President’s Welcome  

Thomas W. Brady

Bullhead City Justice of the Peace

Welcome to the official website for the Arizona Justice of the Peace Association.  I hope that you will find the information contained on this website educational and useful.  

People often ask “what is a Justice of the Peace?”  The simple answer is they are a lower court judge.  But the origin of JP’s goes back to ancient times in England before the discovery of America.  King Richard (the Lionheart) of England commissioned certain knights to preserve the peace in unruly areas. They were responsible for ensuring that the law was upheld, the "king's peace" was preserved, and they were known as "keepers of the peace."  At first, they were more like policemen and they exercised no judicial functions.  But with time, their powers grew into judging people and they were given the power to try felonies, but it took two justices of the peace to make a final decision.  The office of Justice of the Peace was part of the legal system brought here by English colonists.  And most states now have a Justice of the Peace provided for in their constitutions, but with varying powers and duties.  

In Arizona, JP’s are elected by the voters in their community and serve a 4 year term.  JP’s are not required to be attorneys, they must live in the precinct they serve, they must be at least 18 years old, and must be able to read and write.  Remember, these were, and still are, the requirements when Arizona first established their constitution, 100 years ago, when lawyers were few and far between.  

One of the most famous of all Justice’s of the Peace was Judge Roy Bean.  He was known as the law west of the Pecos.  Judge Bean's justice was not complicated by legalities – he used common sense and lots of colorful language.  He supposedly hung horse thieves and fined cowboys whatever he could find in their pockets.  He once found a man innocent of killing a Chinese worker.  He reasoned that “the law is very explicit on murdering your fellow man, but there's nothing here about killing a Chinaman. Case dismissed."  

Today, things are quite different.  We now have 87 Justice of the Peace precincts in Arizona.  JP courts are considered the “People’s Court.”  JP’s see everyone arrested and charged with a felony within 24 hours - 7 days a week.  They read the charges and set release conditions.  They handle all misdemeanors and traffic tickets outside of city limits.  JP’s handle almost all evictions, and rule exclusively on civil claims up to $10,000.  They issue search and arrest warrants, orders of protection, preside over jury trials for certain offenses such as DUI’s, and they perform marriages.  They can sentence someone to no more than 6 months in the county jail and fine them no more than $4,600.   

The Arizona Justice of the Peace Association is currently comprised of 85 members, both active and retired, full-time and part-time, and we are dedicated to providing fair and swift justice, and we further strive to improve the administration of justice throughout the great state of Arizona.   

Please feel free to visit your local Justice Court and see for yourself the work we do!