A U.S. magistrate judge is a judicial officer of the district court and is appointed by majority vote of the active district judges of the court to exercise jurisdiction over matters assigned by statute, as well as those delegated by the district judges. A full-time magistrate judge serves a term of eight years. Duties assigned to magistrate judges may vary considerably from court to court, and from judge to judge. Generally, however, magistrate judges are involved in criminal cases, including conducting arraignments, and reviewing requested warrants and habeas petitions. They are also often given significant responsibilities in civil cases, attempting to settle cases and handling the pretrial stage of complex cases. Magistrate judges frequently write "opinions," called "Reports and Recommendations," advising district judges on how a case should be resolved. Occasionally, magistrate judges preside over trials (at the consent of the parties). Therefore, a clerkship with a magistrate judge can be very similar to a district court clerkship.
