The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1877-09-06
JOINT RESOLU-
TT0N
Relative to an Amendment of
Articles Four and Eleven of
the Constitution, Recognizing
the Judiciary of the State of
Ohio.

Ohio.
Be IL resolved by the General Assembly of the
STATE Of Ohio (three-1fths of all the member
elected to each house concurring therein),
Thai q proposition to amend the Constitu-
ton of the State of Ohio, be submitted to the
electors of the State, on the second Tuesday
of October, A. D. 1877, as follows, to-wit:
tuetre, fourteen, eileen, sixteen, and eighteen Of
article four, be amended so as to read as fol-
lows, and section seven of article four, and
sections twelve and thirteen of article eleven,
be repealed:
ARTICLE ".
SEC. l. The Judicial power of the State
shall be vested in a Supreme Court, in Dis
trict Courts, Courts of Common Pleas, JUS
tices of the Peace, n such other Courts in
ferior to the Supreme Court, in one or more
counties, as the General Assembly may from
time to time establish. The Superior Courts
of Cincinnati and Montgomery counties shal
continue until otherwise provided by law.
SEC. 3. The Court of Common Pleas shah
be holden by one Judge, who shall be elected
by the voters of the District, and said Court
shall be open at all times for the transaction
Each county now existing or hereafter
formed, shall constitute a separate Com
non Pleas District, and each District sha
be known by the name of the county COM
posing the District.
SEC. 5. Each District Court shall consist
of one Judge, who shall be elected by the
VOUeTS OF the QlSIrlcL. 1here snail be elected
one or more Judges in each district, and
there shall be held annually, not less than
three sessions in each county in the State.
The Legislature shall divide the State into
District Court districts, not exceeding twenty
in number, and shall assign to each Common
Pleas and District Court district, the number
of Judges required to dispose of the business
therein. Each district shall be composed of
compact territory, bounded by county lines,
and as nearly equal in population as practi-
cable. A concurrence Of three-ffths only
shall be required for the first a-pportionment,
or to determine the number of Judges re-
CURED in each District Court and Common
Pleas district, under this amendment, but no
change shall thereafter be made without the
concurrence of two-thirds of all the members
elected to both Houses.
Sections twelve and thirteen of article
eleven are hereby repealed the repeal to
take effect when the Legislature makes the
a-pportionment mentioned in this section.
SEC. 6. The District Court shall have like
original Jurisdiction with the Supreme Court
and such appellate or other Jurisdiction as
may be provided by law.
SEC; g. The General Assembly may pro-
vide by law for a Judge pro tenipore to hold
any court when the Judge thereof is dis
qualifed by sickness or otherwise to hold
said court.
SEC. IL. The Judges of the districts and of
the Courts of Common Pleas, shall, Will in
office, reside in the district in which they are
elected, and their term of Office shall be five
years.; but the Legislature may provide by
law that any Judge of the Common Pleas
Court shall hold that court in anyother Com
mon Pleas district; and that any Judge of
the District Court shall hold that court in
any other district for that court than the one
In which he resides; n Judges of the Com
mon Pleas may temporarily exchange dis
tricts with each other; and two or more
Common Pleas Courts may be held at the
same time in the same district, and two or
more District Courts may be held at the same
time in a district of that court.
SEC. IA. The Judges of the Supreme Court,
The District Courts. and of the Courts of Com
mon Pleas shall, at stated times, receive for
their services such compensation as may be
provided by law, which shall not be in
creased or diminished during their term of
office, but they shall receive no fees or per-
quisites, nor old any other office of trust or
profit under the authority of any State or of
the United States. All votes for either of
them for any elective office, except a judicial
office, under the authority of this State given
by the General Assembly, or the people, shall
E Is. The General Assembly may in
creaseordiminish the number ofthe Judges of
the Supreme Court, the number of the dis
tr1ctS, OF the District Courts, the number of
Judges in any Common Pleas or District
Court district, change any District Court dis
trlct, establish other courts, abolish the Pro-
bate Court in any county, or any other Court
established by law, whenever two-thirds of
the members elected to each House shall con-
cur therein, but no such change shall vacate
the office of any Judge. The Court of Com
mon Pleas provided for in this amendment
shall be the successor of the present Probate
Court and Courts of Common Pleas in each
county. The District Courts herein provided
for shall be the successors of the present Dis
trfct Courts and all the books, records,
papers and business in or appertaining to said
Courts, shall be transferred TO their successors
under this amendment; the existing Probate
Court is hereby abolished in each county at
the close of the term for which the Judge
thereof was elected, first occurring after the
election of Common Pleas Judges under this
amendment, and the Clerks in the Courts of
Common Pleas and District Courts, shall be
the clerks in the courts herein provided until
their successors are elected and qualified but
the Supreme Court shall appoint its OWE re-
porter.
SEC. 10. There shall b. elected in each
county by the electors thereof, one Clerk of
the Court of Common Pleas, who shall hold
his office for the term of three years, and un-
til his successor shall be elected and qualified.
all other courts of record held therein, but
the General Assembly may provide, by law,
for the election of q Clerk with q like term of
office, for each or any other of the courts of
record, or for the appointment by the SUI
preme Court of a Clerk for that Court.
SEC. IL. The several Judges of the Supreme
Court of the District n Common Pleas, and
of such other courts as may be created, shall
respectively have and exercise such power
and jurisdiction at chambers, or otherwise, as
may be directed by law.
The term of Office of all Judges of Common
Pleas n District Courts provided for in this
amendment, shall commences on the first
Monday in January next after the making of
lhO dPPOl l4OhlieAt PlONlutu lOT III ScCtlOl
five OF article four, and the term of Office of
all Judges of the Courts of Common Pleas, in
office, who were not elected as Judges under
this amendment, shall then expire.
No change shall be made by this amend
ment in the Supreme Court, or in the office O.
term of any Judge thereof. The first election
OF Judges of Common Pleas and Distric
Courts under this amendment, shall be helt
at the general election for the election o
State officers next after the making of sait
apportionment for District Court districts b,
the Legislature, but nothing in this amend
ment shall be construed to change or alte
the Constitution or laws until said apportion
ment is made. Section seven of Article fou
is hereby repealed, and section twenty-five
shall be numbered section seven.
FORM OF BALLOT.
At said election, the voters desiring to vot,
in favor of the adoption of this amendment
shall AVE placed upon their ballots tn,
words Judicial Constitutional Amendment
-Yes:" the voters who do not favor tn,
adoption of said amendment, shall hav,
placed upon their ballots the words, Judi
cial Constitutional Amendment-No."
Adopted April 8, 1877.
Oh. HODGE,
Speaker pro TEN House of Representatives
H.tW. CURTISS,
President of the Senate