Update on Magistrate Judges in the District of Delaware

The U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware continues to consider the best allocation of judicial resources now that it has a full complement of four District Court Judges and four Magistrate Judges, following the swearing in of new U.S. Magistrate Judge Jennifer L. Hall.

Chief Judge Leonard P. Stark recently told an audience that there will be an initial period of approximately one year where two District Judges will be paired with two Magistrate Judges: (1) Chief Judge Stark and Judge Maryellen Noreika will be paired with Chief Magistrate Judge Mary Pat Thynge and Magistrate Judge Hall; and (2) Judge Richard G. Andrews and Judge Colm F. Connolly will be paired with Magistrate Judge Christopher J. Burke and Magistrate Judge Sherry R. Fallon. For this initial period, substantive referrals (e.g., scheduling, discovery disputes, motions, etc.) will be made principally within these groupings. The Court anticipates that following this initial period, every District Judge will work with every Magistrate Judge without permanent fixed pairings.

The assignment of Magistrate Judges to mediation will not be included as part of the initial paired groupings. Mediation assignments will continue to be administered by Chief Magistrate Judge Thynge.

Magistrate Judge Hall was officially sworn in as the newest Delaware Magistrate Judge on June 8, 2019. The District had not yet announced a date for her formal investiture, but it is expected to occur in the fall of 2019.

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