Status of Magistrate Judge Positions and Appointments — Judicial Business 2018

During this fiscal year, 95 appointments of full-time magistrate judges were made, including 43 new appointments and 52 reappointments. Six individuals were appointed to part-time magistrate judge positions, five of them by reappointment. In addition, 85 retired magistrate judges were recalled to service under 28 U.S.C. § 636(h).

The following information is provided pursuant to the reporting requirement 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 43 years. New full-time appointees had been members of the bar for an average of 21 years at the time of their appointments; new part-time magistrate judges averaged 17 years of bar membership. Of the new full-time magistrate judges, at the time of their appointments, 22 had been in private practice, 9 had been assistant United States attorneys, 3 had been state court judges, 2 had been general counsel, 2 had been law clerks, 2 had been assistant federal public defenders, 1 had been a part-time United States magistrate judge, 1 had been an associate deputy attorney general, and 1 had been a clerk of court.

Through September 2018, the Judicial Conference has authorized 547 full-time magistrate judge positions, 29 part-time positions, and 3 combination clerk/magistrate judge positions.

For data on magistrate judge positions, see Table 13.