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 Montana, justices of the peace are judicial officers who preside over a variety of legal matters at the local level. They handle civil cases, which can include small claims court matters where individuals can sue for money damages up to a certain amount, landlord-tenant disputes such as evictions, and other civil disputes like car accidents and property issues. They also oversee justice court cases, which are broader civil matters, and administrative hearings. On the criminal side, justices of the peace deal with class C misdemeanors, which are less serious criminal offenses that may include traffic violations, issuing bad checks, and similar infractions. Their responsibilities include setting trial dates for contested cases, conducting pretrial hearings, and working with the county prosecutor. Additionally, they have duties that extend to non-criminal matters, such as conducting peace bond hearings, overseeing mental health or substance dependency commitments, managing compulsory school attendance trials, and issuing warnings to juveniles as mandated by law. They are also authorized to issue warrants and hold hearings related to the mistreatment of animals and have the authority to perform marriage ceremonies. The specific procedures and jurisdictional limits for justices of the peace in Montana are governed by state statutes and local court rules.