(a) GENERAL DUTIES.
The United States Magistrate Judges appointed by this Court pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 631
shall have the duty and the power to:
(1) Administer oaths and affirmations and take acknowledgments, affidavits and
depositions.
(2) Order the return or the forfeiture of collateral or surety bonds.
(3) Issue subpoenas, writs of habeas corpus ad testificandum, or habeas corpus ad
prosequendum, or other orders necessary to obtain the presence of parties or
witnesses or evidence needed for court proceedings.
(4) Supervise proceedings conducted pursuant to letters rogatory in accordance with
28 U.S.C. § 1782.
(5) Conduct proceedings and enter orders as described in LCvR 73.1.
(6) Conduct hearings and enter orders regarding persons believed to be mentally ill
found in certain federal reservations, in accordance with 21 D.C. Code §§ 901-
909.
(7) Consider petitions by adopted persons to open adoption records of the Court.
(b) POWERS EXERCISED AT THE REQUEST OF A DISTRICT JUDGE.
At the request of the district judge to whom the case is assigned, a magistrate judge shall
have the duty and power to:
(1) Conduct proceedings and enter orders or recommendations as described in LCvR
72.2 and LCvR 72.3 of these Rules.
(2) Enter scheduling orders and exercise other powers provided in Fed. R. Civ. P. 16
and 26(f), and LCvR 16.4 and LCvR 16.5 of these Rules.
(3) Serve as a special master in civil actions pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 53.
(4) Conduct voir dire and select petit juries in civil cases with the consent of the
parties.
(5) Accept petit jury verdicts in civil cases in the absence of a district judge.
(6) Conduct examinations of judgment debtors and other persons in accordance with
Fed. R. Civ. P. 69.
(7) Perform any additional duty not inconsistent with the Constitution and laws of the
United States.
COMMENT TO LCvR 72.1: The Rule has been revised to remove any references to criminal
procedure. Section (a)(7) has been added to preserve the responsibility that was originally
located in Section 8(B) of the Civil Justice Expense and Delay Reduction Plan, which has been
eliminated. Section (b)(7) has been moved from section (a) to make clear that the stated duties
may be performed only at the request of a district judge.
