Magistrate vs circuit court judge

The differences between magistrates and circuit 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 magistrate and a circuit court judge. Additionally, a magistrate has an average salary of $210,238, which is higher than the $57,974 average annual salary of a circuit court judge.

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

Magistrate vs circuit court judge overview

	Magistrate	Circuit Court Judge
Yearly salary	$210,238	$57,974
Hourly rate	$101.08	$27.87
Growth rate	-1%	-1%
Number of jobs	44	1,339
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	10	10

Magistrate vs circuit court judge salary

Magistrates and circuit court judges have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Magistrate	Circuit Court Judge
Average salary	$210,238	$57,974
Salary range	Between $123,000 And $358,000	Between $38,000 And $87,000
Highest paying City	Port Saint Lucie, FL	-
Highest paying state	Texas	-
Best paying company	U.S. District Court	-
Best paying industry	Government	-

Differences between magistrate and circuit court judge education

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

	Magistrate	Circuit Court Judge
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Most common major	Law	Law
Most common college	Stanford University	University of Richmond

Magistrate vs circuit court judge demographics

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

	Magistrate	Circuit Court Judge
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 49.6% Female, 50.4%	Male, 45.6% Female, 54.4%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 5.5% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 6.3% White, 75.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between magistrate and circuit court judge duties and responsibilities

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.

Circuit 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.
Perform clerical work by cross-referencing voters' names with their identification.

Magistrate vs circuit court judge skills

Common magistrate skills

Legal Research, 16%
District Court, 12%
Legal Issues, 10%
Legal Principles, 9%
Phone Calls, 7%
Criminal History, 6%

Common circuit court judge skills

Legal Research, 29%
Circuit Court, 24%
Legal Issues, 20%
Appeals, 16%
Jury Trials, 5%
Law Enforcement, 3%

Magistrate vs. similar jobs

Magistrate related careers

Magistrate related jobs

What similar roles do

Judge responsibilities

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Magistrate vs Circuit Court Judge

Updated January 8, 2025

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