Justice of the Peace
The Justice of the Peace Court is a constitutional office whose orgins date back to the early days of Texas statehood. Originally it was established in 1362 by King Edward III of England. It has been credited as an intergral part of the Anglo-American system of jurisprudence.
When the American colonies were founded, the office was created by the King, to establish and maintain order. Later, Texas, as a republic, instituted this "grass roots" court as part of it's Constitution in 1836. In 1876 the Texas State Constitution, again, ratified this office as a court with judicial power.
Today, there are approximately 835 Justice of the Peace Courts in the State. This level of the judiciary allows our citizenry a corridor to the valuable and readily available forum for the impartial adjudication of minor conflicts. A court of the people for the people.
Most Texans that have to deal with the court system, do so on the Justice or Municipal Court level. The Justice Court has orginal jurisdiction over Class C Misdemeanors, punishable by fine only. The court also presides over Small Claims suits where the amount in controversy does not exceed $10,000.00.
This court exercises special jurisdiction when hearing cases involving forcible detainer, forcible entry and hearings to determine proper ownership of property seized by law enforcement officials. The Justice of the Peace is a magistrate who reviews probable cause, issues arrest and search warrants, and administers statutory warnings to defendents accused of felony crimes as well as to defendents arrested on warrants issued in other counties.
The Justice of the Peace is a fee officer and collects fines and fees for various civil and criminal cases.