What is Magistrate court in South Carolina?

The Magistrate Courts are courts in South Carolina that have jurisdiction over trial cases involving offenses with a fine not exceeding $500 or imprisonment not exceeding 30 days.

What is common pleas court in South Carolina?

Cases heard in the Court of Common Pleas involve civil disputes between two or more parties. The party initiating the action is the plaintiff, the party against whom the action is brought is the defendant.

What crimes go to magistrates court?

Magistrates are trained, unpaid members of their local community, who work part-time and deal with less serious criminal cases, such as minor theft, criminal damage, public disorder and motoring offences.

What happens at a magistrate court?

At the Magistrates’ Court, your trial will be heard either by a District Judge or by a bench of lay Magistrates. The Magistrates or the District Judge decides on matters of law (for example whether evidence is admissible) and fact (for example have you done what the prosecution say you have done?).

What kind of cases does the Magistrates Court hear?

Magistrates deal with three kinds of cases:

• Summary offences. These are less serious cases, such as motoring offences and minor assaults, where the defendant is not usually entitled to trial by jury.
• Either-way offences.
• Indictable-only offences, such as murder, manslaughter, rape and robbery.

What is the difference between a judge and a magistrate in Family court?

Magistrates have fewer and more limited powers than judges. They can hear different types of cases. Judges generally hear larger, more complex cases while magistrates hear smaller matters such as petty crime and traffic offenses. Magistrates have a smaller area of jurisdiction such as a city or county.

How long can magistrates court sentence you?

If the case is to be dealt within a magistrates’ court, the defendant(s) are asked to enter a plea. If they plead guilty or are later found to be guilty, the magistrates can impose a sentence, generally of up to six months’ imprisonment for a single offence (12 months in total), or a fine of an unlimited amount.