Justice of the peace oversight and appointment rules take effect

People appointed as justices of the peace must read the Secretary of the State’s manual, and the Secretary may investigate misconduct and discipline them. The rules cover people appointed as justices of the peace under the listed state laws and municipalities’ appointment processes. A justice of the peace must certify that the person received and read the Secretary’s manual. Prohibited conduct includes deceptive or fraudulent official actions, using the title to promote products or services, and knowingly performing an unlawful or fraudulent marriage. A justice of the peace may be liable for damages caused by official misconduct. The Secretary may issue a warning or reprimand, or suspend or revoke an appointment, after finding misconduct. The manual and qualification rules take effect October 1, 2026, with the manual due by July 1, 2027. The conduct, liability, and investigation rules take effect January 1, 2027.

Municipalities may fill certain newly created justice of the peace vacancies before the next regular four-year appointment. The process applies when a municipality increases its number of justice of the peace positions and the change takes effect at least 91 days before the next regular appointment. Major political parties receive equal nomination shares, with a lottery resolving an indivisible remainder. A qualifying party that is not a major party under the specified definition may nominate 20 percent of the positions, rounded down. Appointees serve until the next regular four-year appointment. Town committee appointments must be reported to the town clerk, who must notify the Secretary of the State. This vacancy process takes effect October 1, 2026, and applies before the next quadrennial appointment when the 91-day condition is met.

A working group must study justice of the peace positions, selection, training, qualifications, oversight, and marriage-related fraud issues, then report recommendations. The group includes legislative appointees, town clerks, town party leaders, justices of the peace, and the Secretary of the State or a designee. The Secretary of the State or a designee chairs the group and schedules its first meeting. The group must consider possible training, background checks, fines, and legal consequences for falsely claiming justice of the peace status. The group ends after submitting its report. This section takes effect upon passage. Initial appointments are due within 30 days, the first meeting within 60 days, and the report is due January 1, 2027.

Registrars may not issue a marriage license until at least 48 hours after application, and ceremonies must occur no sooner than 48 hours after application and no later than 65 days after the license is issued. The rules apply to two people eligible to marry in Connecticut and to people authorized to perform marriage ceremonies. Both applicants must appear before the registrar and complete, sign, and swear to the license. A person who performs a marriage without receiving a certified license may be fined up to $100. The ceremony must be performed by an authorized person who is physically present. These marriage-license and ceremony rules take effect October 1, 2026. The 48-hour period starts with the application, while the 65-day period starts when the license is issued.