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LAWS OF MARYLAND.— 1814.

CHAPTER 82.

AN ACT relative to Justices of the Peace and for other purposes.
See 1833, ch. 189; and see note to 1791, ch. 68; ante page 277.

Justices, in
case of
resignation,
&c. to deli-
ver dockets,
&c. to clerk
of county.

SEC. 1. Be it enacted, by the General Assembly of Maryland,
That it shall be the duty of each and every justice of the peace,
in case of his resignation or removal from office, and of his exe-
cutors, administrators, or other person in whose hands the same
may be, in case of the death of such justice of the peace, to de-
liver his docket, together with all the notes, bonds, accounts
and papers, in his or their possession, appertaining to judgments
or suits entered thereon, to the clerk of the county in which
such justice resided, within one month after such resignation,
removal from office or the reception of the same, which shall be
there kept as other records ; and upon any application the clerk
shall deliver transcripts from the docket or papers so returned
to the person applying for the same, on which such process
may be issued by any justice of the peace as might have been
issued by the justice who may have kept such docket, and
for such transcripts the clerk shall be entitled to receive the
like fees as for other copies of records, under the penalty of
forty dollars, to be recovered by any person who shall sue for
the same, in the same manner as debts of that amount are
recoverable by law.

Notice of
appoint-
ments, bow
to be given.

SEC. 2. And be it enacted, That the commissions for the
justices of the peace shall be forwarded by the clerk of the coun-
cil to the clerks of the respective county courts, who shall im-
mediately, on the receipt thereof, enter the same among the
records of his office, and cause notice to be given to the several
persons therein named of their appointment, by advertisement
set up at the court-house door ; and every person so appointed,
and notified as aforesaid, if he accepts thereof, unless he had
been included in the commission of the peace for the preceding
year, and had taken the oaths, and made the declaration pre-
scribed by law, shall qualify as such, before some person au-
thorized by law; which qualification shall be certified by the
person before whom the same shall be made, and such certifi-
cate or certifiates shall be delivered to, and recorded by the
clerk of the county court, in a book to be kept for that purpose.

Penalty on
persons
acting be-
fore having
qualified.

SEC. 3. And be it enacted, That if any person commissioned
a justice of the peace, shall act as such before he hath taken the
several oaths and made the declaration required by law, and
caused a certificate thereof to be delivered to the clerk of the
county court as aforesaid, he shall forfeit and pay for every such
offence the sum of forty dollars, to be recovered and applied as
other forfeitures and penalties are directed by law.