Magistrate Judge

The Judicial Conference of the United States has authorized the appointment of a full-time United States magistrate judge for the District of Nevada with a duty station (chambers) in Reno, Nevada. The position replaces retiring Magistrate Judge Carla L. Baldwin.

The duties of the magistrate judge position are demanding and wide-ranging, including: (1)

conduct of most preliminary proceedings in criminal cases; (2) trial and disposition of misdemeanor cases; (3) conduct of various pretrial matters and evidentiary proceedings on delegation from a district judge; and (4) trial and disposition of civil cases upon consent of the litigants. The basic authority of a United States magistrate judge is specified in 28 U.S.C. 636.  The current annual salary of the position is $229,908.  The term of office is eight years.

To be qualified for appointment an applicant must:

1. Be, and have been for at least five years, a member in good standing of the bar of the highest court of a state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Territory of Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or the Virgin Islands of the United States, and have been engaged in the active practice of law for a period of at least five years (with some substitutes authorized);
2. Be competent to perform all the duties of the office; be of good moral character; be emotionally stable and mature; be committed to equal justice under the law; be in good health; be patient and courteous; and be capable of deliberation and decisiveness;
3. Be less than 70 years old; and
4. Not be related to a judge of the district court.

The court will appoint a merit selection panel (Panel) composed of attorneys and other members of the community to assist in the selection process.  The order appointing the Panel will be posted on the courts website.   The Panel will review all applicants and determine the candidates who should be given further consideration. The Panel will interview the top candidates and recommend to the court in confidence the five persons it considers best qualified.

The court will interview the final candidates, whose names will remain confidential.  The court will make the appointment following an FBI full-field investigation and an IRS tax check of the applicant selected by the court for appointment. The individual selected must comply with the financial disclosure requirements of the Ethics in Government Act of 1978, Pub. L. No. 95-521, 92 Stat. 1824 (1978) (codified at 5 U.S.C. app. 4 101-111) as implemented by the Judicial Conference of the United States.

The essential function of the court is to dispense justice. An important component of this function is the creation and maintenance of diversity in the court system. A communitys belief that a court dispenses justice is heightened when the court reflects the communitys racial, ethnic, and gender diversity.  All qualified candidates will be considered. The federal judiciary is an equal opportunity employer, values a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture, and encourages candidates of all gender identities, races, ethnicities, national origins, sexual orientations, parental statuses, physical abilities, religious affiliations, or the lack thereof, socio-economic backgrounds, veteran status, and geography, as well as those age 40 and over to apply.

A public announcement of the appointment will be made upon the successful completion of the background check, which may take four months or more to complete. It is anticipated that the selection process will be completed by March 2027.  The remaining applicants will then be notified of the outcome of the application process.

Application forms are available on the courts website (www.nvd.uscourts.gov). Applications must be submitted only by each applicant personally. Applications should be emailed to NVD_Recruitment@nvd.uscourts.gov.  Applications must be received by 4: 00 p.m. on Monday, August 31, 2026.   Questions may be directed to Debra Kempi, Clerk of Court at 702-464-5456.

All applications will be kept confidential, unless the applicant consents to disclosure, and all applications will be examined only by members of the Panel and the judges of the district court. The Panels and the judges deliberations will remain confidential.

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