The New Orleans daily Democrat., 1878-10-29
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS. |

exceed ten dollars, exclusive of interest. They
shall have such criminal jurisdiction as shall
be be e9nferred by lay The General , Assembly en- ~
district courts the right to grant such orders
and do such acts as may be deemed necessary
for the f1lrtherance Of the administration OF
| Justice. In all cases the power thus granted
| shall be specified and determined.
(Strike out articles seventy-three, eighty
| five eighty-six, eighty-seven, eighty eight,
eiighty-nine, ninety-one and one hundred and
thirty-three)
NUMBER ELEVEN.
The Chief" Justice OF the Supreme Court
shall receive q salary OF seven thousand dol
| lars per annum, and the Associate Justices OF
the Supreme Court shall each receive salary
of six thousand five hundred dollars per an
| mum, payable quarterly on their own warrant
NUMBER TWELVE.
The General Assembly shall divide the
State into judicial districts, which shall re-
district one judge learned In the law, shall
be elected by q plurality Of qualified electors
thereof. For each district there shall be one
district court except In the parish Of Orleans,
In which the General Assembly may estab.
| lish as many district courts as the public In
| terest may require, not to exceed the number
now authorized by existing laws, except bya
two-thirds vote of all the members elected to
both branches of the General Assembly.
Until otherwise provided by law, the district
courts now existing In the parish Of Orleans
shah have the jurisdiction at present con-
fe2red by law; no redstrcting or change
shall be made SO rs to take effect during the
incumbency of any judge: The number Of
districts In the State shall not be less than
thirty nor more than forty-five. The General
Assembly shall provide by law for at least
| every parish. The General Assembly shall
have power to create circuit courts, to be
constituted by grouping the district judges
into circuits, and composing the circuit
|
within such circuits; To direct the place
or places of meeting of said circuit
courts SO constituted, and to vest said circuit
courts with appellate jurisdiction from the
district courts within the circuit where the
amount involved exceeds one hundred dol
lars (S1O0) exclusive of interest, and does not
exceed five hundred dollars ($500) exclusive of
Interest. The General Assembly shall have
power, by two-thlrds vote of all the mem
bers elected to both houses, to restrict the ap-
peIlate Jurisdiction Of the Supreme Court to
causes where the amount involved exceeds
one thousand dollars $4,000 exclusive of in
terest and In case Of such restriction, the
circuit courts SO to be created shall have ap-
peIlate jurisdiction of the class Of cases thus
excluded from the appellate jurisdiction OF
the Supreme Court. The clerks OF the dis
trict courts shall be elected by the qualified
voters OF their respective parishes and shall
| hold their office for four years.
(Strike out article eighty-three.)
NUMBER THIRTEEN,
Each Of the district Judges shall receive O
salary to be fixed by law, which, except In
the parish Of Orleans, shall not be less than
two Thousand dollars nor more than three
Thousand dollars per annum payable quar-
terly on his own warrant, and which shall not
be increased nor diminished during his term
Of office. He must be citizen of the United
States, over the age Of twenty-five years. and
have resided In the State and practicei law
therein for the space Of two years next pre-
ceding his election. The Judges of the dis
trlct courts shall hold their office for the term
of four years. In the parish Of Orleans the
annual salary of the district judges shall not
exceed five Thousand dollars, to be paid as
above provided.
(Strlke out article eighty-four
NUMBER FOURTEEN.
In lieu OF the office of district attorney, es-
tabllshed by article ninetytwo Of the constt-
tuition of 1863 there shall be elected, by the
qualified voters of each parish, a States
attorney therefor, who shall be citizen of
the United States, and who shall have been a
resident of the State, and .practicing and
duly licensed attorney at law, for at least two
years. He shall receive a salary from the
State Of not less than three nor more than
seven hundred dollars per annum, to be pro-
vded by law upon the basis Of representation
In the House OF Representatives, and payable
quarterly on his own warrant He shall be
er-o0fcio attorney Of the parish, and receive
such salary thereflom as may be fixed by the
parochial authorities, not to exceed seven
hundred dollars per annum He shall, more
over, receive such fees of office as may be
allowed by law In the city of New Orleans
the States attorney shall receive such com
pensaton from the city,. in addition to the
salary above provided as may be established
by law. He shall be elected at the same time
with the judges of the district courts, and
shall hold his Office for the term Of four years.
NUMBER FIFTEEN.
In every case where the Judge may be re-
cuSed, and when he Is not personally Inter-
ested In the matters in contestation, he shall
select lawyer, having the necessary qualif-
try such cases; and the General Assembly
shall provide by law for the trial of those
cases In which the Judge may be personally
Interested, or when he may be absent or re-
fuses to act.
(Strike out article ninety)
NUMBER SIXTEEN.
In order to provide for the establishment OF
the judicial system created by the above
amendments, and to prevent the evils Of al
nterregnum, 1t Is hereby ordained by the
people OF Louisiana:
Ftrs-That the General Assembly, which
meets the first Monday In January, 1879, shall,
in accordance with the foregoing amend
ments, Immediately redstrct the State, and
provide for the authority of clerks, and the
election and criminal Jurisdiction Of justices
Of the peace.
Second-That as soon as the Legislature
shall have acted as aforesaid, the Governor
shall by proclamation call an election for JUS
tices Of the peace for each parish, except the
parish of Orleans, and for district judges, in
each district created by the redistricting,
where one Or more parishes have been added,
or taken from the existing judicial district,
and for State attorneys, as above provided,
except In the parish of Orleans, where the
district attorney for the parish shall be State
attorney. This election shall be- held on the
same day throughout the State, which day
shall not be less than sixty nor more than
ninety days after the passage of said act.
The terms of the officers elected at said cleo
ton shall expire at the general election Of
1880, and the limitation on the change Of dis
trtcts, oftener than once every four years,
shall not be considered as having effect before
the general election of 1880.
Third-That the judicial SYSTEM as estab-
lished by the constitution of 1868, shall remain
in force until the expiration Of the thirtieth
| day after said election, excluding from the
| computation the day of the election.
Fourth-The adoption of these amendments
shall not vacate the Offices of the present
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