The magistrate (King of diamonds) may or must choose someone during the night to be placed in protective custody the following day, as a protection against daytime lynching. The moderator may announce the name of the protected person at the beginning of the daytime, and this person cannot be accused for that day. You may also play that they have been removed to protective custody and cannot debate or vote.

Note - We tried the Magistrate on 3/11/99, with poor results. We played protective custody, with the result that, at the end of the game, if the Magistrate sequesters a civilian, he can make it impossible to kill Mafia, which is a somewhat anticlimactic ending.

Note - The Magistrate was brought back into existence 6/24/99; however, the sequesteree could still cast a vote to convict. However, he could not debate or be lynched. Further, the Magistrate was given the option of sequestering someone. This was much more successful.