Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1854-12-30

SEC. 4. And be 1t further enacted, That
there shall be established in said District
court, to be styled the criminal court
of the District of Columbia" of which
there shall be single judge, and it shall
hold four terms year, to wit on the
third Mondays of January, April, July,
and November; and said court, and the
Judge thereof, shall possess and exercise
all the powers and Jurisdiction of Grim
inal nature now possessed and exercised
by the said criminal court and district
court, or by the judges thereof, hereby
abolished.
SEC. S. and be it further enacted, That
the office of register of wills, as now ex-
lstiDg in said District, shall be, and the
same is hereby, abolished and all the
powers and duties thereof, az now per-
formed or helonging to said office of regis.
ter OF wills, shau TO yested in and ner.
formed by the clerk of said court Of
equity hereby established.
SEC. e. And be 1t further enacted, That
all suits and records now pending on the
law side of the said circuit court shall be
transferred and continued to, and become
records of, said court of common pleas
and as such have the same force and eff.
feet as if originally brought or filed in
said court of common pleas; and the
clerk thereof shall be the keeper of the
chattel, land and other records of said
District, not herein other wise provided
for. And so in like manner, ali suits in
equity now pending, and all suits here
tofore brought in, and all records of said
circuit court, sitting in equity, and also
all proceedings and records, in said Or
phans' court, shall be transferred to and
continued in said court of equity, and as
such have the same force and effect as if
originally filed in said court of equity.
And in like manner, all records and pro-
ceedings in said criminal court shall be
transferred to and continued in said
criminal court hereby established. And
all the records, proceedings and transac-
tions of said courts, and of the office of
register of wills, which are hereinbefore
abolished, of whatever kind, shall be
transferred to and remain in the said
courts hereby established, respectively,
according to the nature of said proceed
ings or transactions, and the respective
powers and Jurisdictions of said new
courts, unless otherwise herein provided
for.
SEC. Z. And be 1t further enacted, That
the judge of the court of common pleas
shall exercise all the powers and iurisdic.
ton heretofore exercised and held by the
district court on the admiralty or civil
side thereof. And in all cases appertain-
ing to said jurisdiction, the proceedings
shall be the same as if said district court
were in existence. And all powers and
jurisdiction held or exercised, and all
proceedings and records in said district
court of criminal nature, shall be trans
ferred to, and continue in, said criminal
court hereby established. And all the
proceedings and records in said district
court, of a civil nature, shall be trans
terred to, and continue in, said court of
common pleas.
Sec. 8. And be 1t further enacted, That
there shall be, and hereby is, established
a court to be styled " the court of appeals
of the District of Columbia, which shall
be composed of the three Judges hereby
created, to wit: The judge of the court
of equity, who shall preside therein the
judge of the court of common pleas, who
shall be senior associate; and the Judge
of the criminal court. The said court of
appeals shall have and possess and exer-
else jurisdiction and power in all appeals,
or OF writs of error, or of prohibition
and mandamus, and such other powers
as belong to an appellate jurisdiction in
and over all cases that may arise or be
tried ia either or any of tie courts of
said District, except as hereinafter ex-
cepted. And, hereafter, writs Of error
shall be allowed in favor of the United
States, in criminal cases, from the deci-
sions of said criminal court; and no
cause shall hereafter be taken by a writ
of error or appeal to the Supreme Court
of the United States from any court in
said District where the matter in contro-
versy does not exceed two thousand dol
lars; but, in all cases exceeding that
amount, the Supreme Court shall retain
the same jurisdiction over cases in said
court of common pleas and court of equi-
ty as 1t now has over cases at law and in
equity in said circuit court, and over all
cases whatever in which justice of the
Supreme Court shall certify that it is
desirable that the appeal or writ of error
should be taken to the said Supreme
Court of the United States. And said
court of appeals shall hold two terms in
each year, to wit: on the first MONDAYS
in January and June (but no judge shall
sit in said court of appeals on any case
which was decided by him in the court
below ;; and in any civil case, where said
judges Of said court of appeals are divided
in opinion, land the amount in contro-
versy shall exceed two thousand dollars, J
they shall certify, upon the motion Of
either of the parties to the same, the point
of division to the Supreme Court, which
shall take jurisdiction thereof, and de-
eide the same. And in all cases of writs
of error or appeal to said court of appeals
no judgment or decree shall be stayed,
nDlocS houA ho GloJ