ESTATE OF

6 F.3d 656 ESTATE OF Marilyn Marie CONNERS, by its administrator, Howard MEREDITH; Howard Meredith; Lillian Beatty, individuals, as sole heirs of Marilyn Marie Conners, Plaintiffs- Appellees, Cross-Appellants, v. Dennis M. O'CONNOR; Thaddeus Kostrubala, Defendants-Appellants, Cross-Appellees. Nos. 92-15241, 92-16414, 92-16775 and 92-16917. United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. Argued and Submitted May 11, 1993. Decided Oct. 4, 1993. Paul T. Hammerness, Deputy Atty. Gen., San Francisco, CA, for defendants-appellants, cross-appellees. Amitai Schwartz, John H. Scott, San Francisco, CA, Robert M. Brown, Brown & Finney, Tahoe City, CA, for plaintiffs-appellees, cross-appellants. Appeal from the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. Before: BROWNING and CANBY, Circuit Judges, and KELLEHER, * District Judge. CANBY, Circuit Judge: 1 These appeals present the question whether 28 U.S.C. Sec. 636 (b)(1)(A) empowers a federal magistrate judge to enter a final order on a post-judgment motion for attorney's fees. We hold that it does not. 1 I. PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND 2 Following a jury verdict in their favor in a civil rights action under 42 U.S.C.…