CONDUCT OF TRIALS AND DISPOSITION OF CIVIL CASES BY

MAGISTRATE JUDGES UPON CONSENT OF THE PARTIES – 28 U.S.C. § 636(c) Upon consent of the parties and the entry of an order of referral by a district court judge, magistrate judges are hereby specifically designated, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 636(c), to conduct trials and otherwise dispose of any civil case filed in the court. After an order of referral is entered in a case, a magistrate judge may conduct all proceedings in the case, including the conduct of a jury or nonjury trial, and may order the entry of a final judgment in accordance with 28 U.S.C. § 636(c). In the course of conducting such proceedings, a magistrate judge may hear and determine any pretrial and post-trial motions, including case-dispositive motions. 51