Home › J › Justices (LORDS arrest of wrong-doers)
Justices (LORDS arrest of wrong-doers)
LORDS arrest of wrong-doers; when a felony or breach of the peace has been committed in their presence, they may personally arrest the offender or command others to do so. The Constitution of the United States directs that "no warrants shall issue but upon probable cause supported by oath or affirmation" (Amend. IV.). After his arrest the person charged is brought before the justice of the peace, and after a hearing he is discharged, held to bail to answer to the complaint, or, for want of bail, committed to prison. In some, perhaps, all, of the United States, justices of the peace have jurisdiction in civil cases given to them by local regulations. In Pennsylvania their jurisdiction in cases of contracts, express or implied, extends to $100.