The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1882-03-31
miscellaneous.
Fj~ns tn Hartord Times.
The United States Supreme Court.
4 Pen-and.Ink Photograph Of tn
Judges and Their Wonderful Clerk.

4 Peu-and-Ink Photograph of the
Judges and Their Wonderful Clerk.
1t is not true, attaches ofthe court say, that
any of the Justices have had gowns made in
Paris by Worth. They are allhome made,
and have been made by only one family of
people for nearly forty years. Zach Chand-
Ter had very poor opinion of these gowns,
for it is said of him that he once said To Sal
mon p Chase, Il former Chief Justice "Sal-
mon, when you have your id old jacket on
you look every inch Il Judge" There is no
reason why one of these gowns should be
called jacket, for the skirt reaches the
floor. The gowns are put on the Justices
in what is called the robe-room, adjoining the
court, at five minutes to IL o'clock, for the
Judges never go upon the bench until high
noon. Then, after the MarshaPs deputy
sings his song about "God bless the United
States and the Justices of this court" or words
to that effect the arrival of the Justices
having been previously announced, they take
their seats and are ready for business.
The clcrkship of the court is worth more
than the salary of four Of the Justices, as it is
snid to frequently pay over $4,000 per year.
Tie charges are simply terrible. 1t costs
about dollar for the clerk to look at you,
and another dollar to get out of his sight
They have Il little talk then of keeping the
decisions back rs long as possible, often Il
couple of months, and in the mean time if any
one wants copy of the decision it costs SO
for each page of one hundred words. There
is no good reason why the decisions should
not be put in type the day they are delivered
and furnished ms the debates of Congress are
furnished, the day following; but this was not
the practice sixty years ago, and they never
do anything about the court except in the
lint XnnCp,rnl,- Cln,
all agree, would be a great convenience, but
it would take $4,000 Il year out of the fees
of the clerk, and of course, it is not done
Several times bills have been prepared for in
PRODUCTION in Congress on the subject but
somehow nothing was heard of them after.
wards. Those who proposed them were con-
WINGED that it was not the custom, and they
let the matter drop. The Supreme Court has
always held that every bill relating to the
court must first be sent to them for in
spcction, and strange as it may appear, they
have always carried their point in this re-
spect.
When Bclva Lockwood, the female lawyer,
applied for admission to practice before the
court, the Justices were shocked and the clerk
Mortified The Court considered the applica-
ton, and after holding it under advisement
for Il month or so, grayeiy declared against
HtT, Dll I1lt pIoullNl lllub ~ WIS uDulIlSl IIP
custom if not the law Belva in reply said it
was against te custom once to ride in rail
road car, or to light up house with gas, but
those customs were not i'll keeping with the
progress of the time. The reply was that
there was no help for her. Beva, being prac
teal slipped over to the Senate, drew bill Civ.
ing women the right to practice law, provid-
ed they were competent, and had it introduce
ed. She had similar bill introduced in the
House, which body passed it. The Senate in
turn passed it and 10 ! the custom was thing
of the past. A law took its place, and she
or any other woman is now perfectly free to
get big fee for appearing and arguing a case
before the Supreme Court, provided she is
fortunate enough to get employed
1t is against the custom, and no one is al
lowed 10 do it under penalty of being put out
of the court room, for any one, newspaper
reporter or lawyer even, to write word in
the court room, or take note of any point
in decision or remark of any Of the Judges
This appears strange, and yet it is fact,
and there are hundreds of newspaper CORE
spondents who know it from being prevented
The custom is to go to the clerk, and wait n
week or SO for him to make such extracts of
an opinion as are wanted and to pay him his
fees. The only way to get over this is to
keep the points in your head and write them
out after coming out of the court ROOM which
has to be done on what is called decision
day.
The opinions of the Supreme Court are
much too long. They 90 into Il history of
every case, and often person has to read
half hour or so before the point in the dec-
sion is reached. But all this plays into the
hands of the clerk. He gets wealthy in conse.
Qucnce of it. Imagine the readers of paper
in these days of telegraph having to wait
three or four weeks for u decision The
Judges are too slow. They don't intend to
be slow, but they are without knowing it. 1t
is seldom that n decision can be had in less
than Il month after case has been argued
In similar courts in England a decision is
given in five minutes after a case is argued.
This is as it should be. The Judges, in hold
ing off their decisions, without knowing it,
are enriching n certain number of resident
attorneys at the expense of other attorneys
who do not happen to reside here for know
ing the delay, the expense of waiting, NC,
non resident lawyers frequently are required
to secure the assistance of resident attorneys
| to argue and look after their cases.
| One of the customs is that each Justice has
body servant. The Justices get money for
| their own body servants, but the custom is
| otherwise, and the body servants are paid
ST 200 per annum by the Government. Some
of the Justices want TO select their own body
servants, but they are not allowed to do it
by the other body servants, for the custom is
that the newly appointed Justice retain the
body servants of his predecessor. The body
servants have never been known to allow a
Justice to violate this custom.
Mr.. Justice Woods, who was appointed
by Garfield, in speaking to some gentlemen
of this custom, said: MY body servant is
the most annoying thing / have yet expe-
rienced The fellow is the first man see in
the morning and the last see at night. He
forced his way into my room at the Elliott