The town of Stratford shall be one district, by the name of the Stratford. district of Stratford. The towns of Weston and Easton shall be one district, by the Weston. name of the district of Weston. The town of Westport shall be one district, by the name of the Westport. district of Westport. The towns of Windham and Scotland shall be one district, by the Windham. name of the district of Windham. The town of Ashford shall be one district, by the name of the Ashford. district of Ashford. The town of Brooklyn shall be one district, by the name of the Brooklyn. district of Brooklyn. The town of Canterbury shall be one district, by the name of the Canterbury. district of Canterbury. The town of Chaplin shall be one district, by the name of the dis- Chaplin. trict of Chaplin. The town of Eastford shall be one district, by the name of the Eastford. district of Eastford. The town of Hampton shall be one district, by the name of the Hampton. district of Hampton. The town of Killingly shall be one district, by the name of the Killingly. district of Killingly. The town of Plainfield shall be one district, by the name of the Plainfield. district of Plainfield. The town of Pomfret shall be one district, by the name of the Pomfret. district of Pomfret. The town of Putnam shall be one district, by the district of Putnam. The town of Sterling shall be one district, by the district of Sterling. name of the Putnam. name of the Sterling. The town of Thompson shall be one district, by the name of the Thompson. district of Thompson. The town of Voluntown shall be one district, by the name of the Voluntown. district of Voluntown. The town of Woodstock shall be one district, by the name of the Woodstock. district of Woodstock. The towns of Litchfield, Goshen, Morris, and Warren, shall be Litchfield. one district, by the name of the district of Litchfield. The town of Barkhamsted shall be one district, by the name of Barkhamsted. the district of Barkhamsted. The towns of Canaan and North Canaan shall be one district, by Canaan. the name of the district of Canaan. The town of Cornwall shall be one district, by the name of the Cornwall. district of Cornwall. The town of Harwinton shall be one district, by the name of the Harwinton. district of Harwinton. The town of Kent shall be one district, by the name of the dis- Kent. trict of Kent. The town of New Hartford shall be one district, by the name of New Hartford. the district of New Hartford. The towns of New Milford and Bridgewater shall be one district, New Milford. by the name of the district of New Milford. The town of Norfolk shall be one district, by the name of the dis- Norfolk. trict of Norfolk. Plymouth. Roxbury. Salisbury. Sharon. Torrington. Washington. Watertown. Winchester. Woodbury. Middletown. Chatham. Clinton. East Haddam. Essex. Haddam. Killingworth. Old Saybrook. Saybrook. Westbrook. Tolland. Andover. Coventry. Ellington. Hebron. Mansfield. Somers. Stafford. The town of Plymouth shall be one district, by the name of the district of Plymouth. The town of Roxbury shall be one district, by the name of the district of Roxbury. The town of Salisbury shall be one district, by the name of the district of Salisbury. The town of Sharon shall be one district, by the name of the dis trict of Sharon. The town of Torrington shall be one district, by the name of the district of Torrington. The town of Washington shall be one district, by the name of the district of Washington. The town of Watertown shall be one district, by the name of the district of Watertown. The towns of Winchester and Colebrook shall be one district, by the name of the district of Winchester. The towns of Woodbury, Bethlehem, and Southbury, shall be one district, by the name of the district of Woodbury. The towns of Middletown, Cromwell, and Durham, shall be one district, by the name of the district of Middletown. The towns of Chatham and Portland, shall be one district, by the name of the district of Chatham. The town of Clinton shall be one district, by the name of the district of Clinton. The town of East Haddam shall be one district, by the name of the district of East Haddam. The town of Essex shall be one district, by the name of the district of Essex. The town of Haddam shall be one district, by the name of the district of Haddam. The town of Killingworth shall be one district, by the name of the district of Killingworth. The town of Old Saybrook shall be one district, by the rame of the district of Old Saybrook. The towns of Saybrook and Chester shall be one district, by the name of the district of Saybrook. The town of Westbrook shall be one district, by the name of the district of Westbrook. The towns of Tolland and Willington shall be one district, by the name of the district of Tolland. The towns of Andover, Bolton, and Columbia, shall be one district, by the name of the district of Andover. The town of Coventry shall be one district, by the name of the district of Coventry. The towns of Ellington and Vernon shall be one district, by the name of the district of Ellington. The town of Hebron shall be one district, by the name of the district of Hebron. The town of Mansfield shall be one district, by the name of the district of Mansfield. The town of Somers shall be one district, by the name of the district of Somers. The towns of Stafford and Union shall be one district, by the name of the district of Stafford. CHAPTER VII. OF JUSTICES OF THE PEACE. ARD HARV LIBRARY. Justices, how SECT. 100. Justices of the peace shall be elected biennially, by 1852. the several towns, in conformity with the provisions of the act elected. relating to electors and elections. 1852. Term of office. SECT. 101. The number of justices of the peace in the several Number of justowns, to be elected as provided by law, shall be equal to the number tices in each of jurymen prescribed by law, for such towns, who shall hold their town. offices for the period of two years, commencing on the fourth day of July next succeeding their election; but the inhabitants of any less number than town may, at a town meeting, specially called for that purpose, de- allowed. termine and fix a less number of justices of the peace to be elected in such town, which shall thereafter be and remain the number of justices of the peace to which such town is entitled, until such number shall be again, or from time to time, increased, or diminished by such town within the limit aforesaid. Secretary, &c., SECT. 102. The secretary may certify to the official character of 1851. 1854. justices of the peace, and the clerks of the superior court, and may certify to town clerks may likewise certify, in respect to justices of the peace in their respective counties and towns. official character. 1854. SECT. 103. The officer, before whom a justice of the is peace Officer shall qualified, shall transmit a certificate, declaring the fact, to the clerk transmit certifiof the superior court of the county in which said justice of the peace cate of adminisresides, which certificate shall be sufficient authority for the clerk to certify that said justice is qualified according to law. tration of oath. civil jurisdiction, SECT. 104. Every justice of the peace, duly appointed and sworn, Justice's courts, may, from time to time, as there shall be occasion, hold a justice and power to court, in the county for which he shall be appointed; and shall sign writs, &c. have cognizance of all actions of a civil nature, legally brought before him, and may hear, try, and determine the same, and render judgment, and grant execution thereon, according to law. Every justice of the peace may issue and sign any writs, warrants, or other processes, according to law, either in civil or criminal causes, which may be served and returned before any court in the state.* sion of debt. SECT. 105. Every justice of the peace, within the county for May take confeswhich he may be appointed, may take a confession of debt, from a debtor to his creditor, for any sum, as the parties shall agree, not exceeding seventy dollars, and the cost of such confession, which confession shall be made by the debtor himself in person; and the said justice shall make a record of such confession, and grant execu- Executions of tion thereon, in due from of law. All executions, granted and justices. *The records of a justice's court import verity, as much as those of the county and superior courts. Fox v. Hoyt, 12 C. R. 491. In a writ before a justice's court, the day and hour of appearance should be designated, and defendant should wait until the expiration of the hour; after which, judgment rendered against him, without further notice, is erroneous. Burgess v. Tweedy, 16 C. R. 39. Criminal jurisdiction. 1844. 1846. 1855. signed by a justice of the peace, according to law, shall be proceeded with, levied and executed, in the same manner, and have the same force, to all intents and purposes, as executions granted by the other courts. SECT. 106. Every justice of the peace, in any court holden by him in the county for which he may be appointed, shall have cognizance of all such actions or complaints of a criminal nature, that may be legally brought before him, and may proceed to trial, render judgment and grant a warrant for the execution thereof, according to law; but the defendant, in all such actions and complaints, except for the crimes of profane cursing and swearing, and sabbath breaking, may appeal from the judgment of the justice to the superior court, next to be holden in the county where such justice court may have been holden. SECT. 107. No justice of the peace shall have jurisdiction of any No Jurisdiction civil action in which he shall have drawn or filled up the writ or where he, his declaration himself, or in which his partner in business, clerk, or student, has student, shall have done the same, nor shall any justice of the peace drawn the writ, have jurisdiction of any criminal matter which shall be brought partner, clerk, or &c. 1865. auditors. before him by any grand juror who is a partner in business with such justice, nor where the complaint shall have been drawn or filled up by himself or by his partner in business, or clerk, or student. SECT. 108. No justice of the peace shall appoint auditors in any Shall not appoint action which shall be brought before him; and if any such appointment shall be made, the judgment which may be rendered by the justice in the action, wherein he may make such appointment, shall be void, if such judgment shall be rendered upon the report of any auditor so appointed by such justice. 1864. the day of trial, SECT. 109. Whenever any writ, suit, or civil process shall be When absent, on made returnable before a justice of the peace, and, at the time aphe may, on the pointed for the trial, said justice shall be absent from the town where cation, try the the trial is to be had, the plaintiff in said case may, at any time cause after his within seven days after said time for trial, request said justice, in plaintiff's appli return. ant. writing, to proceed to try said cause, and thereupon said justice shall proceed to try the same within twenty days after said request shall have been left with him; but if said request shall be made during the absence of said justice from said town, the same may be left at the office of said justice, who shall proceed to try said cause within twenty days after his return from such absence. Notice to defend- Before proceeding to such trial, said justice shall issue a notice, in writing, to the defendant, specifying the time and place appointed therefor, and the plaintiff shall cause the same to be served upon the defendant, by some proper officer, or indifferent person, in the same manner as civil process may be served, at least six days prior to such time; and at the time named in said notice, said justice shall, proceed to try said cause, in the same manner as he might have done at the time named in the original process. 1854. tion and try the SECT. 110. Whenever any justice of the peace, before whom a In case of the death of a justice suit has been brought, or may be pending, shall die before a final Another Justice judgment is rendered by him in such suit, any other justice of the may issue cita- peace in the same town, who would have been legally qualified to act in such case, had such suit been originally brought before him, upon application of the plaintiff in such suit, shall take the files and records pertaining to such case, and proceed thereon with the same power and authority and in the same manner as if said cause had been originally brought before him; and he shall, upon such appli same cation of the plaintiff in said suit, issue a citation to the adverse party to appear before him at a time and place in said citation specified, to answer to said suit, and show cause why judgment should not be rendered against him therein. Said citation shall be, by some proper officer, served upon such adverse party, at least six days before the time specified in said citation for such hearing; and if such adverse party shall fail to appear at the time and place so specified, judgment shall be, by such justice, rendered against him by default. Powers of jus elected. SECT. 111. Whenever any justice of the peace shall not be re- 1851. elected, all processes, suits and matters whatsoever, which shall tices of the peace have been begun by such justice of the peace, or which shall have when not rebeen made returnable to him before the expiration of his office, may be proceeded with by said justice of the peace, to final judgment and execution, in the same manner as if the said justice had been re-elected and continued in office. nate 1859. SECT. 112. Whenever a justice of the peace shall be disqualified, When justice or unable from any cause, to try any civil action pending before disqualified, parhim, the parties to said action may, by written agreement, indorsed ties may desigupon the writ and signed by said parties, or their attorneys, designate any other justice of the peace, resident in the town, where either of said parties reside, who may try said cause, and render judgment, and issue execution thereon; and said judgment and execution shall have the same effect in law, as if they had been rendered and issued by the justice of the peace, designated in said writ. 1859. Trial may be by the time. SECT. 113. A justice of the peace, before whom any civil action is pending, may, by written agreement of the parties thereto, agreement before indorsed upon the writ, and signed by the parties or their attorneys, try said cause, render judgment, and issue execution thereon, at any time after the return of said writ, and previous to the time designated in said writ, as the day of trial, as may be agreed upon by said parties; and said judgment and execution shall have the same effect, in law, as if the trial of said cause had been had on the day designated in said writ. SECT. 114. Whenever an appeal thall be taken from the judg 1858. ment, rendered in any case by a justice of the peace for the county tice to city court Appeal from jusof Hartford, the same shall be taken to the next city court to be of Hartford. holden within and for the city of Hartford, provided the cause of action arose within the limits of said city, and one or both of the parties live within the same; and the justice of the peace, from whose judgment an appeal is so taken, shall certify, both upon the Certificate. original writ, and the copy in the appeal, that the cause of action arose within the limits of said city, and that one or both of the parties live within the same. The justice of the peace making such certificate shall receive from the party taking out such appeal, in addi- cate. tion to the fees now allowed on appeals from judgments of justices of the peace, the sum of twenty-five cents for said certificate which said sum shall be included in the taxable costs in said suit, in said city court, if the party appealing shall prevail in the same. 16 Fee for certifl |