Federal magistrate judges shoulder burdens that otherwise would weigh down their life-tenured colleagues on the federal trial bench, according to Chief U.S. District Judge Rebecca R. Pallmeyer of the Northern District of Illinois.“Magistrate judges untie knotty discovery problems and they nudge attorneys to do their work,” she said in remarks Wednesday. “They conduct initial appearances and detention hearings in criminal cases, injecting calm and compassion when emotions are high.” But best of all, Pallmeyer said, “they …