U.S. Magistrate Judges — Judicial Business 2024

Overall, civil matters handled by magistrate judges on referral from district judges rose 4 percent to 440,675. Increases occurred primarily in orders on non-dispositive motions in the category of other civil cases (i.e., civil cases that are not classified as prisoner cases or Social Security appeals), which rose 7 percent to 173,955; reports and recommendations issued on dispositive motions in other civil cases (up 7 percent to 16,868), and settlement conferences and mediations held in other civil cases (up 6 percent to 18,578).

Magistrate judges handled fewer matters related to prisoner litigation and Social Security cases. In prisoner cases, they issued 1,312 fewer reports and recommendations, issued 2,189 fewer orders on non-dispositive motions, handled 102 fewer motion hearings/arguments, and held 18 fewer evidentiary hearings. For Social Security cases, magistrate judges issued 2,290 reports and recommendations on dispositive motions (down 2 percent), 5,733 orders on non-dispositive motions (down 13 percent), and 3,027 grants of in forma pauperis status (down 16 percent). 

The number of duties performed by magistrate judges in civil cases in which magistrate judges were the presiding judges for all proceedings on consent of the parties, including trials, rose 7 percent to 71,849. The number of civil cases terminated by magistrate judges grew slightly more than 3 percent to 17,374. Of those cases, jury trials were held in 134 cases, and non-jury trials were held in 55 cases.

Magistrate judges handled 257,304 felony pretrial matters, an increase of 8 percent. In felony cases, they ruled on 168,903 non-dispositive motions (up 7 percent) and issued reports and recommendations on 2,564 dispositive motions (up 12 percent). Magistrate judges conducted 34,884 felony guilty plea proceedings (up 19 percent).

The number of felony preliminary proceedings handled by magistrate judges rose 13 percent to 536,780. Compared with 2023, magistrate judges handled more search warrant applications (up 28 percent to 208,366), complaints (up 8 percent to 40,962), initial appearances (up 6 percent to 95,407), detention hearings (up 8 percent to 47,917), preliminary examinations (up 20 percent to 21,479), arraignments (up 6 percent to 47,552), and attorney appointments (up 9 percent to 6,883). Magistrate judges handled fewer summonses (down 4 percent to 10,877), material witness proceedings (down less than 1 percent to 6,650), and bail reviews, forfeitures, and Nebbia hearings (down 2 percent to 7,942). The number of arrest warrants handled by magistrate judges remained relatively unchanged (a decrease of less than 1 percent to 42,745).

Magistrate judges disposed of Class A misdemeanor cases with 3,069 defendants (down 15 percent) and disposed of petty offense cases with 39,047 defendants (up 50 percent).

In cases brought by prisoners, including cases involving habeas corpus petitions and civil rights claims, magistrate judges issued 19,534 reports and recommendations (down 6 percent) and conducted 145 evidentiary hearings (18 fewer than in 2023).

Since 2020, the total number of matters disposed of by magistrate judges has increased 6 percent. Magistrate judges have handled more felony preliminary proceedings (up 14 percent), felony pretrial matters (up 12 percent), and civil cases on consent (up 5 percent). The number of civil matters they have handled on referral from district judges has dropped 3 percent. Compared with 2020, magistrate judges have handled fewer Class A misdemeanor cases (down 6 percent), petty offense cases (down 30 percent), reports and recommendations in Social Security appeals (down 34 percent), and reports and recommendations in prisoner cases (down 22 percent).

For data on the work of magistrate judges, see the M series of tables.