Privacy Policy

Overview

Thank you for visiting OSCAR and reviewing our Privacy Policy. OSCAR is committed to ensuring the privacy of all applicants. This privacy statement sets forth the guidelines used for the collection and use of the information you submit to OSCAR.

Your information is stored and processed completely within the United States. The information OSCAR gathers is accessed only by federal judges and other federal court units for hiring, and by your individual law schools.

Other sites may contain links to OSCAR, including law school sites. OSCAR has no control over supplemental information that may be collected by these sites.

Collection and Use of Information

We recognize that much of the information you submit to OSCAR is personal and confidential in nature. The purpose of this information is to support your application for a law clerk or staff attorney position. However, we may use information you submit for the purpose of statistical analysis of patterns of use of OSCAR and to improve the OSCAR system.

By submitting an application through OSCAR, you are consenting to use of that information by judges and court units conducting hiring as well as use of that information to ensure effective operation of OSCAR.

OSCAR does not disclose your information to third parties, including combined demographic or statistical information derived from OSCAR. Recommenders are notified only that you have identified them as a reference and they are not provided any of the information you submit to OSCAR.

We collect personally identifiable information (name, email address, or other unique identifiers) only if specifically knowingly provided by you.

Other Uses of Information

Your law school administrator has access to all of the information you supply to OSCAR. It is the responsibility of your law school to disclose any additional use they may make of the information you provide in OSCAR. OSCAR is not responsible for any such possible uses.

It is also possible that links to OSCAR may be provided from other web sites, such as law school web sites. OSCAR is not responsible for any access patterns derived from other sites or information that may be requested of you prior or subsequent to your redirection to the OSCAR web site.

If you do nothing during your visit but browse through the website, read pages, or download information, we will gather and store certain information about your visit automatically. This information does not identify you personally. We automatically collect and store only the following information about your visit:

  1. The Internet domain (for example, "youragency.gov" if you connect from a government domain, "yourschool.edu" if you connect from a university's domain, or "xcompany.com" if you use a private Internet access account" and IP address (an IP address is a number that is automatically assigned to your computer whenever you are surfing the Web) from which you access our website;
  2. The type of browser and operating system used to access our site;
  3. The date and time you access our site; and
  4. If you linked to our website from another website, the address of that website.

We use this information to help us make our site more useful to visitors, to learn about the number of visitors to our site, and the types of technology our visitors use. We do not track or record information about individuals and their visits. We do not enable "cookies." (A "cookie" is a file placed on our hard drive by a website that allows it to monitor your use of the site.)

Personal Information on Resumes and Profiles

OSCAR is a job application web site for individuals seeking judicial clerkships and other staff attorney positions with the federal judiciary. Information you submit is stored in OSCAR until it is released for review. There are two steps whereby your information is released for review.

The first is through your completion of the application process, including submittal of all required documents and information, including recommenders. You indicate in OSCAR when your application is ready for release.

OSCAR controls the second step and is based upon your law school graduation date. These dates are published, and are subject to change. Depending upon your graduation status, your application may be immediately released when you indicate that your application is complete, or it may be held by OSCAR for release upon a schedule based on completion of your second year of law school.

Upon release, your information is provided only to judges and court units to which you have specifically applied. However, OSCAR may provide the ability for other judges and court units to search your information, including your application, resume, and writing samples, in an effort to recruit you for openings they may have.

Posting to OSCAR Blog

Postings to the OSCAR blog are considered to be public and not confidential. OSCAR is not responsible for the use made by third parties of any information you post on the blog or any OSCAR chat sites.

Security of Personal Information

OSCAR has implemented financially reasonable technical and organizational measures designed to secure your personal information from accidental loss and from unauthorized access, use, alteration or disclosure. However, we cannot guarantee that unauthorized third parties will never be able to defeat those measures or use your personal information for improper purposes.

If OSCAR becomes aware of accidental or intentional exposure, or disclosure, of your personal information, OSCAR will notify you with the relevant information regarding disclosure, or possible disclosure; to the extent it can be determined.

To identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage, this Official United States Government System employs software programs to monitor network traffic. Unauthorized attempts to upload or change information stored on this system may result in criminal prosecution.

Changes to Privacy Statement

If OSCAR decides to materially change its Privacy Statement, those changes will be prominently posted on the OSCAR web site in advance of implementation.

Contact Information

The Online System for Clerkship Application and Review (OSCAR) is owned by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Thurgood Marshall Federal Judiciary Building, One Columbus Circle, N.E., Washington, DC 20544.