The District Court of the Virgin Islands has notified the public that it will begin soliciting applications for the appointment of a full-time U.S. Magistrate Judge in the Division of St. Croix. The duties of the position are demanding and wide-ranging and include duties such as: (1) conducting most preliminary proceedings in criminal cases; (2) trial and disposition of misdemeanor cases; (3) conducting various pretrial matters and evidentiary proceedings on delegation from the judges of the District Court; and (4) trial and disposition of civil cases upon consent of the litigants. The basic authority of a United States Magistrate Judge is specified in 28 U.S.C. § 636. To be qualified for appointment an applicant must: be, and have been for at least five years, a member in good standing of the bar of the highest court of a state, the District…