Description
The Judicial Conference of the United States has authorized the appointment of a full-time United
States Magistrate Judge for the Western District of Pennsylvania at Pittsburgh. The vacancy will
occur as of June 3, 2027 upon the retirement of current United States Magistrate Judge Patricia L.
Dodge. The courts provide fair and impartial justice within the jurisdiction conferred by the
Constitution and Congress. Public trust and confidence are enhanced when the judiciary’s
workforce is highly competent and dedicated to the cause of justice. The judiciary can and should
strive to recruit and retain the best and the brightest from all backgrounds and life experiences.
The duties of the position are demanding and wide-ranging and will include, but are not limited
to: (1) trial and disposition of civil cases upon consent of the litigants; (2) trial and disposition of
misdemeanor cases; (3) conduct of various pretrial matters including motions to dismiss, motions
for summary judgment and discovery motions, and evidentiary proceedings on reference from the
judges of the District Court; (4) conduct of most preliminary proceedings in criminal cases. The
basic authority of a United States Magistrate Judge is specified in 28 U.S.C. § 636.
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;
(2) Have been engaged in the active practice of law for a period of at least five years
(with some substitutes authorized);
(3) Be competent to perform all the duties of the office, of good moral character,
emotionally stable and mature, committed to equal justice under the law, in good
health, patient, courteous, and capable of deliberation and decisiveness;
(4) Be less than 70 years old; and
(5) Not be related to a judge of the district court.
The court may consider as substitute experience for the active practice of law any combination of
the following:
- Experience as a judge of a state court of record or other state judicial officer.
- Experience as a United States magistrate judge, bankruptcy judge, or other federal judicial officer.
- Experience as an attorney for federal or state agencies.
- Experience as a law clerk to any judge or judicial officer, or as a staff attorney, or pro
se law clerk in a court (limited to two years). - Other legal experience suitable as a substitute in the opinion of the court.
A merit selection panel composed of attorneys and other members of the community will review
all applicants and recommend to the district judges in confidence the five persons it considers best
qualified. The court will make the appointment following an FBI full-field investigation and an
IRS tax compliance check of the applicant selected by the court for appointment. The individual
selected must comply with the financial disclosure requirements pursuant to the Ethics in
Government Act of 1978, Pub. L. No. 95-521, 92 Stat. 1824 (1978) (as amended) (codified at 5
U.S.C. §§ 13101-13111) as implemented by the Judicial Conference of the United States. The
current annual salary of the position is $229,908. The term of the appointment is 8 years.
This public notice and the Application for United States Magistrate Judge form are available on
the Court’s website at http://www.pawd.uscourts.gov/employment or may be obtained from the
Clerk’s Office at each of the United States Courthouses located at:
- Joseph F. Weis Jr Courthouse, Suite 3110, 700 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15219;
- U.S. Courthouse, 17 South Park Row, Room A-150, Erie, Pennsylvania 16501; and
- U.S. Courthouse, 208 Penn Traffic Building, 319 Washington Street, Johnstown, Pennsylvania
15901
Completed applications and any attachments should be emailed as one PDF to the attention of
Brandy S. Lonchena, Clerk of Court at PAWD_MJApplications@pawd.uscourts.gov or
alternatively, applications and any attachments may be hand delivered or mailed to:
Brandy S. Lonchena, Clerk of Court
Attention: Magistrate Judge Position-Pittsburgh
United States District Court, Western District of Pennsylvania
Joseph F. Weis, Jr. U.S. Courthouse
700 Grant Street, Suite 3110
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
Applications must be personally completed by potential nominees and must be received via email
or in person or mail at the address above by 4:00 p.m. on September 28, 2026.
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 United States
District Judges of the District Court. The panel’s deliberations will remain confidential.
Brandy S. Lonchena
Clerk of Court
412-208-7500
THE DISTRICT COURT IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
