Local Rule LCvR 73.1: REFERRAL OF CIVIL CASES TO MAGISTRATE JUDGES FOR ALL PURPOSES
D.D.C. — Civil rule
LCvR 73.1 REFERRAL OF CIVIL CASES TO MAGISTRATE JUDGES FOR ALL PURPOSES
(a) CONSENT TO ASSIGNMENT.
By consent of all parties, a magistrate judge may conduct any and all proceedings in a civil case, including trials (with or without a jury), and may thereafter order entry of judgment, in accordance with 28 U.S.C. § 636(c).
(b) PROCEDURE FOR CONSENT.
The Clerk shall notify the parties in writing of their voluntary right to consent to assignment of a civil case to a magistrate judge as soon as practicable after the action is filed. If all parties consent to such an assignment, a notice of consent signed by the parties or their attorneys shall be filed with the Clerk and docketed. The assigned district judge may then issue an order directing reassignment of the case to a magistrate judge.
A notice of consent should be filed prior to entry of a pretrial order under LCvR 16.5 of these Rules. Thereafter, either the district judge or the magistrate judge may again advise the parties of the availability of the magistrate judge, but in so doing, shall also advise the parties that they are free to withhold consent without adverse substantive consequences.
(c) APPEAL TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS.
An appeal from a judgment of a magistrate judge, entered in proceedings under this Rule, shall be taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, in the same manner as an appeal from any other judgment of the district court in a civil case.