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International student doing JD at Columbia. Federal courts aren't allowed to pay non-citizen clerks in the continental US, so that leaves Alaska and Hawaii open to me. I'm just inside the top third, GPA-wise -- am I a surefire loser for fed courts in these states, especially since I have no ties?

I thought Alaska was part of the continental US.

A. Nony Mouse wrote:I thought Alaska was part of the continental US.

"The appropriations law requirements apply to anyone appointed into a paid position within the judiciary in the continental U.S. The appropriations law requirements do not apply to employees with a duty station in Alaska, Hawaii, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Guam, or the Northern Mariana Islands, nor do the requirements apply to unpaid volunteers. "

Maybe "continental" was the wrong word, technically ("contiguous," perhaps?)

They have fed. courts in Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico too, add those to your list. I know Hawaii is highly desirable, thus somewhat competitive.

Anonymous User wrote:International student doing JD at Columbia. Federal courts aren't allowed to pay non-citizen clerks in the continental US, so that leaves Alaska and Hawaii open to me. I'm just inside the top third, GPA-wise -- am I a surefire loser for fed courts in these states, especially since I have no ties?

I met someone who clerked at the Northern Marianas d. ct. She had no ties and had never even heard of the place prior to applying.

A. Nony Mouse wrote:I thought Alaska was part of the continental US.

do you need a geography lesson, bro-ette?

Also, I always think it's weird that internationals don't consider district/circuit courts that are located in places with really low cost of living. Clerking for a district court in Alabama can't cost you more than $20-30k, and your clerkship bonus if you go to a firm is $50k. Obviously it's not ideal and it's a net cost of around $70-90k depending on the location, but still.

Pretty sure international folks aren't eligible to clerk in places like Alabama, since they're part of the continental/contiguous U.S.

Kid at my LS just got DVI, and another is going to Alaska. Definitely gettable. Bear in mind that only Alaska, Puerto Rico, and Hawaii are AIII courts (lifetime tenure), the rest are AIV. Hardly matters, but worth noting.

Anonymous User wrote:

A. Nony Mouse wrote:I thought Alaska was part of the continental US.

"The appropriations law requirements apply to anyone appointed into a paid position within the judiciary in the continental U.S. The appropriations law requirements do not apply to employees with a duty station in Alaska, Hawaii, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Guam, or the Northern Mariana Islands, nor do the requirements apply to unpaid volunteers. "

Maybe "continental" was the wrong word, technically ("contiguous," perhaps?)

knew I should have looked at the regulation before I posted that. (I did actually look up continental/contiguous, which taught me that Alaska is part of the continental US but not the contiguous US, so I'm going to blame the regulation.)

In any case. I would talk to the clerkship people at your school to see what stats previous Columbia clerks tend to have.

mi-chan17 wrote:Pretty sure international folks aren't eligible to clerk in places like Alabama, since they're part of the continental/contiguous U.S.

They can clerk, they just can't get paid by the federal government.

Doorkeeper wrote:

mi-chan17 wrote:Pretty sure international folks aren't eligible to clerk in places like Alabama, since they're part of the continental/contiguous U.S.

They can clerk, they just can't get paid by the federal government.

That idea (low cost of living + later bonus, assuming you have the capital to survive the first year) isn't a bad idea.

Only holdup: my understanding is that, in practice, judges only consider US citizens even though internationals can technically work without payment. OSCAR requires you to check off options from a bunch of different citizenship statuses, and they're all word-for-word from the regulation re: payment. I'd be surprised if judges can't sort applicants by that box alone.

Anonymous User wrote:

Doorkeeper wrote:

mi-chan17 wrote:Pretty sure international folks aren't eligible to clerk in places like Alabama, since they're part of the continental/contiguous U.S.

They can clerk, they just can't get paid by the federal government.

That idea (low cost of living + later bonus, assuming you have the capital to survive the first year) isn't a bad idea.

Only holdup: my understanding is that, in practice, judges only consider US citizens even though internationals can technically work without payment. OSCAR requires you to check off options from a bunch of different citizenship statuses, and they're all word-for-word from the regulation re: payment. I'd be surprised if judges can't sort applicants by that box alone.

I see your point, but the issue can be mitigated a few ways:
1) You can indicate up front in your cover letter that you would be a volunteer.
2) You can always err on the side of sending paper copies when possible.
3) You can have a professor call (or you could call chambers if it's not breaking a "no call" rule put in place by the judge) to make sure the app is being considered.

I happen to have see this week that Judge Deborah Smith in Anchorage started taking apps this week for a two-year 2015-2017 clerkship, she states a preference for top 25%, but that's the listing at a lower T14 so I expect top 1/3 at Columbia is competitive for it. However she also states a preference for a year or more of post-JD experience.

On what type of visa can an international student work for a court? I feel H1B is close to impossible...