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Judge vs magistrate

The differences between judges and magistrates 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. Additionally, a magistrate has an average salary of $210,238, which is higher than the $123,457 average annual salary of a judge.

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

Judge vs magistrate overview

JudgeMagistrate
Yearly salary$123,457$210,238
Hourly rate$59.35$101.08
Growth rate-1%-1%
Number of jobs1,02644
Job satisfaction-4
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 59%Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age4646
Years of experience1010

Judge vs magistrate salary

Judges and magistrates have different pay scales, as shown below.

JudgeMagistrate
Average salary$123,457$210,238
Salary rangeBetween $68,000 And $222,000Between $123,000 And $358,000
Highest paying CityJacksonville, FLPort Saint Lucie, FL
Highest paying stateNew MexicoTexas
Best paying companyUnited States CourtsU.S. District Court
Best paying industryMediaGovernment

Differences between judge and magistrate education

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

JudgeMagistrate
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 59%Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common majorLawLaw
Most common collegeStanford UniversityStanford University

Judge vs magistrate demographics

Here are the differences between judges' and magistrates' demographics:

JudgeMagistrate
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 50.3% Female, 49.7%Male, 49.6% Female, 50.4%
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, 5.6% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 6.4% White, 75.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage10%10%

Differences between judge and magistrate 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.
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Magistrate example responsibilities.

  • Issue various types of processes including: arrest warrants, summonses, search warrants, subpoenas, and civil commitments.
  • Prepare subpoenas and dockets for municipal court proceedings.
  • Issue various types of processes such as arrest warrants, summonses, bonds, search warrants, and medical detention orders.
  • Issue criminal and civil summonses.
  • Advise defendants of their rights, set bonds, and accept pleas.
  • Accept payments of bonds set by magistrates, and district and superior court judges.
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Judge vs magistrate skills

Common judge skills
  • Legal Issues, 18%
  • Civil Law, 15%
  • International Law, 14%
  • Legal Services, 12%
  • Defense Counsel, 12%
  • Trial Counsel, 5%
Common magistrate skills
  • Legal Research, 16%
  • District Court, 12%
  • Legal Issues, 10%
  • Legal Principles, 9%
  • Phone Calls, 7%
  • Criminal History, 6%