Magistrate Judge Courtroom Clerk

U.S. District Court - District of Arizona; Tucson (AZ); On-site; USD 60,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

The U.S. District Court - District of Arizona in Tucson seeks a full-time Magistrate Judge Courtroom Clerk. You will assist a U.S.

Magistrate Judge, manage calendars, record proceedings, draft orders, and support courtroom operations. The role requires strong organizational and writing skills and the ability to travel for hearings in multiple cities across the state. Open until filled with preference to applications by 10/23/2026.

Qualifications

• Minimum two years of specialized clerical or administrative experience applying rules and using automated software.
• Exceptional writing skills including grammar, punctuation, spelling, and proofreading.
• Experience with Adobe Acrobat, Word, Outlook and Windows.

Responsibilities

• Manage a judge's calendar and assist in court proceedings.
• Record minutes, prepare judgments, and draft orders for review.
• Set up recording equipment and ensure clear audio during proceedings.
• Monitor filings for compliance and review cases for action as needed.
• Attend courtroom duties for various judges and travel may be required.

Skills

Exceptional writing skills

Strong organizational skills

Courtroom experience

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Adobe Acrobat

Word

Outlook

Windows

Job description

POSITION OVERVIEW

The United States District Court for the District of Arizona is accepting applications from qualified candidates for a full-time Magistrate Judge Courtroom Clerk position to a U.S. Magistrate Judge. The position is located in the Clerk's Office in Tucson, Arizona. You must be a self-starter, extremely detail-oriented, and possess strong organizational and communication skills.

Open until filled with preference given to applications received by 10/23/2026.

• Manages a judge's caseload and provides courtroom and other assistance through management of court calendars, attending court proceedings, recording pertinent results for minutes and preparing judgments.
• Sets-up equipment to record court proceedings, ensures clear recording is acquired throughout the proceedings, maintains an automated log, and plays back portions of the proceedings as required.
• Monitors filings to ensure compliance with rules and procedures, and reviews cases or reports for necessary action.
• Drafts and prepares orders for the judge's review and makes entries on the court's electronic filing system.
• Attends to courtroom duties for district judges, magistrate judges, or visiting judges in the district as assigned by the Clerk of Court or his designee.
• May be required to work in excess of normal duty hours without additional compensation and must be able to attend court proceedings that go past the incumbent's normal work hours. Travel that requires overnight lodging may be required for attending court hearings and trials set in Phoenix, Yuma, Prescott, or Flagstaff, or any other location in the state that may be designated as a place of holding court.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Candidates must possess a minimum of two years of specialized experience, one year of which must be equivalent to work at the CL-25.

Specialized experience is defined as progressively responsible clerical or administrative experience requiring the regular and recurring application of clerical procedures that demonstrate the ability to apply a body of rules, regulations, directives, or laws and involve the routine use of specialized terminology and automated software and equipment for word processing, data entry or report generation. Such experience is commonly encountered in law firms, legal counsel offices, courts of general jurisdiction, and banking and credit firms.

The qualified applicant will possess exceptional writing skills to include excellent grammar, punctuation, spelling, and proofreading and skill in using applicable automated systems to include current versions of Adobe Acrobat, Word, Outlook and Windows.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Courtroom experience in a similar position.
• A bachelor's degree.
• Ability to meet and communicate effectively with a variety of people.
• Skill in using applicable automated systems.
• Experience which reflects the applicant's ability to work under pressure and deal with change.
• Experience with current versions of Adobe Acrobat, Word, Outlook, and Windows.
• Work experience that demonstrates the applicant's ability to successfully manage multiple priorities, work with limited supervision, and skill in dealing with others in person-to-person work relationships.

Applications and/or attachments received after the closing date may not be considered. The Court reserves the right to modify the conditions of this job announcement, or to withdraw the announcement, any of which may occur without prior written or other notice. In the event that a position becomes vacant in a similar classification, within a reasonable time of the original announcement, the court may elect to select a candidate from the applicants who responded to the original announcement without posting the position.

Only qualified applicants will be considered for this position. Employees of the U.S. District Court serve under "Excepted Appointments" and are considered "at will" employees (except for probation officers who may be removed for cause). Federal Civil Service classifications or regulations do not apply; however, court employees are entitled to substantially the same benefits as other Federal Government employees.

The initial appointment to this position is provisional pending the successful completion of the required background checks and/or investigations. The U.S. District Court is a drug-free workplace and the applicant selected will be required to participate in a drug screening test prior to employment.

All information provided by applicants is subject to verification and background investigation. Applicants are advised that false statements or omission of information on any application materials or the inability to meet the following conditions may be grounds for non-selection, withdrawal of an offer of employment or dismissal after being employed.

Participation in the interview process will be at the applicant's own expense and relocation expenses will not be provided.

The position is subject to the mandatory electronic fund transfer (EFT) participation for payment of net pay (i.e. Direct Deposit).

Non-citizens may be interviewed and considered for employment, but employment offers will only be made to individuals who qualify under one of the exceptions in 8 U.S.C. §1324b(a)(3)(B). In most cases, this means that an offer of employment cannot be made unless the candidate is a lawful permanent resident who is seeking U.S. citizenship as explained below. Under 8 U.S.C. §1324b(a)(3)(B), a lawful permanent resident seeking citizenship may not apply for citizenship until he or she has been a permanent resident for at least five years (three years if seeking naturalization as a spouse of a citizen), at which point he or she must apply for citizenship within six months of becoming eligible, and must complete the process within two years of applying (unless there is a delay caused by the processors of the application). Non-citizens who have not been permanent residents for five years will be required to execute an affidavit that they intend to apply for citizenship when they become eligible to do so.

The U.S. District Court, District of Arizona is an Equal Opportunity Employer