by

Fred Swift

(Commentaries by Fred Swift are posted here as part of a partnership between LarryInFishers.com & The Hamilton County Reporter newspaper)

My lunchtime friends at Alexander’s so-called Table of Knowledge this
week were recalling the days when we had a Justice of the Peace in Noblesville.
Actually, we had three in Hamilton County. You don’t hear much about the JPs anymore. They were essentially legislated out of office in the 1970s.

The Justice of the Peace headed one of Indiana’s earliest courts of justice. Starting
right after statehood, the courts had considerable authority until well into the 20th
century when their powers were reduced to handle mainly traffic infractions.

However, just like in the movies, the JP could perform marriages, administer oaths
and consider a few other civil matters. Justices were elected by voters of the township in which they resided. A JP did not have to be a lawyer, and most were not. This was of great concern to the state judiciary and was a major reason for the demise of the position.

Statewide there were probably few female JPs, but two of the three in this county
were women. Naomi Hunt was Noblesville’s longtime JP. She held court at her home at 612 S. 11th St.

Agnes Mitchell was the JP in Cicero who also operated out of her home.

The Justice of the Peace in Carmel was John Christy. He held court in a tiny cement
block building across the street from the old Carnegie Library.

County Court replaced the JP courts about 1980 where the judge was required to
be an attorney, but it was, in turn, replaced by a Superior Court in the 1990s.

Thus, with little fanfare, another chapter in Hamilton County history came to an end.  Now, most folks either can’t remember or are too young to remember what a Justice of the Peace was.