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Illinois Justices of the peace were judges of local courts with limited jurisdiction. They heard legal actions for small claims, tried persons accused of misdemeanors, and conducted preliminary examinations of prisoners. Appeals from justices of the peace were always allowed. Justices did not keep records of testimony, but they were required to keep dockets, from 1827 to 1962. The office of justice of the peace was abolished in 1962. (Excerpeted from the Illinois Regional Archives Depositories Administrative Histories.)