Status of Magistrate Judge Positions and Appointments - Judicial Business 2015

This year, 87 appointments of full-time magistrate judges were made, including 51 new appointments and 36 reappointments. Nine individuals were appointed to part-time magistrate judge positions, four of them by reappointment. In addition, 68 retired magistrate judges were recalled to service under Title 28 U.S.C. § 636(h).

The following information is provided pursuant to the requirements of 28 U.S.C. § 604(d)(3). The average age of new appointees to full-time magistrate judge positions was 50 years. The average age of new appointees to part-time magistrate judge positions was 49 years. New full-time appointees had been members of the bar for an average of 22 years at the time of appointment; new part-time magistrate judges also averaged 22 years of bar membership. Of the new full-time magistrate judges, at the time of their appointments, 25 had been in private practice, 12 had been assistant U.S. attorneys, 3 had been assistant federal public defenders, 3 had been part-time U.S. magistrate judges, 3 had been state court judges, 2 had been federal public defenders, 2 had been general counsels, and 1 had been an assistant state district attorney.

Through September 2015, the Judicial Conference has authorized 536 full-time magistrate judge positions, 34 part-time positions, and 3 combination clerk/magistrate judge positions.

For data on magistrate judge positions, see Table 13.