Status of Magistrate Judge Positions and Appointments — Judicial Business 2020
During this fiscal year, 86 appointments of full-time magistrate judges were made, including 34 new appointments and 52 reappointments. Four part-time magistrate judges were reappointed. In addition, 95 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. New full-time appointees had been members of the bar for an average of 22 years at the time of appointment. Of the new full-time magistrate judges, at the time of their appointments, 11 had been assistant United States attorneys, 10 had been in private practice, 2 had been state court judges, 2 had been assistant federal public defenders, 2 had been federal defender program staff attorneys, 2 had been law clerks, 1 had been a clerk of court, 1 had been a federal public defender, 1 had been a court unit executive, 1 had been a state general counsel, and 1 had been a deputy general counsel.
Through September 2020, the Judicial Conference authorized 555 full-time magistrate judge positions, 27 part-time positions, and 3 combination clerk/magistrate judge positions.
For data on magistrate judge positions, see Table 13.
| Year | Total1 | Full Time | Part Time | Combination2 | Recalled Judges |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 573 | 537 | 33 | 3 | 70 |
| 2017 | 576 | 541 | 32 | 3 | 75 |
| 2018 | 579 | 547 | 29 | 3 | 85 |
| 2019 | 581 | 549 | 29 | 3 | 90 |
| 2020 | 585 | 555 | 27 | 3 | 95 |
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1 Total does not include recalled magistrate judges. 2 According to 28 U.S.C. § 631(c), with the approval of the Judicial Conference, a clerk or deputy clerk of a court may be appointed as a part-time magistrate judge. |
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