Magistrate Judges
- William H. Barry Jr. (December 28, 1972 - August 31, 1995)
- James R Muirhead (September 1, 1995 - Pres.)
Magistrate Judges of the District Court
The office of United States Magistrate was created in response to the tremendous work load of the federal court system. During the past fifty years, the dramatic increase in the volume of litigation in America has overburdened the courts. The Federal Magistrates Act of 1968 was an attempt to relieve that burden. The Act abolished the office of United States Commissioner, replacing it with the broader and more powerful office of United States Magistrate, empowered to dispose of a greater range of minor offenses than had been the Commissioners.
The United States Magistrate is a public civil officer in the United States District Court, playing a very similar role to that of a Justice of the Peace in local courts throughout the country. The Magistrate's duties vary from district to district depending on the particular needs of each court, but his or her responsibility always includes handling many of the routine judicial matters which would otherwise fill the dockets of the federal judges. In this sense, the Magistrate and the Clerk work as a team to maintain a judicial system that runs efficiently.
The position of United States Magistrate was created in 1968. However, New Hampshire did not have a magistrate until 1970 when Mr. William H. Barry, Jr. took the position part-time, acting as both Clerk of the District Court and Magistrate. On December 1, 1990, by an Act of Congress, the title Magistrate was changed to Magistrate Judge, 28 USCS 633.
William H. Barry
(1984 - 1995)
William H. Barry Jr. was born in Nashua, New Hampshire on February 3, 1920, and lived there his entire life.
He graduated from Nashua Senior High School in 1947 and recieved an AB in sociology from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., in 1956. He graduated from Suffolk Law School in 1961.
He served in the army during the Korean conflict and was awarded the Purple Heart, the Korean Service Medal with two bronze stars and the United Nations Service Medal.
He was married to Nancy (Collins) Barry and they together they had three children.
Barry practiced law in Nashua and became clerk of the U.S. District Court in Concord in 1969, a job he held until 1984. He was appointed magistrate judge in 1984, and retired from the federal bench in 1995. Following his retirement, he practiced law with his son, William Barry III.
He was a lifelong Democrat, and a delegate to the 1964 Democratic National Convention. He was the Democratic nominee for Congress in 1966. He enjoyed fishing, golfing, and camping.