Steps Of Becoming A Justice Of The Peace MA

By Jessica Brown


This is ideally an officer that takes the role of performing marriages, signing affidavits and hearing oaths that are made. Hence, the main role of this officer is to oversee marriages. All legal marriages are thus conducted by this government official. These professionals are usually elected in most states. In Massachusetts, this official is appointed or nominated by the governor. Hence, if you aspire to become a JP, it is wise to know the requirements of your state. Below are the steps that you can follow if you would like to become a Justice of The Peace MA officer.

You should understand that these officers are commissioned or elected to office by the political party that is governing. They are thus appointed by the governor of a particular state. The roles and responsibilities of a JP can thus vary greatly from one state to the other. For instance, some states do not have provisions for JPs. Instead, the roles of this official are redistributed to the other officials of the state.

To be a JP, it is not a requirement that you have a degree. If you do not have a degree, you must have law-related training. In case you have a degree in criminal justice, legal studies, American history or political science, you will be better placed for the job. For people without degrees, having law-related training is mandatory if they want to become JPs. Once the JP has been successfully appointed, the official is licensed or commissioned by the appropriate authority.

Therefore, this job is not like most state judges that require a person to have an M. D in law. Even though any person can apply, some states require the applicants to have a background of law. Thus, they should attend some training on the same for them to qualify to apply for the job.

If you have a degree in the critical fields, or you have completed the recommended training, you can now seek for appointment. Some states usually allocate these professionals depending on the total political party numbers or members holding the offices of the state. In these states, the applicants must be elected by the major political body. These are the main regulations that these states have.

There some states like Massachusetts that requires the governor to appoint their JP. Therefore, the candidate or the person that is aspiring to become a JP should apply for the position. This candidate should thus get an application form from the office of the governor or the secretary of the state.

The main things that the form needs are the general information about the applicant like gender, age, residence, etc. Also, the applicant should fill their criminal record. There are states that require prominent people in the community to sign and recommend the applicant while other states do not have this requirement.

Once the candidate has been elected, the last step is filing an oath of office. In most cases, the JP appointee has to appear at a scheduled time and place to take the oath of office. In some states, the appointee can take and file an oath of office at the designated office within the specified days.




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