Federal judiciary biography

See also: Authorized Magistrate Judgeships by Location and Authorized Magistrate Judgeships by Fiscal Year

Magistrate judges serve as judicial officers of the U.S.

district courts and exercise the jurisdiction delegated to them by law and assigned by the district judges. Magistrate judges may be authorized to preside in almost every type of federal trial proceeding except for felony cases.

The position of magistrate was established by Congress in 1968 to replace the position of commissioner, a position that had served the federal judiciary since the 1790s.

Federal judiciary biography

In the mid-1960s members of the congressional judiciary committees and judges on the Judicial Conference of the United States recognized the need for revisions to the commissioner system. Commissioners were still paid by a fee system, the appointment process varied from court to court, and there were no uniform criteria for selection.

Members of Congress and federal judges also wanted to relieve