- justice of the peace
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justice of the peace: a local judicial official who is empowered chiefly to administer oaths, perform marriage ceremonies, certify documents, and in some states may have additional judicial powers (as to issue summonses)
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam-Webster. 1996.
- justice of the peace
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n.A magistrate with minor local authority, who hears minor criminal and civil cases, performs marriages, and handles other civil matters; most states have replaced justices of the peace with other courts and officers.abbrv.J.P.
The Essential Law Dictionary. — Sphinx Publishing, An imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. Amy Hackney Blackwell. 2008.
- justice of the peace
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(JP)An official who handles minor legal matters such as misdemeanors, small claims actions, marriages, and traffic matters. Dating back to early English Common Law, "JPs" were very common up to the 1950s, but are now primarily found in rural areas from which it is unreasonable for the public to travel to the county seat for minor matters.Category: Small Claims Court & Lawsuits
Nolo’s Plain-English Law Dictionary. Gerald N. Hill, Kathleen Thompson Hill. 2009.
- justice of the peace
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n. A local official, not necessarily an attorney or judge, with jurisdiction over limited matters such as performing weddings or resolving minor civil or criminal complaints.
Webster's New World Law Dictionary. Susan Ellis Wild. 2000.
- justice of the peace
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A judicial officer with limited power whose duties may include hearing cases that involve civil controversies, conserving the peace, performing judicial acts, hearing minor criminal complaints, and committing offenders.
Dictionary from West's Encyclopedia of American Law. 2005.
- justice of the peace
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A judicial officer with limited power whose duties may include hearing cases that involve civil controversies, conserving the peace, performing judicial acts, hearing minor criminal complaints, and committing offenders.
Short Dictionary of (mostly American) Legal Terms and Abbreviations.
- justice of the peace
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(JP)n.a judge who handles minor legal matters such as misdemeanors, small claims actions and traffic matters in "justice courts." Dating back to early English common law, "JPs" were very common up to the 1950s, but they now exist primarily in rural "justice districts" from which it is unreasonable for the public to travel to the county seat for trials of minor matters. In Nevada justices of the peace are lucrative jobs since they perform many of the marriages of elopers from other states, as Nevada has no waiting period from license to wedding. A justice of the peace is usually an attorney, but some states still allow laypersons to qualify by taking a test.
Law dictionary. EdwART. 2013.