Both Uses of
magistrate
in
Sycamore Row
- A U.S. magistrate presided and did so with little interest.†
p. 259.5magistrate = judicial official
- The magistrate asked repeatedly for some authority, from anywhere in the nation, but there was none.†
p. 259.6 *
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