Skip to main content

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Positions

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, D.C. has openings for its Special AUSA (SAUSA) detail program starting on July 5, 2022.  Both the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia are now scheduling in-person court proceedings, including bench and jury trials, preliminary hearings, sentencings, and pleas.  In Superior Court, most criminal courtrooms returned to in-person operations on September 7, 2021.  We are offering our standard detail options for licensed attorneys, both of which start on July 5,2022, with other details starting on July 5, 2022 and January 17, 2023.

 

SEVEN MONTH DETAIL

The first option is a detail that will start on July 5, 2022, and end on February 10, 2023.  The detail begins with the same three-week Basic Training course that our newly-hired AUSAs attend.  The course is an excellent 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 seasoned Assistant United States Attorneys 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, 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; hate/bias crimes; child abuse; credit card fraud; etc.  We do not handle traffic; DUI; or juvenile cases. 

 

Second Portion of Detail:  During the second portion of the detail (November 4, 2022 – February 10, 2023), the SAUSA will be given more advanced litigation opportunities while in their assigned Misdemeanor or DV Section.  Alternatively, with advance agreement between the USAO-DC and the SAUSA and his/her agency, the SAUSA may spend the second portion of the detail in the USAO-DC’s criminal Appellate Division, criminal Special Proceedings Division, or Civil Division.  DOJ attorneys are eligible to be considered for an additional six-month detail in the Criminal Division, which requires the approval of the Chief of the Criminal Division and the requisite security clearance.

 

SHORTENED DETAIL

The second option is a shorter detail (4 months) in the Superior Court Division that will start on July 5, 2022, and end on November 4, 2022. This program begins the same way as the seven-month 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 seven-month detail, the more advanced litigation opportunities are not part of this program.

                                                                                                                        

Finally, although we have flexibility in terms of when SAUSAs start, all SAUSAs (and regular AUSAs) go through our Basic Training program before handling cases.  We have classes that begin on July 5, 2022, October 11, 2022, and January 17, 2023.  If a SAUSA starts before a Basic Training class, he or she will assist with case processing/intake; shadow other attorneys; draft motions, etc. until the class starts, but the end date of the detail would remain the same.

 

Please encourage any interested applicants to send us their resume as soon as possible.  Written supervisory approval; a joint Memorandum of Understanding; and verification of security clearance will be required.  A Tier 2 security clearance is sufficient for SAUSAs who are serving only in Superior Court.  This is a non-reimbursable detail; the SAUSA’s agency will continue to pay the SAUSA’s salary and benefits.

 

If you have additional questions about our program, please reach out to either Jean Sexton, our Director of Professional Development and Training, at Jean.Sexton@usdoj.gov, (202) 252-7735, or Alan Boyd, our Assistant Director for Professional Development and Training, at Alan.Boyd@usdoj.gov, (202) 815-9021.

Updated May 2, 2022