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Per the uscourts.gov website, term clerks are not eligible for the Thrift Savings Plan (basically, the court's 401k) unless they are coming from another federal position without a break in service. This is not me. But does anybody know whether the courts ever make exceptions to this rule? I'm older and will be coming back to clerk after several years out, and would much prefer to park my 401k in the TSP and not lose out on a year of contributions.

(I expect a "no," but it's much less embarrassing to ask here than it is to ask HR...)

The answer would be no, barring some strange miracle. When I started my federal job, I was a full-time employee but under a full-time temporary status until I passed the bar. I wasn't allowed to contribute during my time in full-time temporary status because I wasn't a permanent employee. It makes sense when you think about it, because people on term contracts won't really retire from that job. The job just ends. Sorry.

See also http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... p?t=214880

That's what I expected. Thanks for the real-talk!