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The Magistrates' Courts Act 1980 (c. 43) is an
ActAn Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
of the
ParliamentA parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
of the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It codifies the procedures applicable in magistrates' courts in the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and largely replaces the
Magistrates' Courts Act 1952The Magistrates' Courts Act 1952 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which related to magistrates' courts...
. Part I of the Act sets out provisions in relation to the courts' criminal jurisdiction, and Part II in relation to civil proceedings.
Part I - Criminal Jurisdiction
Section 1 of the Act empowers a
Justice of the PeaceA justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
to issue a summons or
arrest warrantAn arrest warrant is a warrant issued by and on behalf of the state, which authorizes the arrest and detention of an individual.-Canada:Arrest warrants are issued by a judge or justice of the peace under the Criminal Code of Canada....
alleging the commission of a
crimeCrime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
against an identifiable person.
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