The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1883-01-25
Che Broakharen gedger: Thursday sanitary Is, 1883.
"A session Of the Supreme Court.

"A Session OF the Supreme Court.
Z. V. Smalley in The Century.
When twelve o'clock comes, there are per-
| haps dozen lawyers sitting at the tables
within the bar, and score of spectators wait
ing on the crimson plush sofas for the court to
| open. A rustic Of silk is heard from the open
| door leading to the retiring rooms. At the
other side of the chamber sits young man at
a desk, who has been listening for few
minutes for this sound. He rises, and
announces in o clear voice: @The honorable
the chief justice and associate justices of the
supreme court Of the United States" where
upon lawyers and spectators all get up on their
feet The rustling sound approaches, and
there enters procession Of nine dignified old
men, clad in black silk gowns that reach
almost to their feet, with wide sleeves and
ample skirts At the head walks the chief
justice, and the others follow in the order of
their length Of service in the court They
stand moment in front of their chairs and all
bow at once to the bar The lawyers return
the sslnte; then the judges sit down, the asso-
clates being careful, however, not to occupy
their chairs before the chief justice is settled
in his. Now the young man, who is the crier,
exclaims, in a monotonous fashion,:
"Oyez! Oyer! Oyer! All persons having
business before the honorable supreme court
of the United States are admonished-to draw
near and give their attention, for the court is
now sitting. God save the United States and
this honorable COURT"
Business begins promptly and is dispatched
rapidly First, motions are heard, tien the
docket is taken up. The chief Justice calls
the case in order in q quiet tone, and a
lawyer is on the floor making an argument,
while you are still expecting that there will be
some further formality attending the opening
of so august tribunal
The proceedings are impressive only from
their simplicity. Usually the arguments of
counsel are delivered in low, conventional
tones. Often the judges interrupt to ask qnes-
tons In patent cases, models of machinery
are frequently used to illustrate an argument,
and are handed up to the judges for examina-
ton, or blackboard is used for diagrams.
Were it not for the gray hair and black gowns
of the judges, you might almost imagine at
tim,e that the gentleman at the blackboard,
with Crayon in hand, was college professor
lccturing to a class. Or you may happen
i'll when lawyer in charge of o case
is leaning over the long desk in front of the
judges, holding conversation with one of
them on some intricate point in mechanical
device, and you would hardly think that the
court was in session and that the conversation
was the plea in a patent case involving per-
haps half a million dollars
The bench has long been only tradition in
all our courts. Each justice of the supreme
| court has chair to suit his own notions of
what constitutes a comfortable seat Some of
the chairs have high backs to rest the head,
some have low backs; some have horse-hair
cushions, some velvet some no cushions at
| all Chief Justice Waite sits in the middle OF
| tho row.