NCJ Number
154073
Date Published
1995
Length
187 pages
Annotation
While the office of magistrate in the U.S. may seem to be an insignificant position without the authority to hold court, in reality magistrates are very important government officials due to their ability to restrain someone's liberty and property, both civilly and criminally.
Abstract
Magistrates are authorized to hold probable cause hearings to determine whether a warrant will be issued, and to determine whether a bond or recognizance will be placed upon the charged individual. The emphasis of this analysis of the role of the magistrate in determining probable cause is placed on cases brought for a hearing before a magistrate and cases that have related issues decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. Following an historical overview of civil rights in the U.S., the book deals with topics including public security; newspapers, parades, and obscenity; personal security; precustodial and detention rights; property security; Miranda warnings; extraordinary evidence; defense of a local police officer in a Federal civil rights case; and the conduct and operation of a State magisterial office.