Local Rule Civ. RULE 73.1: CIVIL TRIALS BY CONSENT BEFORE UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGES

Civ. RULE 73.1 CIVIL TRIALS BY CONSENT BEFORE UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGES (a) Where the parties consent, each Magistrate Judge is authorized to conduct a jury or nonjury trial in any civil action and order the entry of final judgment in accordance with 28 U.S.C. § 636(c) and Fed. R. Civ. P. 73-76. In the course of conducting proceedings in any civil action upon the consent of the parties, a Magistrate Judge may hear and determine any and all pretrial and post-trial motions including case-dispositive motions. (b) The Clerk shall notify the parties in all civil cases that they may consent to have a Magistrate Judge conduct any or all proceedings in the case and order the entry of a final judgment. Such notice shall be mailed to the parties with the notice of the first pretrial conference. (c) The Clerk shall not accept a consent form for filing unless it has been signed by all the parties in a case. Plaintiff shall be responsible for securing the execution and filing of such a consent form. No consent form will be made available, nor will its contents be made known to any Judge, unless all stated parties have consented to the reference to a Magistrate Judge. No Judge or other Court official may attempt to persuade or induce any party to consent to the reference of any matter to a Magistrate Judge. This Rule, however, shall not preclude a Judge from informing the parties that they may have that option. (d) The consent form shall be filed with the Clerk not later than 21 days after the date of the final pretrial conference. (e) After the consent form has been executed and filed, the Clerk shall so advise the District Judge to whom the case has been assigned. At the direction of the District Judge, the Clerk shall prepare for the District Judge's signature an order referring the case to a Magistrate Judge. Once the case has been referred, the Magistrate Judge shall have the authority to conduct any and all proceedings to which the parties have consented and to direct the Clerk to enter a final judgment in the same manner as if a District Judge had presided. (f) Upon the entry of judgment in a civil case disposed of by a Magistrate Judge on consent of the parties under authority of 28 U.S.C. § 636(c) and L.Civ.R. 73.1, an aggrieved party shall appeal directly to the Court of Appeals in the same manner as an appeal from any other judgment of this Court. Amended: March 1, 2010.