Magistrate Judge

Vacancy Announcement Number 25-07

Magistrate Judge

Duty Station – Cincinnati Courthouse – 100 East Fifth Street

Salary: $227,608

Closing date for receipt of application packets: 11:59 p.m. (EST) on Tuesday, February 10, 2026

Qualified persons interested in being considered for this position must submit a cover letter (include vacancy announcement number, 25-07 Magistrate Judge, and specify qualifications in relation to the position), the magistrate judge application form (Revised 06/21) (available on the Court website), supplemental questions form (Revised 06/21) (available on the Court website), a resume, letters of recommendation (limit
3), and supporting documents. You are highly encouraged to electronically submit your application packet as soon as possible, do not delay.

The Judicial Conference of the United States has authorized the appointment of a full‑time Magistrate Judge for the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio, to fill the vacancy of a Magistrate Judge. The official location of the position will be Cincinnati, Ohio. The appointment term is eight (8) years.

The duties of the position are demanding and wide‑ranging and will include: (1) conducting most preliminary and pretrial proceedings in criminal cases; (2) trial and disposition of misdemeanor cases; (3) conducting various pretrial matters and evidentiary proceedings in civil cases; and (4) trial and disposition of civil cases upon consent of the litigants. The basic jurisdiction of a United States Magistrate Judge is specified in 28 U.S.C. § 636.

The Southern District of Ohio covers a broad geographic area encompassing forty‑eight urban and rural counties from just north of Columbus south to the Ohio River. The District is comprised of over 260 individuals including twenty‑six Judicial Officers, as well as Chambers staff, Clerk’s Office staff, U.S. Probation Office’s staff and U.S. Pretrial Services Office’s staff, located in the Cincinnati, Columbus and Dayton Courthouses.

1) Be, and have been for at least five (5) 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 (5) years.

The court may consider as substitute experience the following, including any combination thereof:

• a. Judge of a state court of record or other state judicial officer.
• b. U.S. magistrate judge, bankruptcy judge, or other federal judicial officer.
• c. Attorney for federal or state agencies.
• d. Up to two years as a law clerk to any judge or judicial officer or as a staff attorney or pro se law clerk in a court.
• e. Other types of substantial legal experience (subsequent to receipt of a law degree or license to practice law), not included in (a) through (d) above, which is suitable as a substitute in the opinion of the majority of the court.

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; be capable of deliberation and decisiveness; and capable of deliberation and decisiveness when required to act on his or her own reason and judgment.

3) Must be less than 70 years old at the time of appointment.

4) Not be related by blood or marriage to a judge of the appointing District Court within the degree specified in 28 U.S.C. § 458.

Please review the extensive federal benefits on the United States Courts website: https://(Use the "Apply for this Job" box below)./benefits

A Merit Selection Panel comprised of attorneys and other members of the community will review all applicants and recommend to the Judges of the District Court, in confidence, those persons it considers best qualified. The Court will review the recommendations and make the final decision.

A commitment to public service is essential.

Visit the U.S. Courts website for citizenship requirements…