magistrate

In modern usage, a magistrate is a judge or lawyer who hears cases in courts. In the United Kingdom, the term magistrate usually refers to a volunteer of the Magistrates' Courts, whereas in North America it refers to an officer of the state. Formerly, in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest ranking government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a magistrate has limited law enforcement and administration authority. In civil law systems, a magistrate may be a judge in a superior court, where the magistrates' court might have jurisdiction over civil and criminal cases. A related but not always equivalent term is chief magistrate which historically can denote a political and administrative officer.

Een magistraat is in principe iedereen die is verkozen of benoemd in een openbaar bestuursambt. In de praktijk wordt de term tegenwoordig alleen nog gebruikt bij de rechterlijke macht en bij burgemeesters.

Le terme magistrat est né dans la Rome antique et il est toujours utilisé aujourd'hui, mais ne recouvre pas la même notion. Un magistrat aujourd'hui est une personne ayant un pouvoir judiciaire.

Magistrat kallas en myndighet vars uppgifter varierar i olika länder:

• Magistrat i Finland
• Magistrat i Sverige
• Magistrat i antikens Rom
• Berlins magistrat