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LSDefine

Simple English definitions for legal terms

magistrate

Read a random definition: business-to-consumer

A quick definition of magistrate:

A magistrate is a type of judge who can only handle certain types of cases. They can help other judges by doing things like issuing warrants and conducting preliminary hearings. In some states, they are the first judge you see for small problems like landlord-tenant disputes or minor criminal cases. They can't make big decisions like deciding who wins a case, but they are still important in the legal system.

A more thorough explanation:

A magistrate is a type of judge who has limited authority to hear certain issues. They can be found in both federal and state court systems.

In the federal court system, magistrates are judges appointed by the district judges of the court to assist the district court judges. They can:

  • Issue warrants
  • Conduct preliminary proceedings such as arraignments
  • Handle pretrial motions, such as motions to suppress

However, federal magistrates may generally not rule on dispositive matters, such as granting motions for summary judgment.

Some state court systems also have judges with the title of magistrate. For example:

  • In Georgia, each county elects a chief magistrate who serves as the court of first resort for issues such as landlord-tenant disputes, county ordinance violations, preliminary hearings of criminal cases, and other minor issues.
  • In Texas, all judges are defined as magistrates.

These examples illustrate how magistrates can have different roles and responsibilities depending on the court system they are a part of. In both federal and state courts, magistrates have limited authority and are often tasked with handling preliminary matters before a case goes to trial.

MACRS | Magna Carta

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i'm so sorry everyone what the actual fuck this website hates me
WorthlessAttractiveZombie
9:35
Jack's just tweaking on LSD no biggie
to be fair this accurately represents my mental state
election day psychosis coming in hot (fordham)
usc pls pull through .....
i literally just need one A so i can relax before my ED decision
WorthlessAttractiveZombie
9:38
oh that's right USC might release
soapy
9:43
USC still has not looked at my app
WorthlessAttractiveZombie
9:43
when did you submit soapy?
soapy
9:44
10/16
WorthlessAttractiveZombie
9:44
to be fair it took them almost 2 months for me to go under review
soapy
9:44
Feelin a bit stressed, as I've got no date change for Michigan either despite applying 10/7
WorthlessAttractiveZombie
9:45
I have not had a date change either for Mich but I've seen people get in without one so who knows
I applied 9/25 to like 6 schools and some (Houston) have no date change yet so dw
soapy
9:46
But do people get in without addresses going long?
WorthlessAttractiveZombie
9:46
it's tough to tell because a lot of people type out their addresses long to begin with
soapy
9:46
Ah. I didn't. Looking back, my Mich supplement kind of sucks, so there's that
Mich overrated (Dean Z please let me in even tho i didnt apply and I am below both 25ths)
ClassyPleasantHeron
10:01
The "date changes" at Michigan really don't mean anything. We had to do them in undergrad admissions whenever a Georgia applicant picked the country instead of the state, because we'd have to remove the TOEFL requirement and reassign the application from the international application readers.
soapy
10:06
Classy, does that mean they may look at your application, and that look doesn't necessarily trigger any date change?
1a2b3c4d26z
10:06
Man
1a2b3c4d26z
10:07
Walkin to the bus
1a2b3c4d26z
10:07
What a good day to get into law school
ClassyPleasantHeron
10:11
@soapy: I don't know for sure about the law school. For undergrad, once the application is complete, it's assigned to a reader the following Monday. If we had to make any changes, it's because a reader saw something that needed to be changed and the application needed to be re-read after that change.
soapy
10:12
Ahh, got it. Thank you for the insight!
ClassyPleasantHeron
10:14
You're welcome. FWIW, I have no idea what's up with the address changes. We didn't have to do any of that, except for the Georgia state vs country kinds of things.
soapy
10:15
I've heard it theorized that some schools will change the address from "St." --> "Street" as they prepare to send out admissions packets. That's the rumor, anyways.
i think it just indicates a change in status like under review or stages of review
my stanford address went long as soon as it was marked complete lmao
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