On July 10, 2024, Chief Judge Susan O. Hickey signed General Order 2024-02 providing for the direct assignment of cases filed by current or former prisoners (Nature of Suit Codes 540, 550, 555, or 560) to a United States Magistrate Judge at the time of filing.  The assigned Magistrate Judge will serve as the presiding judge. 

All parties will have twenty-one days from either receipt or service to return a Consent/Reassignment form.  On the form, a party may either check a box indicating the party is consenting to the jurisdiction of the Magistrate Judge or check a box requesting reassignment to the District Judge.  Please note: Even if a case is reassigned to a District Court Judge as the presiding judge, the case will remain referred to the Magistrate Judge for disposition of all pretrial matters in accordance with Rule 72.1(VIII)(B) of the Local Rules for the Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas. 

The purpose of General Order 2024-02 is to encourage more consent cases in order to use our Magistrate Judges more effectively and ease the case load of the District Court Judges, resulting in the more efficient resolution of all cases.