The Role of the Federal Magistrate Judge in Civil Justice Reform

Authors

R. Lawrence Dessem, University of Missouri School of LawFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

Fall 1993

Abstract

This Article considers the role of the United States magistrate judge in civil justice reform and, more specifically, the role that the early implementation districts envision for magistrate judges within their own districts. Part I briefly considers the evolution of the office of magistrate judge prior to the enactment of the Judicial Improvements Act of 1990. Part II addresses the treatment of magistrate judges under that legislation. Next, Part III recounts the roles assigned to magistrate judges under the Civil Justice Reform Act in the individual district courts. These varying uses of magistrate judges then will be critiqued in Part IV of the Article, which considers the optimal uses of magistrate judges in civil justice reform.

Recommended Citation

R. Lawrence Dessem, The Role of the Federal Magistrate Judge in Civil Justice Reform, 67 St. John's L. Rev. 799 (1993)