Local Rule 72.0: Duties of Magistrate Judge; Referral of Cases to Magistrate Judge; Objections to Report and Recommendations of Magistrate Judge

Rule 72. Duties of Magistrate Judge; Referral of Cases to Magistrate Judge; Objections to Report and Recommendations of Magistrate Judge.

(a) Duties.

(1) General Authorization. The full-time United States magistrate judge is authorized to exercise all the powers and perform all duties conferred upon magistrate judges by 28 U.S.C. § 636, and to exercise the powers stated in the rules governing proceedings under 28 U.S.C. §§ 2254 and 2255.

(2) Other Duties. A magistrate judge is also authorized to:

(A) exercise general supervision of civil and criminal calendars and decide motions to expedite or postpone trials;

(B) conduct pretrial conferences, settlement conferences, omnibus hearings, and related pretrial proceedings in civil and criminal cases;

(C) conduct arraignments in criminal cases not triable by the magistrate judge and take not guilty pleas in such cases;

(D) impanel grand juries and receive grand jury returns under Fed. R. Crim. P. 6(f);

(E) accept waivers of indictment under Fed. R. Crim. P. 7(b);

(F) conduct voir dire and select petit juries for the court;

(G) accept petit jury verdicts in civil cases in the absence of a judge;

(H) conduct necessary proceedings leading to the potential revocation, termination, or modification of supervised release;

(I) issue subpoenas, writs of habeas corpus ad testificandum or habeas corpus ad prosequendum, or other orders necessary to obtain the presence of parties, witnesses, or evidence for court proceedings;

(J) order the exoneration or forfeiture of bonds;

(K) order the withdrawal of funds from the court's registry;

(L) conduct examinations of judgment debtors in accordance with Fed. R. Civ. P. 69; and

(M) perform any additional duty consistent with the Constitution and laws of the United States.

(b) Absence or Unavailability of the Judge. During the absence or unavailability of either the chief judge or district judge, all civil and criminal cases are referred to the magistrate judge under 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1).

(c) Objections to Report and Recommendations. An objection to a report and recommendation of the magistrate judge must be served on all parties and upon the magistrate judge.