Notice, Consent, and Reference of a Civil Action to a Magistrate Judge is a legal process by which a federal district court judge can refer a civil case to a magistrate judge for resolution. The process begins when a party to the civil action files a Notice of Consent to Magistrate Judge Jurisdiction, outlining the legal action in question and the parties’ agreement to proceed before the magistrate judge. The court will then enter an order of reference, transferring the case from the district court judge to the magistrate judge. There are two types of Notice, Consent, and Reference of a Civil Action to a Magistrate Judge: voluntary and non-voluntary. A voluntary Notice, Consent, and Reference occurs when both parties agree to the referral of the case to the magistrate judge. A non-voluntary Notice, Consent, and Reference occurs when only one party consents to the referral and the other party does not. In this case, the court may still refer the case to the magistrate judge if it finds that the referral is in the best interest of justice. Once the case is referred to the magistrate judge, the magistrate judge will have the authority to issue orders, conduct hearings, try cases, and issue reports and recommendations to the district court judge. The magistrate judge’s rulings may be appealed to the district court judge, although the district court judge is not obligated to follow the magistrate judge’s recommendation.