The Judicial Conference of the United States has authorized appointment of a full-time United States magistrate judge for the Eastern District of Texas, Sherman division, Plano Courthouse. The essential function of courts is to dispense justice. An important component of this function is the creation  and maintenance of diversity in the court system. A community's belief that a court dispenses justice is heightened when the court reflects the community's racial, ethnic, and gender diversity. The duties of the position are demanding and wide-ranging. They include: conducting (1) most preliminary proceedings in criminal cases; (2) trial and disposition of misdemeanor cases; (3) various pretrial matters and evidentiary proceedings on delegation from a district judge; 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.