From 1986 to 1991, Magnuson also served as Jurist in Residence at a number of undergraduate college liberal arts campuses in Minnesota.
Magnuson was also a longtime member of the Board of Directors of the Federal Judges Association, where he held numerous executive offices.
In addition, Magnuson has traveled to some 50 countries where he has encouraged the development of independent, ethical judiciaries in emerging democracies.
[2] In 2009, Magnuson presided over a wrongful death civil suit over the killing of Fong Lee by a Minneapolis police officer.
[3] In the early 2020s, he presided over the federal civil rights cases of the four Minneapolis police officers—Derek Chauvin, Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng, and Thomas Lane—for the murder of George Floyd.