NC Magistrates

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 Judicial College seminars and general training events. 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. Courses previously attended are eligible for credit if they fall into the catergories set below. 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.

Civil Law Certification (five components):

• Judicial Decision-Making

• Introduction to Small Claims

• Special Topic Seminar in Small Claims (formerly Introduction to Small Claims II, Landlord-Tenant Law, or Advanced Small Claims)

• One One-Day Civil Law Seminar (formerly 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)

• Judicial Decision-Making

• Advanced Criminal Procedure

• DWI and Related Offenses

• Domestic Violence for Magistrates
  

• One One-Day Criminal Law Seminar (formerly 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:

1. Each fall the Judicial College will notify magistrates that they may file a request for certification anytime within an identified period.
2. 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. Instructions on how to download a transcript from the AOC's website are listed on the submission form.
3. 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. Ifyou have additional concerns, please reach out to Melanie Crenshaw or Brooke Cale.