All the magistrate judge is in this case is essentially a scheduler. Its a formality. The judge does nothing in this case. The trial will not be held in front of her. I dont believe she even decides bail. Newsworthy? Meh. Below the fold or inside. Not A1.
Magistrate judges have way more authority than u think in criminal cases. Its not like civil cases. They sign warrants, set bond, oversee discovery, etc
Okay, long and short. Is it a conflict? Yes, but small. Should they continue on the case? Probably Not. Will they oversee the case? Nope. If it was the trial judge, I'd be outraged. (See also "Cannon, Aileen") This? Meh. (1/2)
If the magistrate judge wants to keep their name out of the headlines and avoid all of this hoopla, they should recuse because of the possible appearance of impropriety. If the government wants to avoid an appellate issue, they need to recuse. I absolutely get your point and what youre saying.
There’s no appellate issue here whatsoever. And every judge is going to have their name in the headlines in a case like this one.