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Magistrate vs district court judge

The differences between 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 magistrate and a district court judge. Additionally, a magistrate has an average salary of $210,238, which is higher than the $58,184 average annual salary of a district court judge.

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

Magistrate vs district court judge overview

MagistrateDistrict Court Judge
Yearly salary$210,238$58,184
Hourly rate$101.08$27.97
Growth rate-1%-1%
Number of jobs448,410
Job satisfaction4-
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 54%Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age4646
Years of experience1010

Magistrate vs district court judge salary

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

MagistrateDistrict Court Judge
Average salary$210,238$58,184
Salary rangeBetween $123,000 And $358,000Between $38,000 And $87,000
Highest paying CityPort Saint Lucie, FL-
Highest paying stateTexas-
Best paying companyU.S. District Court-
Best paying industryGovernment-

Differences between magistrate and district court judge education

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

MagistrateDistrict Court Judge
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 54%Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common majorLawLaw
Most common collegeStanford UniversityStanford University

Magistrate vs district court judge demographics

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

MagistrateDistrict Court Judge
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 49.6% Female, 50.4%Male, 55.2% Female, 44.8%
Race ratioBlack 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, 5.6% 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 magistrate and district 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.
  • Show more

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.

Magistrate vs district 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 district court judge skills
  • District Court, 30%
  • Bench Trials, 18%
  • Oral Arguments, 10%
  • Legal Issues, 7%
  • Court Orders, 5%
  • Pre-Trial Conferences, 5%