Justices' criminal records and docket

§ 2019-a. Justices' criminal records and docket.

The records and dockets of the court except as otherwise provided by law shall be at reasonable times open for inspection to the public and shall be and remain the property of the village or town of the residence of such justice, and at the expiration of the term of office of such justice shall be forthwith filed by him in the office of the clerk of such village or town, provided, however, that if such records and dockets are transferred pursuant to section twenty hundred twenty-one of the uniform district court act, the responsibility for such records and dockets by the city, village or town shall cease and they shall be the property of the district court to which they are transferred. The record of every criminal action shall state the names of the witnesses sworn and their places of residence, and if in a city, the street and house number; and every proceeding had before him. It shall be the duty of every such justice, at least once a year and upon the last audit day of such village or town, to present his records and docket to the auditing board of said village or town, which board shall examine the said records and docket, or cause same to be examined and a report thereon submitted to the board by a certified public accountant, or a public accountant and enter in the minutes of its proceedings the fact that they have been duly examined, and that the fines therein collected have been turned over to the proper officials of the village or town as required by law. Any such justice who shall willfully fail to make and enter in such records and docket forthwith, the entries by this section required to be made or to exhibit such records and docket when reasonably required, or present his records and docket to the auditing board as herein required, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall, upon conviction, in addition to the punishment provided by law for a misdemeanor, forfeit his office.