Sec.
§
4.010
Qualifications of justice of the peace.
1.
A person may not be a candidate for or be eligible to the office of justice of the peace unless the person is a qualified elector and has never been removed or retired from any judicial office by the Commission on Judicial Discipline. For the purposes of this subsection, a person is eligible to be a candidate for the office of justice of the peace if a decision to remove or retire the person from a judicial office is pending appeal before the Supreme Court or has been overturned by the Supreme Court.
2.
A justice of the peace must have a high school diploma or its equivalent as determined by the State Board of Education.
3.
In a county whose population is 100,000 or more, a justice of the peace in a township whose population is 100,000 or more must be an attorney who:
(a)
Is licensed and admitted to practice law in the courts of this State at the time of his or her election or appointment; and
(b)
Has been licensed and admitted to practice law in the courts of this State, another state or the District of Columbia for not less than 5 years at any time preceding his or her election or appointment.
4.
Subsections 2 and 3 do not apply to any person who held the office of justice of the peace on June 30, 2001.