Opinion ID: 1791264
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: collecting fines

Text: Until 1984 justice court judges had the statutory duty to collect and account for all fines and penalties imposed in their respective court. Miss. Code Ann. §§ 99-1-19 -21 (1972). In 1984 the Legislature created justice court clerks in each county whose duty it is to collect and account for all fines. Miss. Code Ann. §§ 9-11-18 -19 (Supp. 1990); Ch. 502, Laws 1984. Justice court judges no longer have any responsibility or duty to collect fines. The 1984 legislation evinces a clear intent on the part of the Legislature to remove justice court judges from collecting fines. [2] In Mississippi Judicial Performance Commission v. Peyton, 555 So.2d 1036 (Miss. 1990), one of the charges against the justice court judge was personally handling fine money on three isolated occasions. We did not in that case make a definitive statement about justice court judges personally handling fine and other monies paid into their courts. We are constrained in this case to do so. This Court would be remiss not to acknowledge the function and service rendered by the justice courts in our State. Their service to the judiciary is incalculable. In handling the myriad of petty offenses, small claims, and domestic disputes, they are the front line, the buffer for all courts. Justice courts are not simply necessary, they are vital components of the judiciary. We must also recognize that justice courts are by their nature more accessible to, and closer to the people. And, there is nothing wrong with a justice court judge being courteous, polite and helpful in a non-harmful way to his constituents and those who come before him, most of whom come directly and without legal counsel. What then, is wrong with a justice court judge accepting fine money when the clerk is gone, or during non-office hours? We cannot say that it is absolutely wrong for a justice court judge to personally accept fine monies, because it is not expressly forbidden by statute. On the other hand, the statutes do not authorize it any more than they authorize a circuit judge to personally receive fine monies in his court, or a chancellor to personally receive public monies in his. There is a clear legislative intent to remove justice court judges from collection of fines. Only the justice court clerk has the statutory authority to collect fines, give receipts for fines, and account for all fine monies paid to the county. A justice of the peace may have been, but a justice court judge is not in the business of personally handling fine money. He does not keep or maintain records for this purpose. There is also the element of lead us not into temptation in the Legislature's removing justice court judges from the responsibility of collecting fines. It is too easy for a judge who is not required by law to receipt for or account for funds to be careless, forgetful, or commingle public money with his own. Then he has a lot more trouble than the possibility of a complaint against him before the Commission. Finally, there is the public appearance. It is easy for the misdemeanor offender who pays a fine to the justice court judge individually to get it into his head that the judge has a personal interest in the fine money. It should only be in some isolated and clearly necessitous circumstance that a justice court judge accept fine money himself. And, if he does so, he should at the very first opportunity deliver the money to the justice court clerk and be prepared to explain his reason for accepting the fine money. It goes without saying that he should under no circumstances commingle any fine money with his own. In this case it should be emphasized that the Respondent gave receipts for the monies, and did in fact turn over all fine monies collected by him to the justice court clerk. There is no suggestion of any dishonesty. Respondent upon these 46 occasions when he accepted the fine money did so when the clerk was gone or unavailable, or during non-office hours at his home, and sincerely thought he was rendering everyone concerned a favor in accepting the fine himself. Also, he immediately ceased collecting any fine money after the justice court clerk advised him against doing so. This Court therefore makes the following admonition to justice court judges insofar as individually accepting fine monies: Don't. Just as with a circuit judge or chancellor, it should only be in some isolated and clearly necessitous circumstance that a justice court judge ever undertake the responsibility himself of receiving any fine money. If that extreme occasion arises, he must give a written receipt, keep the money segregated and apart from his own, and at the very first opportunity deliver it to the justice court clerk with an explanation of why he received it himself.