I Googled a bit, and the first place I found with non-lawyer judges is the state of Georgia, where magistrates are elected, and they need a high school diploma.

“To qualify as a magistrate, an individual must have resided in the county for at least one year preceding his or her term of office, be twenty-five years of age, and have a high school diploma”

“Magistrate court jurisdiction includes civil claims of $15,000 or less, dispossessory writs, county ordinance violations, misdemeanor deposit account fraud (bad checks), preliminary hearings, issuance of summons, arrest warrants, and search warrants.”

Link

Most judges are lawyers for many years before becoming judges. No, there’s no shortcut.

As with every other question you’ve asked along these lines – if you want a good career in a specialized field you’re going to have to work for it.

”..if you want a good career in a specialized field you’re going to have to work for it.” I second that.