Supreme Court Reporter of Decisions

Step into a role of enduring significance within Washington’s judicial system!

The Washington State Supreme Court invites applications for the esteemed position of Reporter of Decisions - a constitutional office entrusted with preserving the voice of the appellate courts.

This role demands intellectual rigor, editorial mastery, and a deep respect for the rule of law. As Reporter of Decisions, you will oversee the meticulous editing and publication of opinions from both the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals, ensuring their clarity, precision, and accessibility in official reports and digital archives. Your work will shape the legal record and serve as a vital resource for practitioners, scholars, and the public.

This isn’t just a job - it’s a cornerstone of Washington’s legal system. If you’re detail-oriented, passionate about law and language, and ready to take on a role with constitutional significance, this could be your next great chapter.

Job #:            2025-80

Status:           Regular, Full-Time 

Location:       Olympia, Washington

Salary:           $144,00 - $154,000 per year (DOQ) 

Opens:          October 22, 2025

Closes:          November 2, 2025. This recruitment will close when enough qualified applications are received. If you are interested in this opportunity, your prompt application submission is encouraged.

Some of the duties you will perform are:

Supervision and administration

• Supervises day-to-day activities of reporter’s office staff and monitors many duties of the contracting private publisher’s staff assigned to publishing Washington official reports.
• Creates a budget, monitors expenditures, drafts and implements office personnelpolicies,attendsmeetingsasthecourt’srepresentative,etc.
• Establishes and monitors publication time tables and schedules.

Legal analysis

• Reviews and revises headnotes for the opinions of 31 Washington appellate court judges.
• Coordinates editing of judicial opinions by the reporter’s office, judicial chambers, and the contract publisher, and resolves editorial issues.
• Makes final decisions for the most difficult legal style and citation issues.
• Drafts change orders and change memoranda amending Washington Supreme Court opinions.
• Answers case caption questions raised by judicial administrative assistants and the contract publisher's staff.
• Assembles and reviews all materials required for publication of official reports bound volumes.
• Proof reads and edits newly adopted and revised Washington Court Rules.

Services to other agencies and the public

• Answers a wide variety of questions from the contract publisher's staff, judicialadministrativeassistants,lawclerks,attorneys,andthepublic.
• Publishes and revises the Style Sheet and extensive legal citation and style materials in the Opinion Citation and Style Guide on the AOC extranet, making them available to every judicial employee in Washington.
• Creates and periodically updates lengthy internal procedure manuals.
• Assists in organizing and conducting meetings of the Washington Court Reports Commission.
• Assists in organizing and conducting training sessions for judicial staff.

Publishing contract

• Drafts periodic requests for proposals (RFPs) for publishing Washington official reports.
• Oversees evaluation of proposals submitted in response to RFPs.
• Negotiates a publishing contract with the successful proposer.
• Administers the publishing contract and monitors the contract publisher's compliance with the contract.

Electronic publishing

• Coordinates publication of Washington appellate court opinions on the Internet.
• Uploads newly filed Washington Supreme Court opinions to the Internet.

• Law degree and membership in good standing with the Washington State Bar Association or another state bar association.
• Experience and high proficiency in editing legal publications, such as appellate court reports, treatises, or law reviews.
• Supervisory experience in a law-related environment.
• Knowledge of electronic publishing technology.

Knowledge of: legal publishing, including electronic and hard copy publishing; English grammar, syntax, and usage; the Washington judicial system, including court procedures, the appellate process, and judicial administration; editing standards for legal publications; The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation and the Chicago Manual of Style; managementtechniques;MicrosoftWord,electronicfilemanagement,ande-mail programs.

Ability to: supervise and manage people; coordinate with a wide variety of people and organizations; analyze, evaluate, and organize complex data; thrive in a very detail-oriented environment; communicate effectively orally and in writing; recognize and convey the importance of in-depth opinion editing and the need for maintaining a single, official, authoritative source for Washington case law while adapting to evolving expectations of the bench, bar and public.

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION CAREFULLY TO ENSURE YOU HAVE SUBMITTED THE REQUIRED MATERIALS TO BE CONSIDERED.

IMPORTANT: To be considered for this position, you MUST include the following, failure to do so will result in your application being disqualified:

1. Completed online application 
2. Current Resume.
3. Letter of Interest addressing your qualifications for the position. Please indicate why this position is a good fit for your skills and interests.
4. Three (3) to five (5) professional references to include a current or recent supervisor with email addresses and phone numbers.

To view the job description, please click here: Detailed Job Description - Insight (neogov.com)

• Workweek may fluctuate depending on workload or agency need.
• This position is not overtime eligible.

The AOC is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate based on gender, pregnancy, race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, creed, physical, mental or sensory disability (actual or perceived), use of a service animal, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran or military status, age, HIV or Hepatitis C status, or any other basis protected by federal or state law.  Persons of disability needing assistance in the application process, or those needing this announcement in an alternative format, please contact the AOC Human Resource Office, at (360) 705-5337, or fax (360) 586-4409, or via email to Recruitment@courts.wa.gov. 

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire.