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Justice court magistrates describe heavy magistration workload and ask for supplement or new structure
Summary
Justice court magistrates told commissioners that magistration and PSRS reporting requirements added by recent legislation have dramatically increased their workload — one magistrate said she handled about 838 magistrations since January 1 — and asked for supplemental compensation or other structural changes to handle the load.
Justice court magistrates presented a detailed account of the increased time and paperwork tied to jail magistrations, emergency protective orders and the PSRS reporting required under recent legislation. The magistrates said the work now often requires multiple hours per magistration when probable cause forms, protective-order details or criminal-history checks are incomplete.
"I have done about 838 magistrations since January 1," the magistrate said, noting that recent changes require reports to be entered into statewide systems within tight deadlines and that magistrates frequently must schedule follow-up hearings, amend EPOs and coordinate with pretrial services and the district attorney's office. Magistrates argued that moving to a magistrate-court model or hiring associated magistrates and clerks would require significant infrastructure but could reduce individual judge workloads.
Commissioners responded that supplementing magistrates' pay for extra duties is reasonable in principle but that building a magistrate court and adding permanent staff carries larger fiscal and administrative implications. The court asked staff to model supplement and staffing options for the next budget session.
