NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE  U. S. DISTRICT COURT, MIDDLE DISTRICT OF PA

For Immediate Release
August 13, 2009

MARTIN C. CARLSON IS APPOINTED TO SERVE AS A MAGISTRATE JUDGE IN THE HARRISBURG DIVISION OF THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT, MIDDLE DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA

On behalf of the Board of Judges of the United States District Court, Middle District of Pennsylvania, Chief Judge Yvette Kane today released the following statement: “I am delighted to confirm that Martin C. Carlson has been appointed by the Court to serve as Magistrate Judge in the Harrisburg Division of the Middle District of Pennsylvania.”

Mr. Carlson is well known throughout the Middle District as an exceptionally talented trial attorney and as a dedicated public servant. For over thirty years, he served the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District as an Assistant United States Attorney, First Assistant, and then United States Attorney. Attorney Carlson quickly earned the respect of the court and his peers for his honest and straightforward manner. He is universally respected as a tireless advocate who administered his office in a fair and even-handed manner. A native of Pennsylvania, Mr. Carlson was educated at the University of Pennsylvania Law School and Penn State University. He resides in Cumberland County with his wife and daughters.

The Court was assisted in the appointment process by a committee of practicing attorneys and community representatives, chaired by Joseph Metz, Esquire, of the Harrisburg office of the Dilworth Paxson law firm. The vacancy to which Mr. Carlson ascends is a newly created position, authorized based on the growing caseload in the Harrisburg Division of the Middle District.

With Mr. Carlson’s appointment, the District will be served by four full-time Magistrate Judges and one part-time Magistrate Judge. Magistrate Judges preside over misdemeanor criminal cases and conduct preliminary proceedings in felony cases. They also manage pretrial aspects of civil cases and preside over civil cases with consent of the parties. The Middle District of Pennsylvania includes 33 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, and holds court in Williamsport, Harrisburg and Scranton.

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