POSITION: Calendar Clerk
SALARY: CL 25 ($56,386 - $91,688)
CLOSING DATE: August 10, 2026, or until filled
LOCATION: San Diego, California
VACANCY NO.: 26-30
Position Overview:
The United States District Court for the Southern District of California is accepting applications for the position of Calendar Clerk. As part of the Operations section, the Calendar Clerk will report to the Magistrate Judge Courtroom Deputy Supervisor. The incumbent provides calendar and docketing assistance for the Magistrate Courtroom Deputy Department and serves as a substitute courtroom deputy when a judge’s courtroom deputy is unavailable.
Representative Duties:
· Responsible for preparing the duty log/calendar for new complaints and assisting with associated paperwork.
· Assists with the entry of documents in the case management system.
· Enters pertinent case information to generate the criminal duty log/calendar for new complaints.
· Assists with the preparation of minute orders, abstract orders, bond conditions, and judgment and commitments; issues arrest warrants; and distributes minute orders and calendars (including completed calendars) to other agencies to inform them of what has occurred in court.
· Makes summary entries of documents and proceedings on the docket. This includes, but is not limited to pleadings, minutes, orders and judgments.
· Enters Speedy Trial Act data and related information into the database to ensure that all entries are in compliance with the requirements of the Speedy Trial Act.
· Manually distributes documents to individuals not served electronically by the system.
· Notifies CJA Panel attorneys of new appointments.
· Assists with covering CVB court and processing associated paperwork, when necessary.
· Files documents meeting requirements as needed.
· Manage judge’s caseload in the absence of the regularly assigned courtroom deputy. Calendar and regulate the movement of applicable cases. Monitor the filing of pertinent documents and timely responses to judicial orders. Set dates and times for hearings, trials, and conferences. Keep judge and immediate chambers staff informed of case progress or impending changes.
· Review information relating to pending cases to ensure all records and reference material are available for use by the judge and counsel.
· Attend court sessions and conferences. Assist with the orderly flow of proceedings, including setting up the courtroom, assuring presence of all necessary participants, assisting with the selection of juries, and managing exhibits.
· Take notes of proceedings and rulings and prepare minute entries. Prepare judgments and other orders for the judge’s review and signature.
· Other duties as assigned.
Qualifications:
To qualify for CL-25, the candidate must have a minimum of one year of specialized experience equivalent to work at CL-24.
To be placed above Step 1, an applicant must either possess job-related court-preferred skills or at least three years of specialized experience equivalent to the lower CL level.
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, banking and credit firms, educational institutions, social service organizations, insurance companies, real estate and title offices, corporate headquarters, human resources/payroll operations, or in a court in the judicial system.
Preferred Skills / Qualifications:
· A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
· Prior work experience in a legal environment.
Personal Characteristics:
The successful candidate should be a mature, dedicated, responsible, and poised individual who possesses tact, good judgment, initiative, a strong work ethic, and the ability to work well with chambers, counsel and Clerk’s Office staff. The candidate should be trustworthy and possess the ability to maintain strict confidentiality of sensitive information.
Required Clearances:
Successful applicants will be required to submit to a background clearance which includes fingerprinting and a credit check.
Benefits:
Salary is just one component of the comprehensive compensation package offered by the Federal Court. Federal court employees are eligible for a full range of benefits that include 13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid holidays per year, a flexible work schedule, immediate matching Thrift Savings Plan, pre-tax programs (health, dependent care and transportation), and insurance plans (i.e., health, life, disability, and long-term care), car-pooling options and a transportation subsidy.
Employer benefit contributions equate to no less than 33% of an employee’s total compensation. For more information about federal court benefits, please visit: www.uscourts.gov/careers/benefits.
How to Apply:
Qualified candidates must submit a cover letter, resume, a minimum of three references with contact information, and the AO-78 Application Form (available for download in the application portal). All application materials must be submitted here: CASD HR Application Portal. More information on career opportunities may also be found at www.casd.uscourts.gov.
Preference will be given to applicants who submit application materials
before 4:30pm on Wednesday, August 10, 2026.
Information for Applicants
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 Clerk of 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. Federal Civil Service classifications or regulations do not apply; however, court employees are entitled to substantially the same benefits as other Federal Government employees.
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.
If selected for first time appointment to a position, you may be required to complete an initial performance probationary period. Failure to successfully complete the probationary period may result in termination of employment.
The United States District Court is an equal opportunity employer
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $56,386.00 - $91,688.00 per year
Benefits:
- Dental insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Flexible schedule
- Flexible spending account
- Health insurance
- Health savings account
- Life insurance
- Loan forgiveness
- Paid jury duty
- Paid time off
- Parental leave
- Retirement plan
- Vision insurance
- Wellness program
Work Location: In person
