Administration of Justice Act 1774

Administration Of Justice Act 1774

The Administration of Justice Act, or Act for the Impartial Administration of Justice, also popularly called the Murdering Act or Murder Act, was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain. It became law on May 20, 1774. It is one of the measures (variously called the Intolerable Acts, the Punitive Acts or the Coercive Acts by those whose political agenda ran contrary to Parliament's) that were designed to secure Britain's jurisdiction over the American dominions. These Acts included the Boston Port Bill, the Massachusetts Government Act, and the Quartering Act.

To assure trials more conducive to the Crown than the prejudices of local juries, the Act granted a change of venue to another British colony or Great Britain in trials of officials charged with a crime growing out of their enforcement of the law or suppression of riots. Witnesses for both sides were also required to attend the trial and were to be compensated for their expenses.