magistrate's court

American  

noun

1. a court having limited jurisdiction over minor civil and criminal matters, as matters of contract not exceeding a particular amount of money.

2. police court.

---

magistrates' court British  

noun

1. (in England) a court of summary jurisdiction held before two or more justices of the peace or a stipendiary magistrate to deal with minor crimes, certain civil actions, and preliminary hearings

---

Etymology

Origin of magistrate's court

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

Pictures from the magistrate's court in eastern Uganda show him dressed in a white tunic, or kanzu, and walking with the aid of a crutch under his right arm.

From BBC • Nov. 13, 2023

He was sentenced to two years in prison by a magistrate’s court but the courts suspended his prison sentence in April.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 4, 2023

A magistrate's court in Nairobi found Hassan Wario, who was the sports minister at the time, guilty of abuse of office in connection with the loss of funds.

From Reuters • Sep. 16, 2021

Mathews, the publisher of The Grip and its only reporter, submitted an Open Records Act request to the magistrate’s court, where judges swear in new officers.

From The New Yorker • Sep. 30, 2019

In the magistrate’s court, Sobukwe announced the PAC would not attempt to defend itself, in accordance with their slogan “No bail, no defense, no fine.”

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela