In ancient Rome, the word magistratus referred to one of the highest offices of state. Analogous offices in the … See more

Under the civil law systems of European countries, such as Belgium, France, Italy and the Netherlands, magistrat (French), magistrato (Italian) and magistraat (Dutch) are generic terms which comprise both prosecutor… See more

Magistrates hear 'summary offences' and some 'triable-either-way offences' in the Courts of England and Wales. In 2021, there were 12,651 magistrates, a number that has fallen steadily in recent years, decreasing … See more

Magistrate, or chief magistrate, is also a common translation of the Chinese xianzhang (县长/縣長 literally: county leader) the political head of a county or xiàn/hsien (县/縣) which ranks in the third level of the … See more

• The British humorist P.G. Wodehouse wrote in one of his Jeeves and Wooster stories, "Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit" (1955), "Well, you know what magistrates are. The lowest form of pond life. When a fellow hasn't the brains and … See more