What is a Magistrate Judge and why has my case been referred to one?
All civil cases in the Southern District of New York are assigned to one United States District Judge and one United States Magistrate Judge. A District Judge may refer the case to the Magistrate Judge to handle during different parts of the litigation. For instance, a District Judge may refer the case to the Magistrate Judge to handle all pretrial issues relating to discovery. In addition, the parties may consent to have the entire case handled by the magistrate judge. In such cases, the district judge will take no part in the case.
