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General magistrate vs district court judge

The differences between general magistrates and district court judges can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 8-10 years to become both a general magistrate and a district court judge. Additionally, a general magistrate has an average salary of $69,134, which is higher than the $58,184 average annual salary of a district court judge.

The top three skills for a general magistrate include legal research, and . The most important skills for a district court judge are district court, bench trials, and oral arguments.

General magistrate vs district court judge overview

General MagistrateDistrict Court Judge
Yearly salary$69,134$58,184
Hourly rate$33.24$27.97
Growth rate-1%-1%
Number of jobs41,7858,410
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeDoctoral Degree, 50%Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age4646
Years of experience1010

General magistrate vs district court judge salary

General magistrates and district court judges have different pay scales, as shown below.

General MagistrateDistrict Court Judge
Average salary$69,134$58,184
Salary rangeBetween $42,000 And $113,000Between $38,000 And $87,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between general magistrate and district court judge education

There are a few differences between a general magistrate and a district court judge in terms of educational background:

General MagistrateDistrict Court Judge
Most common degreeDoctoral Degree, 50%Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common majorLawLaw
Most common collegeUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel HillStanford University

General magistrate vs district court judge demographics

Here are the differences between general magistrates' and district court judges' demographics:

General MagistrateDistrict Court Judge
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 54.5% Female, 45.5%Male, 55.2% Female, 44.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 4.1% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 6.2% Asian, 5.0% White, 80.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 5.6% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 6.5% White, 75.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage10%10%

Differences between general magistrate and district court judge duties and responsibilities

General magistrate example responsibilities.

  • Handle all aspects of arbitration proceeding from fact gathering to witness testimony to, determination and authoring/rendering decision.
  • Handle all aspects of arbitration proceeding from fact gathering to witness testimony to, determination and authoring/rendering decision.

District court judge example responsibilities.

  • Manage, and update all scheduling of events, meetings, and appointments for mediation and arbitration for family law cases.
  • Perform extensive research and prepare legal memoranda on domestic relations and probate issues.
  • Train in Westlaw and Lexis-Nexis.
  • Perform clerical work by cross-referencing voters' names with their identification.

General magistrate vs district court judge skills

Common general magistrate skills
  • Legal Research, 100%
Common district court judge skills
  • District Court, 30%
  • Bench Trials, 18%
  • Oral Arguments, 10%
  • Legal Issues, 7%
  • Court Orders, 5%
  • Pre-Trial Conferences, 5%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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