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Hi, my clerkship offer letter said this "Pursuant to applicable judicial policies, the Court will also provide you with relocation assistance. The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts will contact you at a later date regarding such assistance."

I am well into my clerkship now, and I didn't want to make a big stink about this at the time, but I incurred thousands of dollars in expenses in this move -- because the clerkship came about very quickly and required me to live out of a hotel for a few days. Does anybody have any experience with this policy and/or has anybody attempted to get reimbursed for these things. I'm not sure if this is boilerplate or if this is something offered for unique clerkships -- like the one I have. Any help or advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I definitely did not get any relocation assistance, but was hired through the normal process.

My understanding is that the judiciary only provides relocation benefits to and from duty locations outside the continental United States--that is, only to and from Hawaii, Alaska, or U.S. territories. If that describes you, then you should reach out to the AO about how to submit those expenses (they will send you a form that needs to be signed off on by your judge--they might also need something from your judge first). If not, then to the best of my knowledge, you are out of luck (but if it says it in your offer letter, I would still ask the judge or JA about it).

I would note, though, that, based on my recollection of the form, I think it is unlikely that you will reimbursed for the hotel rooms you stayed in after you relocated. My understanding is that reimbursements are essentially limited to travel, shipment of goods, and any necessary hotel stays that occurred during the travel. But again, in the event you do seek reimbursement, I would ask.