Human Resources – Annual Report 2025

Recruitment Tools and Services

In 2025, the Judiciary enhanced its recruitment tools and services in several ways. The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AO) took the following steps: 

• Strengthened the Employment Suitability Program and improved onboarding processes for new staff.
• Enhanced the Online System for Clerkship Application and Review (OSCAR) with the introduction of a single sign-on for Judiciary users.
• Expanded the Judiciary’s access to USAJOBS, the federal government’s primary job application website, allowing courts and court offices to reach a greater number of potential candidates by posting vacancies directly on the site. 

In addition, the Judicial Conference adopted a new HR policy in 2025 to help attract and retain qualified court reporters. The policy extends special recruitment, relocation, and retention bonus policies to hard-to-fill court reporter positions. 

Workforce Strategic Planning

The AO took steps in 2025 to support the courts with strategic workforce planning and recruitment and retention of top talent. In July, the U.S. Courts Information Technology Workforce Strategic Plan was completed. The first-of-its-kind report provides a summary of the workforce analyses conducted for court IT staff, identifies talent management issues and gaps, and recommends strategies to support recruitment and retention. Leveraging the process and infrastructure established for the IT workforce plan, the AO began conducting workforce planning for law enforcement officers in the probation and pretrial services community.

Workforce Development

Two major upgrades to strengthen Judiciary-wide learning and development were implemented in 2025. First, the AO consolidated multiple learning platforms into a unified system to improve delivery and tracking, while giving employees access to their transcripts, class registration, and e-learning. Also, managers gained tools to monitor employee progress. 

The second important upgrade was a refresh of the Judiciary Online University, which offers employees courses on relevant topics, from IT systems to leadership development to communication. Users can now easily filter course offerings, register for live events, and locate resources with an enhanced search engine. New features include AI-assisted coaching, role-based development activities, practice labs, and industry-standard credentialing. 

Additionally, the Human Resources Mentor Program was improved with a streamlined matching process and automated functionality. The program offers HR professionals the opportunity to strengthen their skills with the help of seasoned mentors who share their knowledge and insights.   

Director’s Leadership Program

Each year, candidates are chosen for the Director’s Leadership Program, a yearlong residency that offers well-qualified court and federal defender office employees the opportunity to work on national projects while learning about national issues and policies. The Director’s Leadership Program residents for fiscal year 2026 are:

Tyson W. Gage, Supervisory Probation Officer, Southern District of Texas Probation Office 

Gage will work with the AO’s Probation and Pretrial Services Office on the development, implementation, and management of a national telehealth assessment pilot program. 

Robert Thies, Investigator, Eastern District of Missouri Federal Public Defender Office 

Thies will work with the AO’s Judicial Services Office to support the Artificial Intelligence Task Force.