Assistant United States Attorney

The U.S. Attorneys Office for the Central District of California (USAO) is one of the most impactful in the nation, serving nearly 20 million people in seven counties. The USAO's Civil Rights Section in the Civil Division promotes presidential priorities, including protecting religious freedom, defending free speech, and combating unlawful discrimination. For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorneys Offices, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/

Duties

The U.S. Attorneys Office for Central District of California is seeking to hire exceptional attorneys to serve as Civil Rights AUSAs, handling important civil rights cases that reflect the President's civil rights priorities. An ideal candidate will have a strong work ethic, a solution-oriented mindset, excellent research and writing skills, as well as strong oral advocacy skills to represent the DOJ in a variety of contexts including, but not limited to, court hearings, depositions/interviews, and settlement conferences.

A Civil Rights AUSA candidate should also have a strong and demonstrated commitment to public service, attention to detail, and exercise sound judgment and show integrity and honesty in following Department of Justice and United States Attorney's Office policies.

If you are looking for an exciting and challenging career, this is the position for you. With a diverse and talented workforce of over 100,000 people, the mission of the Department of Justice is to uphold the rule of law, keep our country safe, and protect civil rights. You will be part of a dedicated team helping to enforce Federal criminal and civil laws that protect life, liberty and the property of citizens.

The USAO is divided into three litigating Divisions (Criminal, National Security, and Civil).
The USAO's main offices are in Los Angeles. The USAO's Criminal Division has branch offices in Santa Ana and Riverside.

Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory preemployment adjudication. All initial attorney positions to the Department of Justice are made on a 14-month (temporary) basis.

Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory preemployment adjudication. This includes fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. In addition, continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation.

For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorney's Offices, visit http://www.justice.gov/careers/careers.htmlAs needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement.

Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.

This is an open continuous announcement that is intended to continually solicit applications in order to fill immediate and future vacancies. Vacant positions may or may not be available at the time of application. Applications will be reviewed and referred as vacancies occur and will only remain active for seven (7) months from the date of submission. Applicants will be notified when their applications have been reviewed/referred for further consideration

Security Requirements:
Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory preemployment adjudication. This includes fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. In addition, continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation.

Residency Requirements: Assistant United States Attorneys generally must reside in the district to which he or she is appointed or within 25 miles thereof. See 28 U.S.C. 545 for district-specific information.

Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See www.sss.gov.

Salary

• $110,333 - $195,100/year

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a United States Citizen or National.
• Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory preemployment adjudication. This includes fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. Continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation.
• You must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable.
• J.D. degree and active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction) required.
• Type of Position: This is a temporary position not-to-exceed 14 months. This position may be extended or made permanent without further competition.
• Must reside in the district to which appointed or within 25 miles thereof. See 28 U.S.C. 545 for district specific information.

Qualifications

Required qualifications: Applicants must possess a J.D. degree (or equivalent), be an active member in good standing of the bar (any US jurisdiction), and have at least 1* years post-J.D. (or equivalent) legal or other relevant experience. A minimum of at least 3 years of post J.D. (or equivalent) legal or other relevant experience is required. If not already an active member of the California bar, any applicant hired will be required to take and subsequently pass the California bar exam. AUSAs must become active members of the California bar and maintain California bar membership.
United States citizenship is required.

Preferred qualifications: Hiring for AUSA positions within the USAO is highly competitive. The USAO seeks a diverse complement of lawyers with a wide range of exceptional skills and experience, unified by keen intelligence and sincere commitment to public interest. Litigation experience, superior academic record, excellent writing skills, impeccable character, demonstrated interest in public service, courtroom presence, and the ability to work with and relate to a wide variety of people are all taken into account. Most attorneys hired have several years of experience, although highly qualified recent graduates with some experience in practice or as a judicial clerk are also considered. Ties to the Central District of California will be considered. All initial attorney appointments to the Department of Justice are made on a 14 month (temporary) basis pending favorable adjudication of a background investigation.

United States citizenship is required.

You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.

Education Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree Other Information Salary Information: Assistant United States Attorney's pay is administratively determined based, in part, on the number of years of professional attorney experience. The range of basic pay is $110,333 to $195,100 per year which includes 36.47% locality pay. Travel: Travel may be required between 1-5 nights per month or more depending on the needs of any particular case assignment, both within and outside the district. Benefits: This is a temporary position which offers limited benefits such as paid vacation, sick leave, telework, and holidays. Relocation Expenses: Relocation expenses will not be authorized. This and other vacancy announcements can be found under Attorney Vacancies and Volunteer Legal Internships. The Department of Justice cannot control further dissemination and/or posting of information contained in this vacancy announcement. Such posting and/or dissemination is not an endorsement by the Department of the organization or group disseminating and/or posting the information. Type of Position: All initial attorney appointments to the Department of Justice are made on a 14 month (temporary) basis pending favorable adjudication of a background investigation. Applicants should familiarize themselves and comply with the relevant rules of professional conduct regarding any possible conflicts of interest in connection with their applications. In particular, please notify this Office if you currently represent clients or adjudicate matters in which this Office is involved and/or you have a family member who is representing clients or adjudicating matters in which this Office is involved so that we can evaluate any potential conflict of interest or disqualification issue that may need to be addressed under those circumstances. Type of Position: This is a temporary position not-to-exceed 14 months. This position may be extended or made permanent without further competition. Political Appointees (Current and Former): The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C or Non-Career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the HR Office. Failure to disclose this information could result in disciplinary action including removal from Federal Service. Security Requirements: Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory preemployment adjudication. This includes fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. In addition, continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation. EEO Statement: The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor. Required Documents

You must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

• Required - Please submit transcripts, cover letter, writing sample and two references.
• Required - Your responses to the Online Occupational Questionnaire (This is completed automatically during the apply online process).
• Required - Your resume showing relevant experience and dates of employment (include day/month/year).
• Required, if applicable - To get Veterans' Preference, you must indicate your preference in response to the appropriate question in your assessment questionnaire and you must submit the appropriate supporting documentation. See the "How you will be Evaluated" section for details regarding what is appropriate Veterans' Preference documentation. It is also recommended that you include veterans' preference information in your cover letter or resume.

: The Point of Contact for this vacancy announcement is Central District of California who can be reached at (213) 894-7611 or Karla.Castillo@usdoj.gov

Outreach and Recruitment for Qualified Applicants with Disabilities: The Department encourages qualified applicants with disabilities, including individuals with targeted/severe disabilities to apply in response to posted vacancy announcements. Qualified applicants with targeted/severe disabilities may be eligible for direct hire, non-competitive appointment under Schedule A (5 C.F.R. § 213.3102(u)) hiring authority. Individuals with targeted/severe disabilities are encouraged to contact one of the Department's Disability Points of Contact (DPOC) to express an interest in being considered for a position. See list of DPOCs.

Suitability and Citizenship: It is the policy of the Department to achieve a drug-free workplace and persons selected for employment will be required to pass a drug test which screens for illegal drug use prior to final appointment. Employment is also contingent upon the completion and satisfactory adjudication of a background investigation. Congress generally prohibits agencies from employing non-citizens within the United States, except for a few narrow exceptions as set forth in the annual Appropriations Act (see, https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/non-citizens/). Pursuant to DOJ component policies, only U.S. citizens are eligible for employment with the Executive Office for Immigration Review, U.S. Trustee's Offices, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Unless otherwise indicated in a particular job advertisement, qualifying non-U.S. citizens meeting immigration and appropriations law criteria may apply for employment with other DOJ organizations. However, please be advised that the appointment of non-U.S. citizens is extremely rare; such appointments would be possible only if necessary to accomplish the Department's mission and would be subject to strict security requirements. Applicants who hold dual citizenship in the U.S. and another country will be considered on a case-by-case basis. All DOJ employees are subject to a residency requirement. Candidates who have lived outside the United States for two or more of the past five years will likely have difficulty being approved for appointments by the Department Security Staff. The two-year period is cumulative, not necessarily consecutive. Federal or military employees, or dependents of federal or military employees serving overseas, are excepted from this requirement.

Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office by providing a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment:

• Position title;
• Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee);
• Agency; and
• Beginning and ending dates of appointment.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.

The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 01/31/2026 to receive consideration.

1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.

2. Click the Submit My Answers button to submit your application package. (It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation are submitted prior to the closing date.)

3. To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.

To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.

You are encouraged to apply online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application. However, should you not be able to apply online, please contact Central District of California at (213) 894-7611 or email at Karla.Castillo@usdoj.gov, prior to the closing date of this announcement to request an alternate method of applying.