Politics

Junta da Justiça

It was created in this archipelago by the royal decree of the 26th of October, 1803, and consisted of the Governor and Captain General, the Corregidor of the District, the Judge of the Outlying District, and the Judge or Administrator of Residues and Chapels. We do not know the extent of its powers, but we have read somewhere that it was intended to 'judge the crimes committed in the district and that its decisions could be appealed to the Casa da Suplicação in Lisbon.' For reasons unknown to us, the Governor and Captain General informed the metropolis in 1809 that it was advisable to exclude the Judge of Residues and Chapels from the Junta da Justiça. In 1824, the Governor complained to the higher authorities about the excesses committed by the said Junta and proposed that the royal decree of the 15th of October, 1810, which created the Criminal Justice Board in the Azores, be extended to this archipelago. We do not know when it was abolished, but it was still functioning here in the year 1830.

People mentioned in this article

Corregidor of the District: Judicial position responsible for the administration of justice in a district.
Governor and Captain General: Title of a political and military position.
Judge of the Outlying District: Judge with jurisdiction outside the locality where he resides.
Judge or Administrator of Residues and Chapels: Position responsible for the administration of the assets and income of deceased persons without heirs.

Years mentioned in this article

1803: Creation of the Junta da Justiça by royal decree.
1809: Exclusion of the Judge of Residues and Chapels from the Junta da Justiça.
1824: Complaint of the Governor about the excesses committed by the Junta da Justiça.