Opinion Number

Dear Mr. Vallan:

You have requested an Attorney General's opinion by resolution of the Lafayette City-Parish Counsel regarding justices of the peace and their authority. The questions you have asked pertain to whether a justice of the peace can hold an individual in contempt of court and if the doctrine of judicial immunity applies to a justice of the peace.

To answer your first question we must determine if a justice of the peace is considered a judge and therefore entitled to judicial immunity. Justice of the peace courts are provided for in ArticleV of the 1974 Louisiana Constitution. They…