justice of the peace
justice of the peace — noun
1. an official, often without legal training, who hears minor cases in a small loca
an official, often without legal training, who hears minor cases in a small local court; in the United States such a person may also perform marriages.
The justice of the peace fined Jabari twenty dollars for parking on the bridge.
subject is the official deciding a minor case
Maeve and her partner were married by a justice of the peace at the town hall.
passive: married by a justice of the peace (US marriage role)
In the small village, a local farmer served for years as the justice of the peace.
The town asked the justice of the peace to settle a noisy dispute between two neighbours.
Christopher swore the oath in front of a justice of the peace before signing the papers.
- magistrate
the standard British term for a local judge in minor cases; usually interchangeable
- JP
the common abbreviation, written after a name
用法筆記
Often abbreviated to JP after a person's name in British and Commonwealth use. The power to perform marriages is mainly a United States feature; in Britain the role centres on minor criminal cases.