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• magistrate's court
  magistrate's court

  noun

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

  noun

  (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

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.

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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

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Etymology

Origin of magistrate's court

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

The defense had earlier disputed whether the magistrate's court had extraterritorial jurisdiction over the posts she published aboard, but they abandoned the dispute as she didn't remove the content.

From Reuters • Nov. 3, 2023

The move by a magistrate’s court follows similar actions in early August against Apple and the Wikimedia Foundation that hosts Wikipedia.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 17, 2023

Potter will be extradited to the state of Victoria, where he will be presented at the magistrate's court on Tuesday.

From BBC • Feb. 21, 2022

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

The first stage took place in a magistrate’s court.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela