Justices of the peace are judges who handle both civil and criminal cases, including small claims court, justice court, and administrative hearings. In practical terms, these are lawsuits over debts, evictions, car accidents, unlawful towing, and property.

Their criminal workload involves disposing of all class C criminal misdemeanor complaints, such as traffic citations, issuance of bad check, and others. These cases involve payment, setting contested cases for trial, and pretrial hearings with the county prosecutor.

Other duties include presiding over peace bond hearings, reviewing applications for mental health or chemically dependent commitments, conducting compulsory school attendance trials, and giving warnings to juveniles required by law. They issue warrants for and conduct hearings concerning seizure and disposition of cruelly treated animals. Most justices of the peace perform marriage ceremonies as well.

In Alabama, justices of the peace were once common, but their role has largely been replaced by other judicial officers. Alabama does not currently have justices of the peace. Instead, district courts handle the types of cases that justices of the peace would traditionally oversee. District courts in Alabama have jurisdiction over civil matters, small claims (disputes involving $6,000 or less), evictions, and misdemeanors, including traffic violations and other Class C misdemeanors. District court judges also preside over preliminary hearings in felony cases. For issues such as mental health commitments, Alabama has probate courts that handle these matters. Additionally, district court judges or other authorized officials, such as probate judges, may perform marriage ceremonies. The specific duties and procedures for handling these cases are governed by Alabama state statutes and rules of court.