§715 Staff Attorneys and Technical Assistants

Summary

Chief judges of the courts of appeals may appoint a senior staff attorney when the court agrees, and the chief judge can remove that person if the court agrees. That senior staff attorney, with the chief judge’s OK, may hire needed staff attorneys and secretarial or clerical employees in numbers the Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts approves. The number of staff attorneys cannot be more than the positions expressly authorized in an annual appropriation Act. The senior staff attorney’s hires can be removed with the chief judge’s approval. For the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the chief judge may appoint a senior technical assistant with the court’s approval and remove that person with the court’s approval. The senior technical assistant, if the court agrees, may hire technical assistants in a number the Director approves, but not more than the number of circuit judges in regular active service in that circuit. The senior technical assistant’s hires can be removed with the court’s approval.