NC Magistrates
Certification Program
About the SOG Judicial College’s Certification Program for Magistrates
The Judicial College offers magistrates the opportunity to become certified upon completion of a specific combination of courses, seminars and sessions offered by the School of Government Judicial College. Two types of certifications are offered, one in criminal law and the other in civil law. Magistrates may be certified in either civil or criminal law or both. Participation in the Certification Program is entirely optional, and no advance application or declaration of interest is required. The purpose of the certification program is to acknowledge and document the commitment and accomplishments of magistrates who pursue a focused course of study in these areas. There is no time limit within which the required courses must be completed.
The requirements for certification in each track are set out below. Not all courses are offered annually. Judicial College courses previously attended are eligible for credit if they fall into the categories set below. Credit toward certification is not available, however, for viewing of recordings of online trainings after the date that they were offered live. If there is a question about whether a course is eligible for credit, the course material will be reviewed by a School of Government faculty member to determine if it meets the criteria for a civil law or criminal law course. Note: Sessions on topics taken during Basic School for Magistrates do not count towards requirements needed for certification.
Civil Law Certification (five components):
Special Topic Seminar in Small Claims (previously titled Introduction to Small Claims II, Landlord-Tenant Law, or Advanced Small Claims)
One One-Day Civil Law Seminar (previously titled Regional One-Day Seminars for Magistrates: Small Claims) or six hours of small claims, involuntary commitment, or domestic violence protective order sessions at the Magistrates’ Fall and/or Spring Conferences
Either Involuntary Commitment for Magistrates or Domestic Violence for Magistrates
Criminal Law Certification (five components)
Presiding Over DWI Cases: What Magistrates and District Court Judges Need to Know (previously titled DWI and Related Offenses)
One One-Day Criminal Law Seminar (previously titled Regional One-Day Seminars for Magistrates: Criminal Law) or six hours of criminal law sessions at the Magistrates’ Fall and/or Spring Conferences
The procedure for seeking certification is simple:
- Each November the Judicial College will notify magistrates that they may file a request for certification. Applications will be accepted for two months.
- In addition to completing the online request form, magistrates will be required to provide written documentation from the AOC Learning Management Center verifying their completion of the required training events. We encourage applicants to download their transcript and have it ready prior to completing the online form. Instructions on how to download a transcript from the AOC's website are listed on the submission form.
- The Judicial College will publish a list of the newly certified magistrates, in addition to issuing a letter of certification and formal certificate.
We hope that most of your immediate questions are answered in the FAQ’s document which may be accessed here. If you have additional concerns, please reach out to Melanie Crenshaw or Brooke Cale.