Langstaff named as new magistrate

It became official today Albany attorney Thomas Langstaff will replace  Richard Hodge as the U.S. federal magistrate judge in Albany. Hodge recently retired due to an illness.

Albany City Attorney Nathan Davis was among a host a candidates for the judgeship. Langstaff, who was an unsuccessful candidate for the at-large Dougherty County Board of Education seat in 2008, is the brother of Albany City Commissioner Bob Langstaff. A licensed attorney since 1986, he is active in Dixie Youth baseball. He and his wife, Virginia, have four children. They live in the Lake Park neighborhood of Albany.

The Albany division is one of five divisions of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, which serves 70 counties. By law, magistrate judges are given substantial authority to handle a wide range of both civil and criminal matters which come before the federal court. However, it is up to each district to determine the proper utilization of magistrate judges.

Magistrate judges must be at least five-year members in good standing of a bar of the highest court of a state and not related by blood or marriage to a judge of the appointing court. The court appoints a merit selection panel (similar to a judicial nomination commission) to receive applications. Finalists are then interviewed by all of the district judges in the district, who make the final selection.

In 1990, Congress changed the title of this office from “United States magistrate” to “United States magistrate judge” to emphasize that the position is a judgeship. The term of office is eight years, but the judge can be reappointed upon satisfactory performance.