The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1884-07-03
JADED JUDGES.
The Supreme Court Of Tennessee,
With Docket Four Years
Behinds, Adjeurns.

The supreme court of Tennessee
announced yesterday that an ad
journment would be had, next Tues
day, and the lawyers are in conse
quence very indignant. A number
who were called upon yesterday ex
pressed themselves in undisguiseC
terms as disgusted with the man
ner ia which their business was de
layed from term to term and from
year to year, cases piled the docket
and the ends Of justice practically
tlefes ted.
The coart will not convene again
until the second Monday in Sep
TEN Der, when it meets at Knoxville
to transact business in East Ten
nessee. The West Tennessee dock
ct will lay undisturbed until next
April-nearly a year-when the
dust will be brushed from its yel-
low leaves aud their hoAors will
nod for a couple of hours q day
over its faded entries. The law
yers of Shelby have wrestled in
vain aud grown weary, their clients
are weary and almost hopeless;
houses crumhle into dust and blow
away, lands lay idle, fine farms are
choked with weeds, and the big
bugs take a summer vacation OF
ten weeks while heart sick litigants
fume AMI sweat and swear at the
mockery of justice. The judges of
the supreme coart will loll in swing
ing hamm0cks and listen ecstatical-
ly to the music of ripping waters,
while dogs go mad and the poor
suitOr becomes insane through
years of weary waiting.
In the state of North Carolina
there are fourteen judges; three
members compose the supreme
court of Mississippi, Arkansas and
of Alabama, while Tennessee has
five.suPreme judges, thirteen chan
ccllors, twenty-one curcuit judges
and nine referee judges, making
forty-eight in all. The supreme
court meets at 8 o'clock daily for
five days q week, adjourn at 1870
o'clock, p. m, the whole number Of
hours spent weekly upon the bench
being seventeen and a half. Many
= chancellor of the state sits as
long in one day. For this service
they are paid $4,000 a year, and yet
they intend to take a holiday of
nearly three months. Their wea
ried intellects must have rest and
the weakened physical condition
must be strengthened. Except
Judge Cooper, no member Of the
court has written as many eight
opinions on civil cases during the
term. The court has been idle half
the term, for the simple reason that
it does not sit long enough to get
the complete record in q case. sMis-
sissippi with its three judges is up
with its docket Alabama, with a
similar number, has no unfinished
business. and Arkansas, with three
judges, is only six months behind.
Tennessee, with five supreme judges
and a court Of nine referees, has 4
large number Of cases on its docket
which were put there in 1880, and
which will not be reached until
next April. Many OF these are Of
the most important character,
among them the suits against the
defaulting public administrator,
j. A. Anderson. Five years roll by,
and the orphans who were robbed
OF their all, must wait, naked and
hungry, while the supreme courts
locks its doors at noon and goes
home to such q dinner as can be
had on an income Of 81, 1000 a year,
draws the corks of the cobWebby
wine and snoozes blissfully until 9
o'clock the next morning. Three
and half hours is the whole length
of the daily session, and a good
part of that is consumed in hear
ing minutes aad motions. At
Nashville there are 1,5O0 cases on
the Docket awaiting trial. Some Of
tho county dockets of West Ten
nessee have been brought through
1882, but that of Shelby is four
years behind. During the past
term the court has tried but twenty
eight civil cases in Shelby county
and its gigantic brain is over
strained. The judges read the law
OF the land and interpret it. The
following from the code and con-
stitution is submitted without argu-
ment:
Code, 4,51O. 1t is the duty of
the judges of the supreme court to
hold its terms at the different
places designated by the law until
all the cases are determined or
otherwise disposed of, or until it
becomes necessary to adjourn to
hold the court at another point.
Code, 3,9I7 Ia In case of sick
ness Of any one or more of the
judges of the supreme court, the
governor shall have the power to
commission persons learned in the
law to fill the vacancy during the
illness of such judge.
Code, 1890, provides that judges
shall take the oath to do their duty
under the law and faithfully dis
charge all the duties upon them.
The constitution (article 1, sec
tion II, especially provides that
all courts shall be open, and ev-
cry man for an injury done him in
his lands, goods, person or reputa-
tion shall haYe remedy by due