Help Wanted: Magistrate Judge, Must Be Willing to Evade Bears
Thirty candidates have applied to be a federal magistrate judge hearing mostly misdemeanor cases while serving in a small courthouse that is nothing more than a gray clapboard structure.
But those detriments pale in comparison to the benefits of what is “one of the most scenic jobs in American law”—magistrate judge in Yosemite National Park, the New York Times reports. A panel of lawyers and others is evaluating the candidates, and an appointment is expected by the end of the year.
The courthouse “sits beneath Yosemite Falls, where water cascades thousands of feet to the valley floor,” the story says. “A broad window behind the bench from where the judge presides offers a calming view of the park’s pine, cedar and oak trees, and in the winter, falling snow.”
The judge is permitted to live on park grounds, and he or she will be paid $160,000 a year to hear misdemeanor cases from throughout the park. Felonies are sent to a different courthouse.
Magistrate Judge William Wunderlich resigned from the job because of health concerns. One magistrate judge who filled in for him for two weeks this summer, Larry Boyle, called the setting the “Garden of Eden,” although he recalls having to stay away from a bear encountered on a walk. He told the Times he’s always willing to serve.
“I accept,” he said. “I will unpack my suitcase and stay.”
Also see:
NYT Slide Show: “The Sightseeing Judge”
Fresno Bee: “Yosemite magistrate judge resigns: Wunderlich leaves for health reasons shortly after controversy over noose.”
Eastern District of California: Yosemite Office
