Judge Dennis Cavanaugh has chaired the Judicial Conference Committee on the Administration of the Magistrate Judges System since 2006. He was a U.S. magistrate judge for the District of New Jersey from 1993 to 2000, when he was appointed to the federal bench as a U.S. district judge in the District of New Jersey.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Peter Palermo in the Southern District of Florida and U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul Komives in the Eastern District of Michigan, each taking their oath of office in early 1971, share their intimate knowledge of the magistrate judges system— having served on the bench for its entire history.

Take a look at the milestones of U.S. Magistrate Judges from the signing of the Federal Magistrates Act in 1968 to this year's 40th anniversary.

Last fiscal year, U.S. magistrate judges disposed of a total of 948,086 matters in the courts. View a chart illustrating how their workload contribution to the U.S. district courts breaks down.

Congress passed and the President has signed a Continuing Resolution (CR) to keep government funded and running through March 6, 2009. The CR will fund agencies, including the Judiciary, at FY 2008 levels until March.

It’s the first rule of evidence relating to privilege that Congress has enacted in the 30 years since the Rules Enabling Act was passed. The new Federal Rule of Evidence, Rule 502, facilitates discovery and reduces its costs.

“We have resources available in the federal courts with our senior and other judges who are willing to take intercircuit assignments,” said Judge J. Frederick Motz (D. Md.). “We owe it to the public to make the most effective use of those resources.”

The Judiciary’s new Decision Support System gives probation and pretrial services officers access to a veritable warehouse of data, with an array of tools to easily analyze and report the information.

Recipients of the 2008 Administrative Office Exemplary Service Awards made noteworthy achievements in support of the federal courts.