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There barely was enough time to congratulate U.S. Magistrate Judge Aaron Goodstein on his retirement before he was back on the bench.
He officially retired June 30, 2010, but was on recall status just a day later, resuming a full caseload in the Milwaukee division of the Eastern District of Wisconsin.
A quirk of the federal system lets magistrates go on recall status, instead of the perhaps better known semi-retired senior status, almost immediately after retirement.
"If you want to continue and they have work for you, it's a marriage," said Goodstein, who began his legal career in 1967 as a law clerk for U.S. District Judge Myron Gordon.
By 1979, Goodstein was appointed magistrate, fulfilling an interest in judicial work that was sparked in law school when he heard traffic ticket and other cases as a student court justice.
His title changed around 1990 from magistrate to magistrate judge.
"Many people did not understand what a magistrate was," he said. "It's similar to the bankruptcy judges, who used to be known as referees, as if they wore striped shirts and blew whistles."
His work has remained largely the same during 33 years on the bench. Goodstein handles about 100 cases at any time, balancing a combination of civil cases, which magistrates handle from start to finish, and criminal cases,...