Status of Magistrate Judge Positions and Appointments — Judicial Business 2023
During this fiscal year, 92 appointments of full-time magistrate judges were made, including 44 new appointments and 48 reappointments. Seven individuals were appointed to part-time magistrate judge positions, including two new appointments and five reappointments. In addition, 94 retired magistrate judges were recalled to service under 28 U.S.C. § 636(h).
The following information is provided pursuant to the reporting requirements of 28 U.S.C. § 604(d)(3). The average age of new appointees to full-time magistrate judge positions was 49 years; the average age of new appointees to part-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; new part-time magistrate judges averaged 25 years of bar membership. Of the new full-time magistrate judges, at the time of their appointments, 16 had been assistant United States attorneys, 12 had been in private practice, 3 had been state court judges, 3 had been assistant federal public defenders, 2 had been state assistant attorneys general, 2 had been general counsel or assistant general counsel, 1 had been a part-time United States magistrate judge, 1 had been a military judge, 1 had been a law clerk, 1 had been a trial attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice, 1 had been a deputy city solicitor, and 1 had been both a United States immigration judge and a colonel in the United States Army reserve.
Through September 2023, the Judicial Conference authorized 562 full-time magistrate judge positions, 25 part-time positions, and 2 combination clerk/magistrate judge positions.
For data on magistrate judge positions, see Table 12.
| Year | Total1 | Full Time | Part Time | Combination2 | Recalled Judges |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 581 | 549 | 29 | 3 | 88 |
| 2020 | 585 | 555 | 27 | 3 | 79 |
| 2021 | 588 | 561 | 25 | 2 | 77 |
| 2022 | 589 | 562 | 25 | 2 | 84 |
| 2023 | 589 | 562 | 25 | 2 | 80 |
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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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