U.S. District Court accepting applications for two magistrate judge positions

The Northern District of Illinois has announced openings for two Magistrate Judge positions, one to serve in Chicago, the other in Rockford.

The deadline for applications is 4:30 p.m. on Friday, October 12.

Applications can be accessed via this page on the Northern District's website. According to that website, "Consideration will only be given to those who apply through the court's online applicant tracking system and provide a cover letter and resume."

Persons seeking both positions must apply for both vacancies.

Persons who applied for vacancies earlier this year must submit new applications in order to be considered for these new vacancies.

To be eligible to serve as a Magistrate Judge 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, 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;
• be competent to perform all of 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 seventy years of age; and
• not be related to a judge of the district court.

A Merit Selection Panel composed of attorneys and other members of the community will review all applications and recommend to the judges of the Court a list of the persons whom it considers best qualified.

The Court will make the appointment following a Federal Bureau of Investigation full-field investigation and Internal Revenue Service tax check of the person selected to fill the position. An affirmative action effort will be made to give consideration to all qualified candidates, including women and members of minority groups.

All applications will be kept confidential, except as necessary for the Merit Selection Panel to perform its duties, and all applications will be examined only by members of the Merit Selection Panel and the judges of the District Court.