the.com/magistrate
the courtroom's first boss, settling small chaos before it learns to wear a suit
means A civil officer who administers the law, typically a judge handling minor or preliminary criminal and civil cases.
from From Latin magistratus, an official, built on magister, master or chief — itself rooted in magis, more or greater. The same magister gives us master, magisterial, and even maestro: all little kings of their domains. The magistrate, then, is literally one of the 'greater' ones, set over the lesser by sheer grammatical seniority.
- ancient roots
- Roman magistrates predate emperors by centuries
- no degree needed
- UK lay magistrates judge unpaid, often without law degrees
- volume game
- Magistrates handle over 90% of UK criminal cases
- power limits
- Their sentencing caps keep big cases moving upward
- name origin
- From Latin magister, meaning master or chief
henry fielding — english novelist who served as magistrate in bow street, london, 1748-1754
stipendiary magistrate system — uk magistrates paid salary (not volunteers) starting 1792 in london
james burton conner — irish magistrate who famously presided over land league trials in 1880s