§ 161 Magistrate defined.

A magistrate is simply a judge or officer who has the legal power to issue an arrest warrant when someone is charged with a crime. This term shows up often in criminal court rules, so it helps to know exactly what it means.

In practice, this means a magistrate is the person who reviews charges against someone and decides whether there's enough reason to have that person arrested. Not every judge handles this task, but any officer with this specific power is considered a magistrate under the law, no matter what their exact job title is.

If you see the word "magistrate" in other criminal procedure rules, it's referring to this kind of officer. It's a functional label based on what powers someone has, not a specific position or courtroom.