Judges of the Plains, originally the judicial official Spanish and later Mexican officials called the ''Jueces del Campo'', were judges that decided all disputes over ownership of cattle, horses, and other livestock. They attended all the yearly roundups and

branding Branding may refer to: Physical markings * Making a mark, typically by charring: ** Wood branding, permanently marking, by way of heat, typically of wood (also applied to plastic, cork, leather, etc.) ** Livestock branding, the marking of animals ...

of cattle (

rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working vaqu ...

s), and horses ( recogidas), where their decisions were final, with no appeal. The Juez del Campo was also a law enforcement officer in cases of theft of livestock, fraudulent brands or certificates of ownership. The laws concerning livestock were mostly traditional, handed down from decisions established during the

Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire, sometimes referred to as the Hispanic Monarchy (political entity), Hispanic Monarchy or the Catholic Monarchy, was a colonial empire that existed between 1492 and 1976. In conjunction with the Portuguese Empire, it ushered ...

in the Americas and from

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

before that. The office was held for a year and was unpaid, taken up for the

honor Honour ( Commonwealth English) or honor (American English; see spelling differences) is a quality of a person that is of both social teaching and personal ethos, that manifests itself as a code of conduct, and has various elements such as val ...

, usually by landowners with large holdings in the district. The office renamed Judge of the Plains, by the American settlers, was adopted in the

Texas Republic The Republic of Texas (), or simply Texas, was a country in North America that existed for close to 10 years, from March 2, 1836, to February 19, 1846. Texas shared borders with Centralist Republic of Mexico, the Republic of the Rio Grande, an ...

and later in the territories acquired in 1848, by the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

during the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

with large populations of former Mexican citizens. Texas and the states formed from those territories:

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

and

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

, retained that office and formalized it in their civil code. California did so in CHAPTER CLXVI. AN ACT concerning Judges of the Plains (Jueces del Carnpo,) and defining their Duties. California formalized the office in April 1851 and it was retained into the 20th century.

References

{{reflist Cowboy culture Colonial Mexico Judges History of Texas Legal history of California Pre-statehood history of California History of New Mexico History of Arizona