{"id":40907,"date":"2026-05-18T10:43:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T15:43:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/memphislawblog.com\/?p=40907"},"modified":"2026-05-14T10:45:01","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T15:45:01","slug":"2026-federal-law-clerk-hiring-plan-update","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/memphislawblog.com\/index.php\/2026-federal-law-clerk-hiring-plan-update\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 Federal Law Clerk Hiring Plan Update"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"xdj266r x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x16tdsg8\">We are writing to call your attention to a change that the Ad Hoc Committee on the Law Clerk Hiring Plan has made to the\u00a0<a class=\"x1fey0fg xmper1u x1edh9d7\" title=\"Original URL: https:\/\/links-2.govdelivery.com\/CL0\/https:%2F%2Foscar.uscourts.gov%2Ffederal_law_clerk_hiring_pilot%3Futm_campaign=flchpreminder%26utm_medium=email%26utm_source=govdelivery\/1\/0101019e22b73eac-5cfef02b-bbf1-493e-8b70-3b21c8c2376c-000000\/HPiHRcioqtmCmokWCFxGTwZWlnSY445rI2-3Cs3S5UE=452. Click or tap if you trust this link.\" href=\"https:\/\/nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Flinks-2.govdelivery.com%2FCL0%2Fhttps%3A%252F%252Foscar.uscourts.gov%252Ffederal_law_clerk_hiring_pilot%253Futm_campaign%3Dflchpreminder%2526utm_medium%3Demail%2526utm_source%3Dgovdelivery%2F1%2F0101019e22b73eac-5cfef02b-bbf1-493e-8b70-3b21c8c2376c-000000%2FHPiHRcioqtmCmokWCFxGTwZWlnSY445rI2-3Cs3S5UE%3D452&amp;data=05%7C02%7Ccfmcafee%40memphis.edu%7C50fad47e3af547cac1f208deb1220e7e%7Cae145aeacdb2446ab05a7858dde5ddba%7C0%7C0%7C639142957036641683%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=gPed7ccxGOetWLGlD4%2BkT6Y9v5G1Px5PPB56yJczaBM%3D&amp;reserved=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Federal Law Clerk Hiring Plan<\/a>\u00a0for 2026, as an experiment to attempt to improve how the plan operates.<\/p>\n<p class=\"xdj266r x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x16tdsg8\">Previously, the Hiring Plan included\u00a0<b><strong class=\"x1s688f\">two<\/strong><\/b>\u00a0dates\/times:<\/p>\n<ol class=\"xdj266r x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak xexx8yu xyri2b x18d9i69 x1c1uobl xx2nw11\">\n<li class=\"xzsf02u x1jchvi3 x1xmf6yo x1dqj196 x1e56ztr xvc51xn xhl9i11\" value=\"1\">The date and time when participating judges can start accepting clerkship applications or letters of recommendation, usually the first Monday in June.<\/li>\n<li class=\"xzsf02u x1jchvi3 x1xmf6yo x1dqj196 x1e56ztr xvc51xn xhl9i11\" value=\"2\">The date and time when participating judges can start contacting applicants to schedule and conduct interviews, 24 hours later.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h1 class=\"xzsf02u xngnso2 xo1l8bm xdj266r x14z9mp x1lziwak xod5an3 xexx8yu xyri2b x18d9i69 x1c1uobl\">What Changed?<\/h1>\n<p class=\"xdj266r x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x16tdsg8\">The Ad Hoc Committee on the Law Clerk Hiring Plan made a change to the 2026\u00a0<a class=\"x1fey0fg xmper1u x1edh9d7\" title=\"Original URL: https:\/\/links-2.govdelivery.com\/CL0\/https:%2F%2Foscar.uscourts.gov%2Ffederal_law_clerk_hiring_pilot%3Futm_campaign=flchpreminder%26utm_medium=email%26utm_source=govdelivery\/2\/0101019e22b73eac-5cfef02b-bbf1-493e-8b70-3b21c8c2376c-000000\/5sVRMKWEMSuMlvnYPUh1GC7gu8sRfKF8jDWsaf_Dz0I=452. Click or tap if you trust this link.\" href=\"https:\/\/nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Flinks-2.govdelivery.com%2FCL0%2Fhttps%3A%252F%252Foscar.uscourts.gov%252Ffederal_law_clerk_hiring_pilot%253Futm_campaign%3Dflchpreminder%2526utm_medium%3Demail%2526utm_source%3Dgovdelivery%2F2%2F0101019e22b73eac-5cfef02b-bbf1-493e-8b70-3b21c8c2376c-000000%2F5sVRMKWEMSuMlvnYPUh1GC7gu8sRfKF8jDWsaf_Dz0I%3D452&amp;data=05%7C02%7Ccfmcafee%40memphis.edu%7C50fad47e3af547cac1f208deb1220e7e%7Cae145aeacdb2446ab05a7858dde5ddba%7C0%7C0%7C639142957036667106%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=4HXFeCmjru4KKtlDdkg%2BKPrasFBWKpBFDp9JBDxEkbc%3D&amp;reserved=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Federal Law Clerk Hiring Plan\u00a0<\/a>intended to provide applicants and judges more time to coordinate interviews in an orderly manner.<\/p>\n<p>For the 2026 hiring season, there are now three key dates\/times:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"xdj266r x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak xexx8yu xyri2b x18d9i69 x1c1uobl xtaz4m5\">\n<li class=\"xzsf02u x1jchvi3 x1xmf6yo x1dqj196 x1e56ztr xvc51xn xhl9i11\" value=\"1\"><b><strong class=\"x1s688f\">Monday, June 8 at Noon ET<\/strong><\/b>\n<ul class=\"xdj266r x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak xexx8yu xyri2b x18d9i69 x1c1uobl xtaz4m5\">\n<li class=\"xzsf02u x1jchvi3 x1xmf6yo x1dqj196 x1e56ztr xvc51xn xhl9i11\" value=\"1\">OSCAR releases clerkship applications and letters of recommendation from rising 3Ls.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"xzsf02u x1jchvi3 x1xmf6yo x1dqj196 x1e56ztr xvc51xn xhl9i11\" value=\"2\"><b><strong class=\"x1s688f\">Tuesday, June 9 at Noon ET<\/strong><\/b>\n<ul class=\"xdj266r x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak xexx8yu xyri2b x18d9i69 x1c1uobl xtaz4m5\">\n<li class=\"xzsf02u x1jchvi3 x1xmf6yo x1dqj196 x1e56ztr xvc51xn xhl9i11\" value=\"1\">Participating judges can begin\u00a0<b><strong class=\"x1s688f\">contacting<\/strong><\/b>\u00a0applicants to schedule interviews.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"xzsf02u x1jchvi3 x1xmf6yo x1dqj196 x1e56ztr xvc51xn xhl9i11\" value=\"3\"><b><strong class=\"x1s688f\">Wednesday, June 10 at Noon ET<\/strong><\/b>\n<ul class=\"xdj266r x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak xexx8yu xyri2b x18d9i69 x1c1uobl xtaz4m5\">\n<li class=\"xzsf02u x1jchvi3 x1xmf6yo x1dqj196 x1e56ztr xvc51xn xhl9i11\" value=\"1\">Participating judges can\u00a0<b><strong class=\"x1s688f\">begin conducting<\/strong><\/b>\u00a0interviews and making offers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"xdj266r x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x16tdsg8\"><b><strong class=\"x1s688f\">Note:<\/strong><\/b>\u00a0As in prior years, judges are expected to give applicants at least 24 hours to respond to offers<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"xi81zsa x6u19be x1s688f x14z9mp x1lziwak xyorhqc x1anpbxc xexx8yu xyri2b x18d9i69 x1c1uobl xtvhhri\">Why Was the Change Made?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"xdj266r x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x16tdsg8\">The purpose of this change is to give applicants and judges more time to schedule interviews in an orderly fashion, and for applicants to have more time to prepare for interviews.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"xi81zsa x6u19be x1s688f x14z9mp x1lziwak xyorhqc x1anpbxc xexx8yu xyri2b x18d9i69 x1c1uobl xtvhhri\">What&#8217;s Next?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"xdj266r x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x16tdsg8\">After the hiring season is done, the Ad Hoc Committee on the Law Clerk Hiring Plan will consider whether to keep this change in place in future years.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"xi81zsa x6u19be x1s688f x14z9mp x1lziwak xyorhqc x1anpbxc xexx8yu xyri2b x18d9i69 x1c1uobl xtvhhri\">Questions?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"xdj266r x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x16tdsg8\">If you have any questions, please contact the OSCAR Program Office at 866-666-2120, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. &#8211; 5:00 p.m. or\u00a0<a class=\"x1fey0fg xmper1u x1edh9d7\" title=\"mailto:oscar-support@ao.uscourts.gov\" href=\"mailto:oscar-support@ao.uscourts.gov\">oscar-support@ao.uscourts.gov<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"xdj266r x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x16tdsg8\">Regards,<\/p>\n<p class=\"xdj266r x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x16tdsg8\">OSCAR Program Office<\/p>\n<p class=\"xdj266r x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x16tdsg8\">\u00a0 \u00a0Human Resources Office, Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We are writing to call your attention to a change that the Ad Hoc Committee on the Law Clerk Hiring Plan&#46;&#46;&#46;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_wpcom_ai_launchpad_first_post":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[45],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40907","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-announcements"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/memphislawblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40907","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/memphislawblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/memphislawblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/memphislawblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/31"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/memphislawblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40907"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/memphislawblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40907\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40909,"href":"https:\/\/memphislawblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40907\/revisions\/40909"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/memphislawblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40907"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/memphislawblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40907"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/memphislawblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40907"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}