfactory completion of the required background investigation.
• Employees are subject to mandatory electronic funds transfer.
• Except for probation officers, employees are considered "at will."
• Employees are required to adhere to the Code of Conduct for Judicial Employees.

Qualifications

Qualifications must be met at the time of the application.

Only applicants meeting the following will be considered:

• One (1) year of prime stenographic court reporting experience in the freelance field of service, in other courts, or a combination thereof (e.g., depositions, adversary proceedings before a presiding official, grand jury proceedings);
• Successful completion of the Registered Professional Reporter (RPR) exam of the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA);
• Realtime certification is preferred; special consideration will be extended to reporters who possess a Registered Merit Reporter (RMR) or Registered Diplomate Reporter (RDR) certification;
• Skilled in the use of computer-aided transcription equipment (CAT);
• Possess and provide all necessary personal equipment and software, including up-to-date software and hardware used to produce realtime translations;
• Must possess strong organizational skills and excellent communication skills to permit the production of transcripts within strict time limitations, work well under pressure, and be willing to work as part of a team of court reporters under the direction of the Chief Deputy Clerk in fulfilling the needs of all judicial officers of the court. The candidate must possess tact, judgment, poise, initiative, always maintain a professional appearance and demeanor, strong team orientation, and customer service skills.

• Level 1: $95,454, minimum requirement.
• Level 2: $100,227 ($95,454 plus 5%), requires RMR certification.
• Level 3: $105,000 ($95,454 plus 10%), requires real-time certification.
• Level 4: $109,772 ($95,454 plus 15%), requires RMR and real-time certifications.
• Level 5: $115,545 ($95,454 plus 20%), requires RMR and real-time certifications, and longevity; current Federal Judiciary Court Reporters hired before October 11, 2009, only.

How you will be evaluated

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

We will review your resume and supporting documents to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. We will evaluate each applicant who meets the basic qualifications on the information provided and evaluate your relevant professional and work experiences as it relates to fundamental competencies, identified in the Qualifications section above, required for this position.

1. Cover letter
2. Resume
3. Application Form AO-78 (all sections must be completed)
4. Contact information for three professional references

Next steps