{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/justices-of-the-peace-act-1997-repealed/section-48",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/justices-of-the-peace-act-1997-repealed/section-48.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/1997/25",
  "legislation_title": "Justices of the Peace Act 1997 (repealed)",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/justices-of-the-peace-act-1997-repealed",
  "path": "section/48",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "48",
  "heading": "Independence of justices’ clerks and staff exercising legal functions.",
  "text": "(1) When exercising any legal function—\n(a) a justices’ clerk shall not be subject to the direction of the justices’ chief executive or any other person or body; and\n(b) a member of the staff of a magistrates’ courts committee shall not be subject to the direction of any person or body other than a justices’ clerk.\n(2) In subsection (1) “legal function” means—\n(a) any function exercisable by one or more justices of the peace; or\n(b) a function specified in section 45(4) or (5) above.",
  "extent": "E+W",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "S. 48 and sidenote substituted (27.9.1999) by 1999 c. 22, ss. 89(1) (with Sch. 14 para. 7(2)); S.I. 1999/2657, art. 2(c)(iii)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1997/25/section/48",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T09:26:14.706489+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}