3 uses
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Definition
a judge or judicial official
The exact meaning of magistrate varies widely depending upon the context. For example:
- in the U.S. federal court: assists district court judges by handling minor offenses or administrative tasks such as preliminary hearings (often referred to as a magistrate judge rather than just a magistrate)
- in some U.S. states: a judge in the state court
- in France, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, and other civil law countries: a sitting magistrate is a judge and a standing magistrate is a prosecutor
- in England: may be a volunteer without formal legal training who performs a judicial role with regard to minor matters
- in ancient Rome: a powerful officer with both judicial and executive power
- He told Dad that the whole family would need to come down to the courthouse the next morning and see the magistrate.p. 89.4
- The magistrate would get to the bottom of the matter and decide what measures needed to be taken.p. 89.4
- "That's up to the magistrate," he said.p. 89.5
There are no more uses of "magistrate" in The Glass Castle.
Typical Usage
(best examples)