U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey T. Gilbert hesitated for years before applying for a position on the federal bench.As a young lawyer, he had concluded that being a judge was the best job a legal professional could hold.In preparation for that possible career move, Gilbert kept a list of the cases he handled and transferred the application form for a magistrate judgeship from computer to computer as he updated his technology.But he always found a reason — it wasn’t the right time, he had growing children, he was …