December 18, 2025

Justice of the Peace

A justice of the peace in Taos County, New Mexico hears a case (1941).. A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower court, elected or appointed by means of a commission (letters patent) to keep the peace.In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the same meaning. Depending on the jurisdiction, such justices dispense summary justice or merely deal.