DUTIES TO BE PERFORMED BY MAGISTRATE JUDGES
(a) General. It is the intent of this Rule that Magistrate Judges perform all
duties permitted by 28 U.S.C. § 636(a), (b)(1)(A), or other law where the standard of
review of the Magistrate Judge's decision is clearly erroneous or contrary to law. Specific
duties are enumerated in (b) and (c); however, those described duties are not to be
considered a limitation of this general grant.
Magistrate Judges will perform the duties described in 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1)(B)
and Fed. R. Civ. P. 53 upon specific designation of a District Judge or by designation in
(b) and (c).
(b) Duties to Be Performed in Criminal Matters by a Magistrate Judge
Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 636(a), (b)(1)(A), (b)(1)(B), (b)(3), or Other Law.
(1) All pretrial matters in felony criminal actions except motions to
suppress evidence, motions to quash or dismiss an indictment or information, motions to
discover the identity of an informant, motions for severance, and entry of pleas of guilty;
(2) Preliminary proceedings in felony probation or supervised release
revocation actions;
(3) All pretrial, trial, and post-trial matters in any misdemeanor action
(including petty offenses and infractions), see Fed. R. Crim. P. 58; L.R. 421;
(4) Supervision of proceedings conducted pursuant to letters rogatory or
letters of request;
(5) Receipt of indictments returned by the grand jury in accordance with
Fed. R. Crim. P. 6(e)(4), 6(f);
(6) Conduct of all proceedings contemplated by Fed. R. Crim. P. 1, 3, 4,
5, 5.1, 9, 40, 41, except Rule 41(e) post-indictment/information motions and Rule 41(f)
motions in felony actions made at any time; included within this grant are applications for
mobile tracking devices (18 U.S.C. § 3117), pen registers or trap and trace devices (18
U.S.C. § 3121 et seq.), applications for retrieval of electronic communications records (18
U.S.C. § 2701 et seq.), and applications for disclosure of tax return information (26 U.S.C.
§ 6103);
(7) Motions to exonerate bail;
(8) Extradition proceedings, 18 U.S.C. § 3181 et seq.;
(9) Upon specific designation of a Judge and consent of the parties, jury
voir dire in criminal actions.
(c) Duties to Be Performed in Civil Matters by a Magistrate Judge
Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 636(a), (b)(1)(A), (b)(1)(B), (b)(3), or Other Law.
(1) All discovery motions, including Fed. R. Civ. P. 37 motions, and
supervision of proceedings conducted pursuant to letters rogatory or letters of request;
all stipulations and motions relating to protective orders and sealing documents submitted
or filed for hearing before discovery cutoff;
(2) Supervision of proceedings conducted pursuant to letters rogatory or
letters of request;
(3) All pretrial motions pursuant to the Supplemental Rules for Admiralty
or Maritime Claims and Asset Forfeiture Actions, except a motion for injunctive relief, for
judgment on the pleadings, for summary judgment, to dismiss for failure to state a claim
upon which relief can be granted, and to dismiss an action involuntarily;
(4) Review of petitions in civil commitment proceedings under Title III of
the Narcotic Addict Rehabilitation Act;
(5) Proceedings under 46 U.S.C. §§ 2302, 4311(d), and 12309(c);
(6) All motions for specific leave of court for the making of deposits into
the registry of the Court, and all motions for orders providing for special placement of
deposits, see L.R. 150;
(7) All motions brought pursuant to the Federal Debt Collections
Procedures Act of 1990, 28 U.S.C. § 3001 et seq.;
(8) Applications for writs of entry in connection with the enforcement of
Internal Revenue Service tax liens;
(9) Petitions to enforce Internal Revenue Service summonses filed
pursuant to 26 U.S.C. §§ 7402(b) and 7604(a);
(10) Petitions to quash administrative summonses filed pursuant to 26
U.S.C. § 7609(b)(2);
(11) Examinations of judgment debtors in accordance with Fed. R. Civ.
P. 69;
(12) Settlement conferences as may be calendared;
(13) In Fresno, all pretrial scheduling conferences and the final pretrial
conference;
(14) All applications for interim disbursement under L.R. 202(f);
(15) Actions brought under Title 42 of the United States Code to review a
final decision of the Commissioner of Social Security, including dispositive and non-
dispositive motions and matters;
(16) Actions involving federally insured student loans, 20 U.S.C. § 1071
et seq., including dispositive and non-dispositive motions and matters;
(17) Actions brought by a person in custody who is seeking habeas
corpus relief (28 U.S.C. § 2241 et seq.), or any relief authorized by 42 U.S.C. § 1981 et
seq., Bivens or the Federal Tort Claims Act including dispositive and non-dispositive
motions and matters;
(18) Upon specific designation of a Judge, jury verdicts in civil actions;
(19) Motions for entry of default judgment under Fed. R. Civ. P. 55(b)(2);
(20) Enforcement of L.R. 271 as provided in L.R. 271(i);
(21) In Sacramento, all actions in which all the plaintiffs or defendants are
proceeding in propria persona, including dispositive and non-dispositive motions and
matters. Actions initially assigned to a Magistrate Judge under this paragraph shall be
referred back to the assigned Judge if a party appearing in propria persona is later
represented by an attorney appearing in accordance with L.R. 180.
(d) Retention by a District Judge. Notwithstanding any other provision of this
Rule, a Judge may retain any matter otherwise routinely referred to a Magistrate Judge.
Applications for retention of such matters, however, are looked upon with disfavor and
granted only in unusual and compelling circumstances.
