U.S. Magistrate Judges — Judicial Business 2019

Overall, civil matters handled by magistrate judges on referral from district judges dropped 2 percent to 354,381. Magistrate judges disposed of more non-dispositive motions (up 3 percent to 226,808) and issued fewer Social Security appeal reports and recommendations (down 11 percent to 4,410). Their total reports and recommendations on final rulings in civil cases not involving prisoners remained stable (down less than 1 percent to 16,200). They held fewer evidentiary hearings than in 2018 (down 5 percent to 1,065).

Civil cases in which magistrate judges were the presiding judges for all proceedings on consent of the parties, including trials, rose 4 percent to 17,817. Of those cases, jury trials were held in 186 cases, and non-jury trials were held in 98 cases.

Magistrate judges handled 244,367 felony pretrial matters, an increase of 14 percent. In felony cases, they ruled on 141,443 non-dispositive motions (up 20 percent) and 3,675 dispositive motions (down 6 percent). Magistrate judges conducted 34,964 felony guilty plea proceedings (up 9 percent).

The number of felony preliminary proceedings handled by magistrate judges rose 11 percent to 539,629. Compared with 2018, magistrate judges handled more initial appearances (up 8 percent to 116,190), search warrant applications (up 16 percent to 115,621), arraignments (up 5 percent to 63,818), arrest warrants/summonses (up 5 percent to 60,842), material witness proceedings (up 9 percent to 8,762), and detention hearings (up 9 percent to 57,808).

Magistrate judges disposed of Class A misdemeanor cases with 4,667 defendants (down 12 percent). This reduction was primarily due to decreases in defendants accused of traffic offenses. Magistrate judges disposed of petty offense cases with 120,970 defendants (up 9 percent). The rise related to petty offense cases stemmed from an increase in defendants charged with immigration crimes (up 14 percent to 91,466).

In cases brought by prisoners, including cases involving habeas corpus petitions and civil rights claims, magistrate judges issued 25,414 reports and recommendations (down 5 percent) and conducted 289 evidentiary hearings (down 27 percent).

Since 2015, the total number of matters disposed of by magistrate judges has increased 22 percent. Magistrate judges have handled more criminal non-dispositive motions (up 39 percent). Data indicating that magistrate judges have handled a larger number of proceedings involving criminal reentry programs (which are related to the supervised release of convicted offenders who have completed their terms of imprisonment) resulted from a continued increase in courts’ providing information on these proceedings, which began to be reported separately in 2013. Magistrate judges have disposed of 32 percent more Class A misdemeanor cases and petty offense cases. Their disposal of felony preliminary proceedings has risen 37 percent, partly because of a 71 percent increase in search warrant applications. Magistrate judges’ duties in civil cases have grown 1 percent, due in part to their having handled more dispositive motions (up 12 percent), although they have handled fewer Social Security appeal reports and recommendations (down 19 percent). Compared with 2015, magistrate judges have concluded 8 percent more civil cases by consent.

For data on the work of magistrate judges, see Table S-17 and the M series of tables.