Appointments of Magistrate Judges - Judicial Business 2013

This year, 67 appointments of full-time magistrate judges were made, 36 of them new appointments and 31 reappointments. Of the 36 new appointments, one was for a newly created position. Sixteen individuals were appointed to part-time magistrate judge positions, 13 of them by reappointment. In addition, 56 retired magistrate judges were recalled to service under 28 U.S.C. § 636(h), with 2 of them serving on a recall basis in more than one district.

The average age of new appointees to full-time magistrate judge positions was 49 years. The average age of new appointees to part-time magistrate judge positions was 45 years. New full-time appointees had on average 22 years of bar membership; new part-time magistrate judges had on average 19 years of bar membership. Of the new full-time magistrate judges, at the time of their appointments, 13 had been in private practice, 12 had been assistant U.S. attorneys, 6 had been assistant federal public defenders, and one each had been a part-time U.S. magistrate judge, state court judge, law clerk, county public defender, and deputy chief of staff in the state legislature.

For 2013, the Judicial Conference authorized 531 full-time magistrate judge positions, 40 part-time magistrate judge positions, and 3 combination clerk/magistrate judge positions.

For data on magistrate judge positions authorized by the Judicial Conference since 2009, see Table 13.