In 1801, the General Assembly approved an act to limit the number of justices of the peace in each county. We have transcribed this act below.
The Statute Law of Kentucky by William Littell, Esquire, Volume II, pages 444-5; 1810
CHAPTER CCCLIX.
An ACT to limit the number of justices of the Peace in the several Counties of this Commonwealth.
Approved December 19, 1801
SECTION 1. BE it enacted by the general assembly, That the numbers of the justices of the peace in the several counties of this commonwealth, shall not exceed those herein after mentioned:--
In the county of Adair, eight;
in the county of Bracken, five;
in the county of Breckenridge, six;
in the county of Bourbon, fifteen;
in the county of Boone, eight;
in the county of Barren, eight;
in the county of Bullitt, six;
in the county of Campbell, twelve;
in the county of Clark, ten;
in the county of Cumberland, seven;
in the county of Christian, ten;
in the county of Floyd, five;
in the county of Fleming, nine;
in the county of Fayette, fifteen;
in the county of Franklin, eight;
in the county of Garrard, ten;
in the county of Green, ten;
in the county of Gallatin, five;
in the county of Harrison, ten;
in the county of Henderson, eight;
in the county of Hardin, eight;
in the county of Henry, nine;
in the county of Jessamine, eight;
in the county of Jefferson, ten;
in the county of Knox, seven;
in the county of Livingston, ten;
in the county of Logan, twelve;
in the county of Lincoln, twelve;
in the county of Mason, fifteen;
in the county of Montgomery twelve;
in the county of Madison thirteen;
in the county of Mercer, thirteen;
in the county of Muhlenberg, eight;
in the county of Nicholas, seven;
in the county of Nelson, ten;
in the county of Ohio, eight;
in the county of Pendleton, eight;
in the county of Pulaski, seven;
in the county of Scott, ten;
in the county of Shelby, ten;
in the county of Washington, twelve;
in the county of Woodford, eight;
in the county of Warren, eight;
and in the county of Wayne, seven:
Provided however, that if in any of the aforesaid counties, there shall be at present A greater number of justices of the peace than are herein prescribed, no removal from office shall on that account take place; but when any vacancy shall occur in any such county, such vacancy shall not be filled by a new appointment, unless it be necessary to complete the number of justices hereby assigued to such county; excepting that it shall now, and at all times, be the duty of the county courts, without any reference to the above numbers, to nominate in each of the county towns, and in the town of Danville, or as convenient to each of said places as the nature of the case will admit, so many fit persons as may be necessary to keep up thereat the following numbers of justices of the peace, to wit : Fayette, four, Mason, three, Bourbon, three, Franklin, three, Nelson, three, Danville, three; and all the other county towns, two each.
This act shall commence and be in force from and after the passage thereof.
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The Bullitt County History Museum, a service of the Bullitt County Genealogical Society, is located in the county courthouse at 300 South Buckman Street (Highway 61) in Shepherdsville, Kentucky. The museum, along with its research room, is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Saturday appointments are available by calling 502-921-0161 during our regular weekday hours. Admission is free. The museum, as part of the Bullitt County Genealogical Society, is a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization and is classified as a 509(a)2 public charity. Contributions and bequests are deductible under section 2055, 2106, or 2522 of the Internal Revenue Code. Page last modified: 12 Jan 2024 . Page URL: bullittcountyhistory.org/bchistory/justice-counts-by-county.html
