A judicial officer who hears cases in a lower court (10)

I believe the answer is:

magistrate

(Other definitions for magistrate that I've seen before include "JP" , "Capital of Ethiopia" , "Law enforcer" , "Judge" , "Court head" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.