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Judge vs magistrate assistant

The differences between judges and magistrate assistants 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 magistrate assistant. Additionally, a judge has an average salary of $123,457, which is higher than the $49,713 average annual salary of a magistrate assistant.

The top three skills for a judge include legal issues, civil law and international law. The most important skills for a magistrate assistant are background checks, subpoenas, and bonds.

Judge vs magistrate assistant overview

JudgeMagistrate Assistant
Yearly salary$123,457$49,713
Hourly rate$59.35$23.90
Growth rate-1%-1%
Number of jobs1,02676
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 59%Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Average age4646
Years of experience1010

Judge vs magistrate assistant salary

Judges and magistrate assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

JudgeMagistrate Assistant
Average salary$123,457$49,713
Salary rangeBetween $68,000 And $222,000Between $25,000 And $96,000
Highest paying CityJacksonville, FL-
Highest paying stateNew Mexico-
Best paying companyUnited States Courts-
Best paying industryMedia-

Differences between judge and magistrate assistant education

There are a few differences between a judge and a magistrate assistant in terms of educational background:

JudgeMagistrate Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 59%Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common majorLawBusiness
Most common collegeStanford UniversityBoston University

Judge vs magistrate assistant demographics

Here are the differences between judges' and magistrate assistants' demographics:

JudgeMagistrate Assistant
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 50.3% Female, 49.7%Male, 21.9% Female, 78.1%
Race ratioBlack 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, 5.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.6% Asian, 6.3% White, 76.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage10%10%

Differences between judge and magistrate assistant 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.
  • Show more

Magistrate assistant example responsibilities.

  • Provide continuing oversight on the evaluation, hiring, and terminating of independent investment managers
  • Determine dispositions over traffic infractions, evictions, and small claims cases.

Judge vs magistrate assistant skills

Common judge skills
  • Legal Issues, 18%
  • Civil Law, 15%
  • International Law, 14%
  • Legal Services, 12%
  • Defense Counsel, 12%
  • Trial Counsel, 5%
Common magistrate assistant skills
  • Background Checks, 27%
  • Subpoenas, 21%
  • Bonds, 18%
  • Telephone Calls, 18%
  • Legal Research, 17%