Want to make $186, 852? See if you qualify to be a judge in the Ninth Circuit

Applications are invited for the position of

UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE (FULL-TIME)

For the United States District Court for the Northern District of California

Stationed in San Jose

Magistrate judges in the Northern District are authorized to perform the full range of duties provided for magistrate judges under the applicable statute. In particular, the Court encourages civil litigants to consent to the jurisdiction of magistrate judges for all purposes up to and including bench or jury trial, with appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The Court sponsors a comprehensive program of judicially-hosted settlement conferences and other forms of alternative dispute resolution in which the magistrate judges play a critical role. In addition to their work on civil cases for which they have obtained the consent of the parties and on settlement conferences, the magistrate judges may handle pretrial case management and motions on cases assigned to the district judges. With respect to criminal cases, the magistrate judges exercise complete jurisdiction over petty offense and misdemeanor cases and handle preliminary proceedings in felony cases.

The current annual salary of the position is $186,852, and is set at the rate of 92% of the salary of a district court judge. The term of office is eight years, subject to reappointment for continuing eight-year terms thereafter. The judicial retirement system provides for vesting of a partial annuity after eight years, and, after 14 years of service, a magistrate judge is entitled to an annuity equal to the salary of the office, payable at age 65. The other benefits of federal employment apply.

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.

A Merit Selection Panel composed of attorneys and other members of the community will review all applications and confidentially recommend to the judges of the District Court the candidates it considers best qualified. The Court will make the appointment, following an FBI full-field investigation and an IRS tax check of the appointee.

An affirmative effort will be made to give due consideration to all qualified candidates, including women and members of minority groups. Experience in intellectual property law is preferred.

View the post and download the information and application package from the court's website.

Or request by mail to:

Susan Y. Soong, Clerk of Court
U.S. District Court
450 Golden Gate Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94102

Please enclose a self-addressed 9" x 12" envelope, affixed with $1.78 in postage.

Applications must be signed personally by the applicant and must be received by July 1, 2016.

All applications will be kept confidential unless the applicant consents to disclosure, and all applications will be examined only by members of the Merit Selection Panel and the judges of the District Court. The panel's deliberations will remain confidential.