What's a justice of the peace, anyway?

One of the less understood elected offices on local ballots is that of justice of the peace. The Kentucky Constitution provides very little clarity on their role and duty, stating in Section 142 that they “shall be conservators of the peace”. As elected officials, however, they serve at the pleasure of their constituents, and understanding the role and its requirements can help those constituents make a more informed selection.

• Justices of the peace are lower court officials with duties that vary across jurisdictions. Its origins can be traced to medieval England, in which knights were appointed by the king to keep the peace in specific jurisdictions. The office became widespread in the American colonies but gradually declined in power and significance during the 20^th century.

  
  

• In Kentucky, justices of the peace are county officials whose duties are different based on whether the county has a magistrate or commissioner form of government. In a magisterial structure, magistrates are co-designated as justices of the peace. In counties with a commission structure, like Daviess County, justices of the peace are separate officials whose relatively few duties include officiating at marriages and review of applications for notaries public.

  
  

In counties with commissioners, not magistrates, elections for justices of the peace occur every four years and select a justice of the peace for each county district. In Daviess County, voters will have the opportunity this year to select a justice of the peace for the East, Central, and Western districts. The Central district is the only one with a contested race, and Democratic voters will see two candidates for the position on the primary ballot in May.