UPDATE 9/6/2017:  The public comment period for this reappointment is now closed.
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The current term of office of part-time United States Magistrate Judge B. Paul Briones is due to expire on March 20, 2018. The United States District Court is required by law to establish a panel of citizens to consider the reappointment of the magistrate judge to a new four-year term.
 
The duties of a magistrate judge in this court include the following: (1) conducting most preliminary proceedings in criminal cases, (2) trial and disposition of misdemeanor cases, (3) conducting various pretrial matters and evidentiary proceedings on delegation from a district judge, and (4) trial and disposition of civil cases upon consent of the litigants.
 
Comments from members of the bar and the public are invited as to whether the incumbent magistrate judge should be recommended by the panel for reappointment by the court and should be addressed as follows:
U.S. District Court, CONFIDENTIAL – ATTN: Magistrate Judge Merit Selection Panel
333 Lomas Blvd. NW, Suite 270
Albuquerque, NM 87102
 
Comments must be received by September 5, 2017.