The U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida, will appoint a new full-time magistrate judge for the Jacksonville Division.
The annual salary is $229,908. The term of office is eight years. The magistrate judge’s residence and duty station will be in Jacksonville, but the magistrate judge will also have Ocala case responsibilities, and therefore, some travel will be required.
Magistrate judge duties include the power to administer oaths and affirmations, issue orders concerning release or detention of persons pending trial and take acknowledgements, affidavits and depositions.
Magistrate judges have the power to conduct trials, enter a sentence for a petty offense and enter a sentence for a class A misdemeanor in a case in which the parties have consented.
Each candidate must submit a completed application and a recent and in-depth writing sample by 5 p.m. Sept. 3, 2026.
A merit selection panel comprising lawyers and other members of the community will review each application. After interviewing selected applicants, the panel will recommend to the district judges the five applicants whom the panel considers best qualified.
The district court will interview the finalists Oct. 15, 2026, in the Orlando Courthouse.
The new magistrate judge will be appointed only after a satisfactory FBI full-field investigation and IRS tax check.
The appointee must comply with the financial disclosure requirements of the Ethics in Government Act of 1978. Due consideration will be given to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, age, gender, religion, national origin or disability.
Unless the applicant consents to additional disclosure, only the members of the selection panel, the district judges and necessary court staff will view the applications. The selection panel’s and the district judges’ deliberations are confidential.
Visit https://tinyurl.com/mr3ra2ru for more details and to download the application.