4 ms·

I'm not sure about the particular locale mentioned, but in places I've lived, magistrates need no law education of any kind, and have enormous power. https://w

I'm not sure about the particular locale mentioned, but in places I've lived, magistrates need no law education of any kind, and have enormous power. https://www.sccourts.org/summaryCourtBenchBook/HTML/GeneralB.htm#:~:text=Members%20of%20the%20South%20Carolina,which%20he%20is%20to%20serve https://www.sccourts.org/summaryCourtBenchBook/HTML/GeneralB....

etherealG 3y ago
But why? That’s such a strange rule.
barsonme 3y ago
This particular magistrate judge used to be an attorney.
sramam 3y ago
The geekery that is HN. TIL about scroll-to-text-fragment! https://caniuse.com/url-scroll-to-text-fragment https://caniuse.com/url-scroll-to-text-fragment
TheSpiceIsLife 3y ago
Rightly so. You don’t really want the bar to entry for the roll of magistrate to be too high. The page you linked states a magistrate must be at least 21, have a Batchelor’s degree, undergo a training program within one year of commencing the roll, with restrictions on their abilities until that and other milestones are met. This points to the idea that any reasonable adult, with a proven ability to pass at least a baccalaureate, ought be able to administer the law to at least a level of basic competency while they simultaneously commit to the career path by undergoing relevant training. Magistrates who are licensed attorneys have fewer restrictions and can progress faster. Is there some other set of rules you would prefer? Should the average higher-education-qualify adult be prevented from participating in the judiciary? That doesn’t seem like an argument a citizen of a democracy wound intentionally make.
- x86_64Ubuntu 3y ago
  >...That doesn’t seem like an argument a citizen of a democracy wound intentionally make. They are rubber stamping warrant requests without any consideration of the Constitution, how is what I'm proposing anti-democratic?
- genocidicbunny 3y ago
  > Should the average higher-education-qualify adult be prevented from participating in the judiciary? This might be a bit spicy, but I don't think that a bachelors degree should count as higher education anymore. So, no, the average higher-education-qualify adult shouldn't be prevented from participating in the judiciary, but I think the bar for 'higher-education-qualify' should at least be a post-bachelors degree specific to the field.

etherealG 3y ago

But why? That’s such a strange rule.

barsonme 3y ago

This particular magistrate judge used to be an attorney.

sramam 3y ago

The geekery that is HN. TIL about scroll-to-text-fragment! https://caniuse.com/url-scroll-to-text-fragment https://caniuse.com/url-scroll-to-text-fragment

TheSpiceIsLife 3y ago

Rightly so. You don’t really want the bar to entry for the roll of magistrate to be too high. The page you linked states a magistrate must be at least 21, have a Batchelor’s degree, undergo a training program within one year of commencing the roll, with restrictions on their abilities until that and other milestones are met. This points to the idea that any reasonable adult, with a proven ability to pass at least a baccalaureate, ought be able to administer the law to at least a level of basic competency while they simultaneously commit to the career path by undergoing relevant training. Magistrates who are licensed attorneys have fewer restrictions and can progress faster. Is there some other set of rules you would prefer? Should the average higher-education-qualify adult be prevented from participating in the judiciary? That doesn’t seem like an argument a citizen of a democracy wound intentionally make.

x86_64Ubuntu 3y ago
>...That doesn’t seem like an argument a citizen of a democracy wound intentionally make. They are rubber stamping warrant requests without any consideration of the Constitution, how is what I'm proposing anti-democratic?
genocidicbunny 3y ago
> Should the average higher-education-qualify adult be prevented from participating in the judiciary? This might be a bit spicy, but I don't think that a bachelors degree should count as higher education anymore. So, no, the average higher-education-qualify adult shouldn't be prevented from participating in the judiciary, but I think the bar for 'higher-education-qualify' should at least be a post-bachelors degree specific to the field.