Job Details for U.S. Magistrate Judge
| Court Name/Organization | Florida Southern District Court |
| Overview of the Position | The Judicial Conference of the United States has authorized the appointment of a full-time United States Magistrate Judge for the Southern District of Florida at Miami, Florida. This appointment will succeed an incumbent who will retire on Jan. 31, 2026. The essential function of courts is to dispense justice. An important component of this function is the creation and maintenance of diversity in the court system. A community’s belief that a court dispenses justice is heightened when the court reflects the community’s diversity. |
| Location | Miami, FL |
| Opening and Closing Dates | 09/23/2025 - 10/26/2025 |
| Appointment Type | Permanent |
| Salary | Starting: $227,608 |
| Link to Court Careers Information | https://www.flsd.uscourts.gov/news/magistrate-judge-vacancy-%E2%80%93-miami-0 |
| Link to Job Announcement | |
Position Description
The duties of the position are demanding and wide ranging, including, but not limited to: 1) conduct of most preliminary proceedings in criminal cases; 2) trial and disposition of misdemeanor cases; 3) conduct of various pretrial matters and evidentiary proceedings on delegation from the Judges of the District Court; 4) trial and disposition of civil cases upon consent of the litigants; and 5) assist the District Court with any “additional duties as are not inconsistent with the Constitution and Laws of the United States.” The basic authority of the U.S. Magistrate Judge is found in Title 28, U.S. Code, Section 636.
Learn about the types of Federal Judges - Types of Federal Judges
Qualifications
To be qualified for the appointment an applicant must:
- Be, and have been for at least five years, a member in good standing of the bar of the highest court of a state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Territory of Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or the Virgin Islands of the United States, and have been engaged in the active practice of law for a period of at least five years (with some substitutes authorized);
- Be competent to perform all the duties of the office; be of good moral character; be emotionally stable and mature; be committed to equal justice under the law; be in good health; be patient and courteous; and be capable of deliberation and decisiveness;
- Be less than 70 years old; and
- Not be related to a Judge of the District Court.
Miscellaneous
The duties of the position are demanding and wide ranging, including, but not limited to: 1) conduct of most preliminary proceedings in criminal cases; 2) trial and disposition of misdemeanor cases; 3) conduct of various pretrial matters and evidentiary proceedings on delegation from the Judges of the District Court; 4) trial and disposition of civil cases upon consent of the litigants; and 5) assist the District Court with any “additional duties as are not inconsistent with the Constitution and Laws of the United States.” The basic authority of the U.S. Magistrate Judge is found in Title 28, U.S. Code, Section 636.
Learn about the types of Federal Judges - Types of Federal Judges
Application Info
Review the full Notice of Vacancy and access the application form.
Applications must be submitted only by applicants personally to Flsd_magistratejudgerecruitment@flsd.uscourts.gov.
All applications will be kept confidential, unless the applicant consents to disclosure, and all applications will be examined only by members of the Merit Selection Panel and the District Judges of the Court. The panel’s deliberations will remain confidential. The Court’s policy is that once an application has been submitted, applicants should not initiate contact with members of the Merit Selection Panel. Applicants may, however, respond to inquiries initiated by Panel members.
Instructions for completion and submission of the application are included on each application form. Completed applications must be received by 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 26, 2025.
The federal Judiciary is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.