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 Tennessee, justices of the peace are not a prominent feature of the current legal system as they are in some other states. Instead, Tennessee has a system of courts that handle the matters typically associated with justices of the peace. General Sessions Courts in Tennessee have jurisdiction over small claims and civil cases involving limited amounts of money, landlord-tenant disputes, and local ordinance violations. They also handle preliminary matters in criminal cases, such as setting bail and conducting preliminary hearings. Criminal misdemeanors are generally prosecuted in these courts as well. For issues related to mental health commitments, Tennessee has separate provisions under its health and safety statutes that allow for involuntary commitment hearings before a judge or a designated magistrate. School attendance is managed by local education authorities with its own set of procedures. Animal cruelty cases are handled by the appropriate local or state authorities, and cruelty investigations can lead to criminal charges, which would be processed through the criminal court system. Marriages in Tennessee are typically officiated by ordained ministers, county clerks, or other individuals authorized by law, which may include judges. It's important to note that the specific procedures and jurisdictional limits can vary by county, and an attorney can provide guidance on the current laws and regulations applicable to these matters in Tennessee.