Supreme Court of South Carolina, 1813

The court refused to reverse the Court of General Sessions and held that justices of the peace had authority to inquire into forcible entry and detainer proceedings. It reasoned that the statutory restriction on justices' jurisdiction over tort actions applied only to civil suits, not criminal proceedings, and that…

The court affirmed the lower court's refusal to quash an inquisition for forcible entry and detainer or to sustain the defendant's jurisdictional plea. It held that the statutory limits on justices of the peace concerned civil actions arising from tort and did not eliminate their authority over forcible-entry…