The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1911-04-20
BELFAST'S NEW COURT.

BELFASTS NEW COURT.
An Act to Establish Municipal Court in
the City of Belfast.
Be it enacted by the people of the State
of Maine, as follows:
Section l. A municipal court shall be
and hereby is established in and for the
city of Belfast in the county of Waldo,
to be denominated the Belfast municipal
court, which shall be court OF record
and have seal and consist of one judge,
who shall reside in Belfast and be ap-
pointed and commissioned as in the con-
stitution provided, who shall have origi-
nal and exclusive jurisdiction in all civil
actions wherein the debt or damages do
not exceed one hundred dollars. except in
cases in which he is interested, in which
both parties are interested, or in which
the party plaintiff, and the person or
persons summoned as trustees, shall be
inhabitants of said Belfast, including
prosecutions for penalties in which said
city is interested, and actions of forcible
entry and detainer and all violations of
the bylaws of said city and concurrent
jurisdiction with trial justices within
said county, in all other civil matters
which are by law within the jurisdiction
of trial justices within said county, and
exclusive jurisdiction over all criminal
offences within said city and concurrent
jurisdiction with trial justices within
said county for all other criminal mat
tiers which are by law within the Jurls-
diction of trial justices in said county,
and original concurrent jurisdiction with
the supreme judicial court and all per
sonai actions in which the debt or dam
ages do not exceed one hundred dollars
and the defendant or defendants are resi-
dents of Waldo, but this jurisdiction
shall not include divorce suits, COM
plants under the mill act, or proceed
ings under the divorce act and any per-
son aggrieved by any judgments render
ed by said judge may appeal theretofrom
to the supreme judicial court for sad
county, IN like manner as from judgment
of trial justices.
Section 2 Any defendant where his
action is for twenty dollars or more may
file an affidavit on the return day OF the
writ claiming a jury trial; and file his
plea and pay the judge two dollars and
fifty cents, for copies, to be taxed IN his
costs if he prevails, the said action shall
be removed into the supreme judicial
court for said county, and certified copies
of the writ and officers return and de-
PENDANTS affidavits and the pleadings to
be filed in the clerks Office of said court
and entered at the term next preceding
the filing of said papers. If no such af-
tidavit is filed the said judge shall pre-
coed to try or to dispose OF thu case IN
the usual way. The pleadings in such
cases shall be the same as in the supreme
judicial court.
Section 3. Said municipal court shall
keep its own records, such as would be
legal records in the trial justice court
and certified copies of said records shall
be legal evidence in the courts OF this
State.
Said court shall be holden Oil the first
and third Mondays of each month at
nine O'Clock in the forenoon, at such
place in the city of Belfast as SAID city
shall provide for the transaction of civil
business and all processes shall be made
accordingly.
And in all actions wherein the debt or
damages recovered by the plaintiff, or
wherein the amount claimed if the de- |
PENDANT prevails, exceeds twenty dollars,
the fees of the court parties and wit
nesses shall be the same as allowed by |
law in the supreme judicial court, except
that there may be taxed for the trial OF |
an issue the same fee as is legally tax
able by trial justices, except that the
plaintiff when he prevails shall recover
two dollars for his writ and the defend
ant when he prevails, one dollar tor his
pleadings, provided that the price of
blank writs and summonses signed by
the judge of said court shall be four cents
and no more.
In criminal matters the fees shall be
the same as are legally taxable by trial
avppnt that tbprp ma bn f9yad
one dollar for issuing warrant and two
dollars for arraigning prisoner and trial
issue.
They may also be taxed for appeal |
copies, civil and criminal, two dollars and
fifty cents, including the seal and like
amount in libel cases.
All fines, penalties and costs received
by said Judge in criminal cases shall be
accounted for and paid over by said judge
IN the same manner as required of trial
justices.
Section 4. In case said judge shall be
unable by reason of sickness, absence
from said city, or other disability, to at
tend at the time and place provided in
the preceding section for transaction of
civil business, said court shall stand adj
journed until the next term and SO from
term to term, without cost to either
pal ~, ollell CHe odlu JuuSS 10 dple W d.
tend, and during the continuance of any
such absence or disability of said judge,
trial justices in said county shall have
authority to exercise in all criminal mat
tiers the powers conferred by this act
upon said judge.
Section 5. The city of Belfast shall
have power, and it shall be its duty, to
provide suitable room in which to hold
said court for the use of said Judge, and
to furnish seal for said court
Said judge may collect all fees arising
in said court which shall be in part pay
ment for his services; provided, how
ever, that the city council of said city of
Belfast may by an ordinance establish
salary for said judge not exceeding
twelve hundred dollars per annum, to be
paid by said city in monthly payments, in
which case said judge shall account for
and pay into the treasury of said city all
fees received by him in criminal matters
except for copies.
Section 6. All actions, suits, matters
and things which may be pending before