magistrate

American  

[maj-uh-streyt, -strit] / ˈmædʒ əˌstreɪt, -strɪt /

noun

1. a civil officer charged with the administration of the law.

2. a minor judicial officer, as a justice of the peace or the judge of a police court, having jurisdiction to try minor criminal cases and to conduct preliminary examinations of persons charged with serious crimes.

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magistrate British  

/ ˈmædʒɪˌstreɪt, -strɪt /

noun

1. a public officer concerned with the administration of law

2. another name for justice of the peace

3. the former name for district court judge

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Other Word Forms

• magistrateship noun

Etymology

Origin of magistrate

1350–1400; Middle English magistrat < Latin magistrātus magistracy, magistrate, equivalent to magist ( e ) r master + -ātus -ate ³

Example Sentences

Judge Allison Goddard, a magistrate judge in Southern California, uses AI tools to edit opinions, prepare lists of questions to ask lawyers at hearings and summarize portions of briefs in her written rulings.

From The Wall Street Journal

The government has launched a recruitment drive for thousands of new magistrates to volunteer in England and Wales as part of its efforts to grapple with the crown court backlog.

From BBC

He has had six custodial sentences, including three for unspecified crimes in magistrates' courts in the 1990s, the Ministry of Justice said.

From BBC

It delivered some of its cuts by shutting court rooms, and by 2022, eight crown court centres and more than 160 magistrates courts were gone, according to ministerial answers to parliamentary questions.

From BBC

He is due to appear before Oxford magistrates on Thursday.

From BBC