Applications are being accepted for the position of Director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. The director is appointed by the Chief Justice of the United States and serves as the chief administrative officer of the federal courts under the direction and supervision of the Judicial Conference of the United States, the principal policy making body of the federal judiciary. The current director, Leonidas Ralph Mecham, has announced his retirement from the position after serving 20 years.

The director is responsible for the management of the Administrative Office with about 900 employees. The director serves as advocate and liaison for the judicial branch in its relations with Congress and, in that role, works with Congressional committees to secure the judiciary's annual appropriation and executes the judiciary's $6 billion annual budget.

Applications for the position will be reviewed by a search committee appointed by the Chief Justice. The committee is chaired by Chief Judge Michael Boudin, U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, and includes Judge Merrick Garland, U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit; Judge Julia Gibbons, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit; Judge Ricardo Hinojosa, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas; Judge Robert Katzmann, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit; Chief Judge Irene Keeley, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia; and Chief Judge David Levi, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California.

For information on the position qualifications and application requirements, refer to the Supreme Court web site, www.supremecourtus.gov/jobs/jobs.aspx. Applications may be submitted by facsimile (202-479-3485) or overnight mail to: Sally Rider, Administrative Assistant to the Chief Justice, Supreme Court of the United States, One First Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20543. Applications should be received by February 15, 2006.