28 U.S.C. § 633 — Determination of number, locations, and salaries of magistrate judges

(a) Surveys by the Director. (1) Within one year after the Federal Magistrates Act is enacted, the Director must carefully survey judicial-district^* conditions to determine the number of full-time and part-time magistrate appointments needed for prompt and effective justice, where they should serve, and their salaries under section 634. Later, the Director must make general or local surveys as the conference considers useful. (2) Each survey must consider local conditions, including the area and population served, available transportation and communications, the amount and distribution of business expected before officers appointed under this chapter, including matters assignable under section 636(b), and other material factors. The Director must consider suggestions from interested people and groups, including district judges, United States magistrate judges or other officers appointed under this chapter, United States attorneys, bar associations, and people with relevant experience or information. (3) The surveys must aim to create and maintain a system of full-time United States magistrate judges. If the Director finds that full-time service is not feasible or desirable in an area, the Director must recommend enough part-time judges in locations needed for prompt and efficient process issuance and to bring people charged with United States crimes promptly before a United States judicial officer after arrest.
(b) Determination by the Conference. After the initial surveys, the Director must report recommendations on numbers, locations, and salaries to the district courts, councils, and conference. Each district court^* must advise its council with recommendations and reasons. Each council must advise the conference with recommendations and reasons and report the district courts' recommendations. Considering all these recommendations, the conference must determine the number, locations, and salaries of full-time and part-time United States magistrates. The determinations take effect in each district when that district's court decides, but no later than one year after they are issued.
(c) Changes in number, locations, and salaries. Unless this chapter provides otherwise, the conference may periodically change the number, locations, and salaries of full-time and part-time magistrate judges, considering the recommendations of the Director, district courts, and councils and as the prompt administration of justice requires.