Official Court Reporter

Priority Consideration Date: June 23, 2025

Whether you're starting or continuing a career in public service, the U.S. District Court offers a compelling opportunity: strong compensation and benefits, a schedule that supports work-life balance, and the chance to collaborate with dedicated professionals committed to the vital mission of delivering justice efficiently and effectively.

We are one of the busiest and most high-profile federal courts in the country. As an official court reporter working remotely, you’ll cover a wide range of matters, including some of the most significant and high-profile cases in the country—ranging from Silicon Valley tech disputes and biotech innovations to complex criminal trials and landmark civil rights litigation.

Remote court reporters receive a federal salary, full benefits, and significant transcript income—averaging $36,000 in 2024—all while contributing to work that makes a difference.

Occasional travel to the San Francisco Bay Area is required. For ease of travel, we prefer candidates located near major airports with frequent, direct flights to the Bay Area.

Responsibilities include:

• Working as part of a team of reporters for the judges of the court.
• Primarily remotely, reporting verbatim court proceedings and creating audio recordings of certain criminal proceedings, and reading back the record.
• Troubleshooting and collaborating on technology issues related to remote reporting, including Zoom audio/video and Realtime functionality.
• Producing transcripts at a high volume, including expedited and daily transcripts.
• Uploading shorthand notes, audio recordings, transcripts, reports and other documents.
• Transcribing digital audio records.
• Adhering to all requirements of the Court Reporter Management Plan and the Guide to Judiciary Policy.
• Performing administrative duties as assigned.

Court Reporter salary levels are based on locality pay rates where the reporter resides, hire date, and years of service and certifications.

• Level 1 must have at least one year of court reporting experience (freelance, courts or a combination); RPR (or equivalent); and excellent Realtime skills. (Those hired without Realtime certification must pass the test within two years.) 
• Level 2 additionally requires Registered Merit Reporter (RMR) certification and ability to provide Realtime writing in the courtroom (must become Realtime certified within two years of hire date). 
• Level 3 additionally requires Realtime certification. 
• Level 4 additionally requires Realtime and RMR certification.

• Level 5 for transferring Federal Official Court Reporters appointed before 10/11/09, with CRR or FCRR, RMR and ten years’ reporting experience in the federal courts.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Three or more years of court reporting experience (freelance, courts or a combination) and experience directly invoicing clients 
• Experience e-filing transcripts on a court docket  
• Previous federal court experience 
• Realtime Certification [KM1]
• Certificate of Merit from NCRA

INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS

The Court reserves the right to modify the conditions of this job announcement, or to withdraw the announcement without prior written or other notice.

The successful candidate for this position is subject to a FBI fingerprint check and background investigation (employment will be provisional and contingent upon the satisfactory completion of the required background investigation), will be required to adhere to a code of conduct, and is subject to mandatory direct deposit of federal wages.  The court is not authorized to reimburse travel expenses for interviews or relocations.

Interviewing Non-Citizens and Making Offers of Future Employment: 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).

Equity-Focused Employer

The United States District Court for the Northern District of California is an Equity focused employer. We value diversity and are committed to equity and inclusion in our workplace. The court encourages applications from all qualified individuals and seek a diverse pool of applicants in terms of race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, languages spoken, veteran’s status, disability, religion, and socio-economic circumstance.

Applicants with disabilities:

If you need reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, please notify the Human Resources Unit of the Clerk's Office at 415-522-2147. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Applicants must submit the following:

1. Cover Letter

2. Resume

3. Three professional references.

To be considered for this position, visit our agency website at https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/uscourtscandto submit the online application, along with the above-listed documents. Please be sure to fully complete your application by providing all work history from the past ten years. Attachments should be submitted as Microsoft Word (DOC) or Adobe Acrobat (PDF) files. Other formats are not acceptable.