Omaha daily bee., 1883-03-26
IOWA SUPREME COURT.
The Effect Of the Previous DeCiS-
ion on the Amendment.
Their Way of Labor and Dis
posing OF Cases-A Long Pc
Rod Of Judicial Labor.

DAY, OF the supreme oouisO ' "0
during which we cleaned the folio wing
information: The supreme court are
done with their whole work, there be-
ing now no cases on file but those
which we're submitted to them at the
late torn held In thisscity, and they
will be disposed Of next week. This
Is probably the only supreme court In
the United Stases who have been able
to keep up with their business, which
Is perhaps owing to the fact that the
whole five judges are gentlemen who
enjoy good health, have a system
about their business, and work hard d.
About four months Of their time per
year is engaged In term time at the
various places where court sessions are
held. Des Moines, Council Bluffs, Da-
venport and Dubuque.
Their usual custom Is to hold q seq
sion In the morning when motions
are made, briefs and Arguments In.
troduced and decisions are read from
the bench. In the afternoon the
judges take the papers of the cases
submitted to their consultation rooms
where they are carefully examined by
each Judge, and his view of the merits
and dement's according to the law
noted upon the case and their docket.
The judges cannot tell which case
will come to them, as they are placed
on the docket In rotation, and then
as the cases are fled they are placed
upon the docket as they come up,
hence there can be no favoritism,
either to the judges Or In behalf of
the cases should their be any desire
to do 80. The average number OF
cases per year upon which decisions
are rendered are about five hundred,
so that each judge must write about
one hundred decisions q year, and
also examine the briefs and other
arguments, and give his Views In
writing to the other judges
on the other q four hun.
dred cases, thus causing each
Judge to read carefully some thirty
thousand pages of briefs and argu-
ments, besides examining other points
of Law relating to the case which re.
quires q great deal Of time and hard
study. The position of q supreme
Judge In this state is not a place of re-
tirement for leisure and pleasure, but
one of continued, arduous labor, cou.
pied with great responsibility, as we
are second to no state in rank of in.
telligsnce and Importance according TO
our population. The longest terms Of
this court are held at Den Moines,
where it devotes three weeks twice a
year to the work. The cause of there
being 80 long q term here,at.the Bluffs,
usually Q full week, Is because Of iti
being the place Immediately following
the Des Moines term, from whence
many cases are adjourned to here. In
speaking of the amendment question,
in which all the people Of this state
and many In other statel
are Watching With great In
terest the decision tina
will be rendered By this eminent tri
bunal OF learning and law, the dectd
ing OF which wili no doubt great.
effect the next political campaign il
this state, and Will likely have its in
fiuence upon the political parties il
other sta'eI though we believe tn
court will not IN any way be concerne'
as 70 the political effect It may hav'
pro or CON, but will TO the best ct thei
ability and learning render an opinion
In ~accordance with their Judgment
unbiased. Judge Day had this to 80,
In regard to- the amendment question
that the Case would probably DO argues
on the Sd day OF April In Davenport
In relation to the previous declsion b
said that the deaislon rendered was +
the effect that the proper steps ha
not been taken to incorporate tn
amendment into the constitution. nc
: that the people had not the right t
incorporate such . law In the oonstitr
; ton.
That the case throughout Its Or,
oeedings was prosecuted for the pu,
. pose OF determining the validity
! the amendment, a. was shown fro
. the fact that the attorney general On
the eminent counsel we're allowed
appear in the oaso and present arg
. msnt, which could not have be-
done had the acton been a mere pr
d vste controversy between individual
The case presented two phases, one
which was o mere civil action to i
cover q quantity of beer, the 9th
Is and more important N was The vail
ity Of the amendment. While the ps
. sonal controversy could DO settled b
!. tween the parties, thew could %
withdraw from tn, court the ripht
Is determine the more impcttant an,
% tion Ia which the public at large We
=. 90 much interested. The SUPPER
" oourt n oomnoaed n tba b