According to a report from the Administrative Office of the United States Courts:
1) 72% of federal judges now participate in OSCAR, a 2% increase from the previous year. Participation increased slightly across all judge types.
2) The number of clerkship positions posted remained steady over the past few years after declining from a peak in 2009.
3) The total number of online applications for clerkships dropped 44% in 2013, likely due to a limit imposed on the number of applications submitted through OSCAR and some judges accepting paper applications.
2. Judge Participation in OSCAR
Finding: 1,661 of 2,321 judges (72 percent) now participate in OSCAR, representing a 2-percent
increase from FY 2012.
Note: Designation of judge participation in OSCAR is based on a judge registering for an account and
maintaining a profile.
2
797
1,265
1,437
1,501
1,564
1,632 1,661
0
200
400
600
800
1,000
1,200
1,400
1,600
1,800
FY 2007 FY 2008 FY 2009 FY 2010 FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013
1,661
660
Participating Non‐Participating
72%
28%
FY 2013 FY 2007 – FY 2013
Administrative Office of the United States Courts
3. Total Participation by Judge Type (FY 2012 vs. FY 2013)
Finding: Slight increases seen in participation across judge types from FY 2012.
Circuit Judges – 91 percent participation
District Judges – 80 percent participation
Bankruptcy Judges – 61 percent participation
Magistrate Judges – 58 percent participation
3Administrative Office of the United States Courts
4. New Position Postings (FY 2009 - FY 2013)
Finding: Position postings remained steady between FY 2011 and FY 2013 after declining from the
peak in FY 2009. Some position postings may be for more than one clerkship position.
4Administrative Office of the United States Courts
5. Total Online Applications (FY 2008 - FY 2013)
Finding: Total online applications dropped 44 percent in FY 2013. This reflects both a drop in the total
number of applicants and a shift to paper applications for some judges who wished to avoid the
constraints of the Hiring Plan release dates. Additionally, OSCAR instituted a 100-application limit in
April 2013 with the release of Version 7.
5Administrative Office of the United States Courts
6. Percentage of Student and Alumni Applicants
(FY 2011 - FY 2013)
6Administrative Office of the United States Courts
7. Percentage of Applications by Student and Alumni Applicants
(FY 2011 - FY 2013)
7
Finding: The number of applications created by alumni applicants increased from 34 percent in FY 2012
to 42 percent in FY 2013; however, student applicants continue to create the most applications.
Administrative Office of the United States Courts
8. Range of Applications Per Applicant
(includes draft applications)
(FY 2013)
8
Finding: Eighty-seven percent of the applicants created fewer than 50 online applications in FY 2013,
increasing from 84 percent in FY 2012. Fewer than 5 percent of the applicants created more than 100
applications (including draft applications), decreasing from 9 percent in FY 2012.
Note: The chart includes the period before the introduction of the 100 application limit for finalized
applications. The chart also captures the draft applications, which are not limited by OSCAR.
76%
11% 9%
4%
<1%
1 to 25 26 to 50 51 to 100 101 to 250 251 to <500
Percentage of Applicants
Number of Applications
Administrative Office of the United States Courts