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i understand for 1L summer it's a good idea to work for a judge, but does it matter in which court? like federal vs. state, civil vs criminal, trial vs. appellate. i get the feeling that some are more prestigious than others, but can't exactly figure out the exact rankings. all i know now is that federal > state. would someone be able to rank these, in terms of what is mot prestigious for 2L recruiting and other opps. and how hard would it be to get a job at the lower ranked courts?

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Interning for any judge would be a great idea. Employers do not seem to place a strong emphasis on the type of judge you interned for, but it's always a good idea to work for a judge in the city/state you'd like to practice in.

Generally, this my hierarchy (both for what "looks best" and difficulty of obtaining):
1. U.S. Circuit Judge
2. U.S. District Judge / State Highest Appellate Court Judge
3. U.S. Magistrate Judge / U.S. Bankruptcy Judge / State Intermediate Appellate Court Judge
4. State Trial Court Judge (general jurisdiction)
5. State Trial Court Judge (limited jurisdiction, like county courts, juvenile, probate, etc.)

Specialty federal courts (such as U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, U.S. Tax Court, U.S. Court of Federal Claims, and so forth) probably fall in category two.

The list above is fluid. For example, if you are particularly interested in bankruptcy practice, then interning for a bankruptcy judge might be a better choice than interning for a district judge. Similarly, if you are interested in juvenile representation, interning for a state juvenile court judge could be a better choice than interning for a judge at a state trial court of general jurisdiction.

If you cast a wide net, it's not that difficult get an internship with a federal trial-level judge or state judge of any type. Good luck!