Judge vs magisterial district judge

The differences between judges and magisterial district 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 judge and a magisterial district judge. Additionally, a judge has an average salary of $123,457, which is higher than the $58,685 average annual salary of a magisterial district judge.

The top three skills for a judge include legal issues, civil law and international law. The most important skills for a magisterial district judge are district court, appeals, and legal issues.

Judge vs magisterial district judge overview

	Judge	Magisterial District Judge
Yearly salary	$123,457	$58,685
Hourly rate	$59.35	$28.21
Growth rate	-1%	-1%
Number of jobs	1,026	7,658
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	10	10

Judge vs magisterial district judge salary

Judges and magisterial district judges have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Judge	Magisterial District Judge
Average salary	$123,457	$58,685
Salary range	Between $68,000 And $222,000	Between $38,000 And $89,000
Highest paying City	Jacksonville, FL	-
Highest paying state	New Mexico	-
Best paying company	United States Courts	-
Best paying industry	Media	-

Differences between judge and magisterial district judge education

There are a few differences between a judge and a magisterial district judge in terms of educational background:

	Judge	Magisterial District Judge
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	Law	Law
Most common college	Stanford University	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Judge vs magisterial district judge demographics

Here are the differences between judges' and magisterial district judges' demographics:

	Judge	Magisterial District Judge
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 50.3% Female, 49.7%	Male, 56.5% Female, 43.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.5% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 6.4% White, 75.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 5.6% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 6.4% White, 75.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between judge and magisterial district judge duties and responsibilities

Judge example responsibilities.

Prepare jury charges, manage trial docket and handle appeals of SSI disability cases.
Manage, and update all scheduling of events, meetings, and appointments for mediation and arbitration for family law cases.
Docket civil orders on CM/ECF.
Observe civil and criminal trial and appeals proceedings.
Perform extensive research and prepare legal memoranda on domestic relations and probate issues.
Prepare orders and decisions from drafts provide by the assigned AJ.

Magisterial district judge example responsibilities.

Manage, and update all scheduling of events, meetings, and appointments for mediation and arbitration for family law cases.
Serve active warrants and subpoenas and all civil and criminal court orders, investigations and other law enforcement duties.
Perform citations, arrest warrants and subpoenas and investigations.
Perform extensive research and prepare legal memoranda on domestic relations and probate issues.
Perform clerical work by cross-referencing voters' names with their identification.

Judge vs magisterial district judge skills

Common judge skills

Legal Issues, 18%
Civil Law, 15%
International Law, 14%
Legal Services, 12%
Defense Counsel, 12%
Trial Counsel, 5%

Common magisterial district judge skills

District Court, 21%
Appeals, 13%
Legal Issues, 11%
Court Proceedings, 10%
Legal Research, 9%
Social Security, 9%

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Judge vs Magisterial District Judge

Updated January 8, 2025

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