A magistrate can be appointed to help manage the case load in Circuit Courts. Provided they have legal experience and are assigned a case, they can have the exact same powers as a Circuit Court Judge.
A magistrate must be impartial and nonpartisan with all of their decisions when they are working as a judge. They also must be very flexible, as they can have a wide range of duties that change relatively quickly.
Magistrates typically deal with very minor cases, and help alleviate pressure on the Circuit Courts, who have to attend to a plethora of cases and duties every day.