Duties
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.
Requirements
Conditions of employment
- Applicants must be United States citizens or eligible to work in the United States.
- 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 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.
- The Federal Financial Reform Act requires direct deposit of federal wages for Court employees.
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.
SALARY:
The appointee shall receive the salary for court reporters set by the Judicial Conference of the United States, plus authorized transcript fees.
- CR Level 1 Starting Salary, $100,942 per annum
- CR Level 2 Merit Certification, $105,989 per annum
- CR Level 3 Realtime Certification, $111,036 per annum
- CR Level 4 Merit and Realtime Certification, $116,083 per annum
Education
At a minimum, candidates must possess a high school diploma or equivalent.
Additional information
- The tour of duty is 8 hours per day, 8:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m., except as otherwise directed.
- Official court reporters are subject to the policies and procedures of the Judicial Conference of the United States and the Northern District of Georgia.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
- Accrual of paid vacation and sick leave days, based on length of service.
- Eleven paid holidays during the year.
- Pre-tax benefit programs (health, dental, and vision insurance; flexible spending accounts; parking, reimbursement).
- Available group life insurance.
- Telework (for qualified employees).
- Public transportation subsidy.
- Participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS).
- Thrift Savings Plan (with employer matching a percentage of employee's contribution).
Review our benefits
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, educational, and work experiences as it relates to fundamental competencies, identified in the Qualifications section above, required for this position.