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Presiding judge vs magistrate

The differences between presiding 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 presiding judge and a magistrate. Additionally, a magistrate has an average salary of $210,238, which is higher than the $58,627 average annual salary of a presiding judge.

The top three skills for a presiding judge include legal research, jury trials and election process. The most important skills for a magistrate are legal research, district court, and legal issues.

Presiding judge vs magistrate overview

Presiding JudgeMagistrate
Yearly salary$58,627$210,238
Hourly rate$28.19$101.08
Growth rate-1%-1%
Number of jobs5144
Job satisfaction-4
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 58%Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age4646
Years of experience1010

Presiding judge vs magistrate salary

Presiding judges and magistrates have different pay scales, as shown below.

Presiding JudgeMagistrate
Average salary$58,627$210,238
Salary rangeBetween $38,000 And $89,000Between $123,000 And $358,000
Highest paying City-Port Saint Lucie, FL
Highest paying state-Texas
Best paying company-U.S. District Court
Best paying industry-Government

Differences between presiding judge and magistrate education

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

Presiding JudgeMagistrate
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 58%Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common majorLawLaw
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaStanford University

Presiding judge vs magistrate demographics

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

Presiding JudgeMagistrate
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 53.6% Female, 46.4%Male, 49.6% Female, 50.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 5.6% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 6.4% White, 75.6% 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 presiding judge and magistrate duties and responsibilities

Presiding 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 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

Presiding judge vs magistrate skills

Common presiding judge skills
  • Legal Research, 39%
  • Jury Trials, 19%
  • Election Process, 16%
  • Legal Issues, 14%
  • General Supervision, 13%
Common magistrate skills
  • Legal Research, 16%
  • District Court, 12%
  • Legal Issues, 10%
  • Legal Principles, 9%
  • Phone Calls, 7%
  • Criminal History, 6%