No.

A law degree is not required for all magistrate—or municipal—judge appointments in Arizona. City and town magistrates are appointed under local ordinances, meaning qualifications vary by municipality. In addition to handling matters such as misdemeanors, traffic tickets and city code violations, they can issue warrants or protection orders. 

Arizona’s judicial selection system differs by court level. Appellate and superior court judges are appointed through a merit-based system and must be licensed attorneys, while justice court judges are elected and not required to have law degrees. 

Thirty-two states allow at least some judges, including magistrates, to serve without a law degree, according to the Columbia Law Review.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs, or quick-response fact checks, about trending claims relating to Arizona.

Sources

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The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting is partnering with Gigafact to produce timely fact briefs, or quick-response fact checks, about trending claims relating to Arizona.

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Tallulah Anne is a fact-checker for the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting, working in partnership with Gigafact. Originally from Lewes, England, Tallulah recently earned her bachelor’s degree from ASU’s Cronkite School of Journalism. During her time at the Cronkite School, Tallulah led a national, year-long investigation at the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism, freelanced for the The New York Times and contributed to local news outlets across the state. She is passionate about accountability reporting, survivor-centered storytelling, and building trust through transparency and documentation.