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Special Assistant United States Attorney (SAUSA) - Open Continuous

Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys/The Office of the U.S. Attorneys

Washington, DC

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JOB DETAILS
SKILLS
Adjudication, Analysis Skills, Attorney, Disciplinary Action, Employee Benefits, Employment Law, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Federal Government, Firearms Experience, Genetics, Government, Law Enforcement, Legal, Litigation, Local Government, Military, Negotiation Skills, Research Skills, Training Program, United States Citizen, United States Department of Justice (DOJ), Willing to Travel, Writing Skills
LOCATION
Washington, DC
POSTED
Today
Summary

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia is unique in the size and the scope of its work. It serves as both the local and the federal prosecutor for the nation's capital. On the local side, AUSAs assigned to the Superior Court Division prosecute cases ranging from misdemeanors to homicides. On the federal side, AUSAs assigned to the Criminal Division prosecute federal crimes. The Civil Division further defends the United States in civil suits brought in the District of Columbia.

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Duties

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The D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force is the largest collaboration of law enforcement and National Guard in modern history. The task force - which is comprised over 3,100 people from 28 agencies, is well on its way to making D.C. the safest city in America. In less than a year, the Task Force has executed over 12,000 criminal arrests, seized over 1,300 illegal firearms, and cleared over 1,800 criminals arrest warrants. These arrets have produced significant cases for prosecution across D.C. superior and federal court - including homicides, narcotics investigations, weapons offense, and sex offenses.

The U.S. Attorney for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia ("USADC") is committed to ensuring justice in the influx of case produced from the groundbreaking work of the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force. To that end, the office is seeking Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys to be detailed to the Office to help keep D.C. Safe and Beautiful.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington, D.C. has recurring openings in its Superior Court Division for Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys (SAUSAs). All federal and local government attorneys are eligible. We offer our standard, shortened, and split programs starting in January, April, July, and October.

STANDARD DETAIL

The first option is our standard detail. The upcoming dates for these details are:

  • July 13, 2026 through February 5, 2027
  • October 4, 2026 through April 30, 2027
  • January 11, 2027 through August 6, 2027
The detail begins with the same three-week Basic Training course that our newly hired AUSAs attend. The course is a blend of intense academic classes (e.g., evidence, discovery), trial skills, and hands-on experience, including evidence workshops and mock trials that are critiqued by AUSAs with years of trial experience. At the conclusion of Basic Training, SAUSAs are assigned to either our Misdemeanor Section or our Domestic Violence Misdemeanor Section in the Superior Court Division.

While in the Superior Court Division, SAUSAs will handle their own caseloads; draft and argue motions; handle plea negotiations; conduct plea hearings; meet with and prepare victims and witnesses; first-chair bench trials; advocate at sentencings; etc. Most days include court appearances. There is no difference between a regular AUSA and a SAUSA in terms of duties, responsibilities, and training. Because the U.S. Attorney's Office also serves as the local prosecutor for the District of Columbia, we prosecute thousands of cases each year. Our misdemeanor-level caseloads include simple assaults; threats; possession of prohibited weapons; drug possession; assaults on police officers; theft; destruction of property; child abuse; credit card fraud; etc. We do not handle traffic; DUI; or juvenile cases.

Second Half of the Standard Detail: During the second half of the standard detail, the SAUSA will be given more advanced litigation opportunities while in their assigned Misdemeanor or DV Section, to include the opportunity to handle a jury trial.

SHORTENED DETAIL

The second option is a shorter detail in the Superior Court Division. The upcoming dates for the shortened detail are:
  • July 13, 2026 through November 6, 2026
  • October 4, 2026 through February 5, 2027
  • January 11, 2027 through April 30, 2027
This program begins the same way as the standard detail with our Basic Training program followed by assignments to either our Misdemeanor Section or our Domestic Violence Misdemeanor Section. While SAUSAs in the shortened detail will receive the same training and handle the same types of cases as the SAUSAs in the standard detail, the more advanced litigation opportunities are not part of this program.

SPLIT DETAIL

The third option is a split detail. After completing the shortened detail in the Superior Court Division, attorneys with the requisite security clearance are eligible to be considered for a transfer to our Criminal, Civil, Appellate, or Special Proceedings Division for six months . This requires advance agreement between the USAO-DC and the SAUSA's agency, as well as the appropriate USAO-DC Division Chief's approval of the transfer.

Finally, the start and end dates for the standard and shortened details are based on the start dates of our Basic Training programs to ensure smooth case transitions with incoming and outgoing AUSAs and SAUSAS. The USAO-DC provides SAUSAs with laptops, iPhones, and a USAO email address upon onboarding.

Please encourage any interested applicants to reach out with questions. The potential SAUSA may also come to the Office to "shadow" for a morning.

A resume; written supervisory approval; a joint Memorandum of Understanding; and verification of security clearance will be required. This is a non-reimbursable detail; the SAUSA's agency will continue to pay the SAUSA's salary and benefits.

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

Requirements

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Conditions of employment
  • You must be a United States Citizen or National.
  • Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory pre-employment 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.
  • Must reside in the district to which appointed or within 25 miles thereof. See 28 U.S.C. 545 for district specific information.
  • 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.
  • This is a temporary position not-to-exceed 1 year. This position may be extended without further competition


Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree (or equivalent), be an active member in good standing of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction). Applicants must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.

Preferred Qualifications:

A minimum GPA of 3.0 is preferred. The ideal candidate will be committed to public service; possess superior communication and advocacy skills; exhibit exceptional research and writing ability; perform thorough legal and factual analysis; demonstrate an ability to work well with a wide variety of people; exercise good judgement; and function with minimal guidance in a highly demanding environment.

United States citizenship is required.

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

Department of Justice Policies

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.

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.

Reasonable Accommodations: This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

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 disabilities may also contact one of the Department's Disability Points of Contact (DPOC). 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, 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.

Veterans: There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Justice considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation (e.g., the DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation) to their submissions. Although the "point" system is not used, per se, applicants eligible to claim 10-point preference must submit Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, and submit the supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed (visit the OPM website, www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf for a copy of SF 15, which lists the types of 10-point preferences and the required supporting document(s). Applicants should note that SF 15 requires supporting documentation associated with service- connected disabilities or receipt of nonservice-connected disability pensions to be dated 1991 or later except in the case of service members submitting official statements or retirement orders from a branch of the Armed Forces showing that his or her retirement was due to a permanent service-connected disability or that he/she was transferred to the permanent disability retired list (the statement or retirement orders must indicate that the disability is 10% or more).

Political Appointees (Current or 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.

Education

Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree

Additional information

Salary Information: None - This is a uncompensated position. Employee benefits for this position will be limited.

Relocation Expenses: Relocation expenses will not be authorized.

Travel: No travel is required.

This position is located in Washington, District of Columbia~

For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorney's Offices, visit

As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement.

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.

Note: Employees of the Department of Justice, including Uncompensated Special Assistant United States Attorneys, may not engage in the compensated practice of law outside the office. Attorneys are not eligible to serve as UncompensatedSpecial Assistant United States Attorneys if they have had an employment offer deferred by a law firm and received a payment for the period of their deferral with the expectation of future employment with the law firm, or if they will receive any payment from a law firm during their unpaid employment with the Department of Justice. In addition, contractors, including employees of contractors who do business with the Department of Justice, and who also are attorneys, are not eligible to serve as Uncompensated Special Assistant United States Attorneys.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.



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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

About the Company

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Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys/The Office of the U.S. Attorneys