Title 5 Courts

5-3-307. Powers generally.

(a) Each district court commissioner shall have the powers in respect to every suit or proceeding pending in the district court of the county for which he was appointed, as follows: (i) If no judge qualified to hear or act in the proceeding or action is present in the county for which such commissioner was appointed, to make any order which a judge of the district court is authorized by law to make in chambers and to hear and determine cases of mental illness or mental incompetency, and to hold juvenile detention or shelter care hearings; (ii) To make any order which a judge of the district court is authorized by law to make in chambers, upon the written statement of such judge, filed with the papers, that he is disqualified in such case; (iii) To administer oaths; (iv) To hear, try and determine all issues whenever an application shall have been made for a change of judge; (v) To take evidence and make findings, and report the same to the district court; (vi) To take depositions; (vii) To punish persons for contempts committed during hearings had before him; (viii) To issue and enforce process for the attendance of witnesses and production of evidence in all lawful hearings before him, in the same manner and with like force as the court might do if in session.