New Jerusalem Courthouse - 666 N Peabody Avenue
This building, constructed of stone in 1910, contains two courtrooms (one the regular court of Municipal Judge Keezar Randall), court records dating back to the early 19th century (earlier records are with the New Jerusalem Historical Society), and court offices.
All public records can be examined by any citizen from 8 a.m. to noon, and 1-5 p.m., Monday-Friday.
The municipal court handles an array of misdemeanors, civil actions, and minor felonies, but major felonies as well as civil actions involving more than $500 are bound over to Salem's county or circuit courts.
The Salem courts also adjudicate and record wills, name changes, adoptions, and annulments. Adoption records are sealed by the court and not allowed to be opened, even by the adoptee.
Those wishing court orders for exhumations, subpoenas for personal files, bank accounts, business records, or police files, or to get injunctions or relief must start with Judge Randall, who may or may not pass them along to a county or state court for final dispensation, and who may or may not be overruled by appeal. (Appealers are not popular with Judge Randall.)
Arrested individuals may appear before Judge Randall. He is white-haired, nearly 80, and dispenses justice much as bachelors eat—as he sees fit. Major matters are bound over for trial in Salem, but Randall is supreme in smaller affairs and makes most of his decisions intuitively. He favors housewives who haven't betrayed their traditional role, college students who are respectful and well dressed, and anyone with an old New Jerusalem family name. He hates "men with long hair and women with short cuts", and he can be particularly insulting to immigrants and minorities. When he's in a bad mood no one can placate him, though certain lawyers have a lot of influence with him, notably E. E. Saltonstall, Sr.
Depending on the charge, Randall can sentence up to 90 days and fine up to $800.
A man from Aylesbury, Attorney Lee E. Craig, represents the town's legal interests. Craig, 41, a Harvard man with roots in Tennessee, functions much like a district attorney, offering advice, handling the prosecution of small crimes, and defending New Jerusalem against rare lawsuits. He and Randall have clashed repeatedly, and Craig—motivated by unusually strong ethics— is preparing a formal complaint to the Bar. If upheld, Randall will retire. Those in tight legal situations may find Craig a valuable ally.
Defense attorneys for the indigent or incapacitated are appointed from a rotating pool of the county's lawyers. Since the appointments are without fee, Randall has lately taken great glee in appointing brash young Attorney Ed Cassidy to as many cases as possible; Cassidy is another on Randall's growing list of enemies.
Type
Courthouse
Parent Location
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