Applications open for Rockford federal magistrate position

It would be an overlong commute for many FWIW readers, but the successful applicant might be highly motivated to relocate: The United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois has announced that it is accepting applications for a magistrate judge position in the Court's Western Division, based in Rockford.

The deadline for the submission of completed applications is 5:00 p.m. on October 17, 2024. Filling this U.S. Magistrate Judge position is contingent upon approval of the Seventh Circuit Judicial Council and of the Judicial Conference Committee on the Administration of the Magistrate Judges System.

The candidate selected will be appointed only upon the successful completion of a Federal Bureau Investigation and Internal Revenue Service background check.

In its notice advertising the pending vacancy, the District Court cautions that the duties of the position of a United States Magistrate Judge are demanding and wide-ranging. The responsibilities of a United States Magistrate Judge are set forth in 28 U.S.C. § 636, and include conducting most preliminary proceedings in federal criminal cases; the trial and disposition of federal misdemeanor cases, as well as civil cases upon consent of the litigants; and conducting various civil pretrial matters, including settlement conferences, discovery supervision, and other proceedings on referral from the district judges of the Court.

If this comes as news to you, you may want to reconsider pursuing this appointment.

Being well-acquainted with what a U.S. Magistrate Judge does is not the sole qualification for appointment. According to the Court's notice announcing the vacancy, to be qualified for appointment as a United States Magistrate Judge, an applicant must

1. 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 (the Court may, in its discretion, substitute certain other legal experience, e.g., experience as a judge, Magistrate Judge, attorney for federal or state agencies, up to two years experience as a law clerk, for the required period of "active practice of law.");


2. be competent to perform all of the duties of the office; be of good moral character, 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;


3. be less than seventy years of age; and


4. not be related to a judge of the district court.

The present annual salary of the position is $223,836. A United States Magistrate Judge who retires after attaining the age of 65 years and serving at least 14 years, whether continuously or not, shall be entitled to receive, during the remainder of the Magistrate Judge's lifetime, an annuity equal to the salary being received at the time the United States Magistrate Judge leaves office.

APPLICATION & APPOINTMENT PROCESS: Applicants must not seek interviews with or submit letters of reference to individual judges or members of the Merit Selection Panel. All applications must be submitted through the U.S. District Court’s application website at: U.S. Magistrate Judge Application.

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, in confidence, a list of the persons whom it considers best qualified. The Court will make the appointment of the person selected to fill the position, subject to a Federal Bureau of Investigation full-field investigation and Internal Revenue Service tax check. The Court makes efforts to give consideration to all qualified candidates, including women and members of minority or marginalized groups.

DEADLINE: The completed application, along with the required waiver forms in the U.S. District Court’s website (U.S. Magistrate Judge – Rockford Vacancy) must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on October 17, 2024.

CONFIDENTIALITY: 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 district judges of the District Court.