Student Intern

Student Intern

The United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois is now accepting applications for unpaid student interns. This position provides practical learning experiences gained through observing and performing assigned tasks related to educational and career interests.

Position Overview

These unpaid summer student internships are located in downtown Chicago, IL. The primary focus of these internships provides students with an opportunity to gain a detailed understanding of the Court's Judicial Services, Operation Services, and the Administrative Services Department. It allows students to interact with knowledgeable and experienced professionals, gain exposure to the federal government, experience firsthand what it's like to work in a courthouse setting, and earn school credit if offered by the student's school. Dates and hours are flexible and will be determined by the Court and each student.

Position Duties and Responsibilities

Students will be assigned to provide administrative support to the following departments of the Clerk's Office for the duration of the internship:

Administrative Services

The duties performed will include but are not limited to: maintaining and filing documents in financial, personnel and acquisition files, escorting contractors, taking inventory of supplies and providing supplies to internal customers, assisting with internal customers with GSA request tickets, assisting with basic maintenance of office equipment, completing data entry tasks, scheduling and coordinating interview appointments, assisting with new hire orientations, lifting and moving boxes of up to 50 lbs. and performing other clerical duties as assigned.

Judicial Services Department

The duties performed will include but are not limited to scanning and filing juror questionnaires, preparing questionnaires for mailing to perspective jurors, assisting with the check-in of jurors, maintaining files in an orderly fashion by reorganizing, transferring, archiving, and storing as needed, lifting and moving boxes of up to 50 lbs. and performing other clerical duties as assigned.

Operations Department

The duties performed will include but are not limited to: scanning and filing documents, preparing file folders and labels to maintain documents, assisting internal and external customers with basic requests and answering inquiries, maintaining files in an orderly fashion by reorganizing, transferring, archiving, and storing as needed, lifting and moving boxes of up to 50 lbs., preparing records for shipment to the Federal Records Center and performing other clerical duties as assigned.

Operations Department PowerPoint Project: This internship offers a unique opportunity to a candidate that excels in creating a narrated video presentation(s). The candidate will spend their entire internship in the Operations Department working with the Manager and Supervisors to develop a creative, narrated training video based on the handbooks/guides. The ideal candidate must be creative, have the required technical skills, must be able to accept critique and make the required edits.

A candidate must currently be enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program. The successful candidate must be punctual, detail-oriented, and able to provide a high level of customer service. The candidate must be able to display professional and positive demeanor and appearance appropriate for a court environment (business/office wear-professional). Preference will be provided to those pursuing a major or minor in behavioral science, sociology, political science, criminology, psychology or another social science. A candidate must adhere to court confidentiality requirements, Code of Conduct for Judicial Employees and social media policy.

Consideration will only be given to those who apply through the court's online applicant tracking system and provide a cover letter and resume by August 10, 2026. To view openings and to apply, visit our applicant tracking system.

Due to the volume of applications received, the Court will only communicate with those applicants who will be interviewed. Applicants selected for interviews will be communicated to only through email and must travel at their own expense and relocation expenses will not be reimbursed. Funding for housing will not be provided and is the responsibility of the intern throughout the internship. Reference checks with current and former employers will be conducted. Only qualified applicants will be considered for this position. A preliminary background investigation with law enforcement agencies, including fingerprint and criminal record check will be conducted as a condition of employment. Unsatisfactory results may result in termination of employment. The selected candidate will be subject to an FBI fingerprint check as a condition of employment and may be subject to periodic updates. Prior to appointment, the finalist candidates will be required to satisfactorily complete a criminal background investigation. The Court requires employees to adhere to a Code of Conduct which is available upon request. Employees of the District Court, Northern District of Illinois are excepted service appointments. Employees are considered at-will and are not covered by federal civil service classifications or regulations. The United States District Court is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Diversity is important to the Judiciary. It is an essential component of services that the Judiciary is charged with providing to maintain justice, equality, fairness, respect, and dignity in society. To fulfill its duties, the Judiciary must include all members of societynot just regardless, but also inclusive of race, gender, disability, and the many other variables that make up the citizens of our nation. The Judiciary has a duty to promote a fair, just, and sustainable model of inclusive democracy and social justice that surpasses any governmental entity in the history of this nation or of any other nation.

In order to be eligible for employment, applicants must meet one of the following requirements:

• U.S. citizen;
• Person who owes allegiance to the U.S. (i.e., nationals of American Samoa, Swains Island, and the Northern Mariana Islands);
• Person admitted as a refugee or granted asylum who has filed a declaration of intention to become a lawful permanent resident and then a citizen when eligible; or
• Lawful permanent resident (i.e., green card holder) who is seeking citizenship.

The Court reserves the right to modify the conditions of this job announcement, or to withdraw the announcement, any of which may occur without prior written or other notice.

Information About The Northern District Of Illinois

The Northern District of Illinois is home to the five largest cities in Illinois: Chicago, Aurora, Rockford, Joliet, and Naperville. Also known as "The Windy City," Chicago is the third most populous city in the U.S. with nearly 2.7 million inhabitants and approximately 10 million people living in the Chicago metropolitan area. With Lake Michigan as its eastern border, Chicago covers more than 237 square miles.

Chicago is home to numerous museums and cultural institutions including Art Institute of Chicago, Field Museum, Museum of Science and Industry, Shedd Aquarium, and Adler Planetarium. A center of art and culture, Chicago has over 200 theaters, nearly 200 art galleries, and more than 7,300 restaurants.

Known for its magnificent skyline, Chicago is home to buildings designed by some of the world's most renowned architects including Daniel Burnham, Louis Sullivan, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Mies van der Rohe, who designed the Dirksen Courthouse.

Major Chicago universities include University of Chicago, Northwestern University, Loyola University, University of Illinois Chicago, DePaul University and Illinois Institute of Technology. Professional Chicago sports teams include the Bulls (NBA), Sky (WNBA), Bears (NFL), Cubs (MLB), White Sox (MLB), Fire (MLS), Chicago Blackhawks (NHL), and Red Stars (NWSL). Chicago is a major world finance center. The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, the Chicago Stock Exchange, the Chicago Board Options Exchange, and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange are within blocks of the Courthouse. The Northern District of Illinois is home to three international airports including O'Hare International Airport, among the busiest airports in the world.