The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1885-07-10
TIE SuPREMF COuK.T.

attending the trial Of causes in the
Supreme Court, and many remedies
were suggested. Judge Freeman
was present and made an eloquent
appeal to the members Of the bar to
take bold stand before the people
and educate them up to the point of
having an Act of the legislature pass
ed requiring all appellants to assign
errors. A member of the present
legislature was asked why the legisla-
ture did not pass bill requiring APP
pellants tosARsign error, or point out
in writing the errors complained of
and thereby lessen the labors of the
Supreme Court, and the reply was
that 'the country lawyers thought
there was a trick in it and defeated
the bill" We don't know what the
''country lawyers" thought about that
particular measure, but they did re-
gard with suspicion some other meas
ures emanating from the same source.
But the intimat1on that the 'country
lawyer" is opposed to judicial reform
and to the speedy trial of causes, is
false. The country lawyers" are not
responsible for the present state of
the Supreme Court docket. As rule
their arguments are brief, and very
little time IS occupied in the trial of
any case coming from the country.
The last time the docket from this
county was heard in the Supreme
Court, about twenty cases were tried
in two days. If any class Of lawyers
are responsible for the deplorable con-
dition of the Supreme Court docket
more than another, it is the Getty
lawyers" But we do not believe the
lawyers are to blame for it, at all.
The court has the right to regulate
the time consumed IN the argument
and if more time is occupied than is
necessary, the court, and not the
lawyer is to blame. In all the dis
cussions upon that point at the bar
meeting, in our opinion, the real
reason for the Supreme Courts being
so far behind with its business, was
not mentioned, possibly because two
of the judges were present. The first
and principal reason is this: they do
not half work. One day in each
week is taken up in delivering long
winded opinions, in which no new
principle of law is announced. Then
they meet at or 10 o'clock, and after
the minutes of the previous day are
read they hear argument unit halt
past twelve, when they adjourn court
until the next day. They meet at
Knoxville on the LIST Monday in Sep
TENDER and hold court about two
anonths and adjourn until the next
term. They then meet IN Nashville
on the 1st Monday in December and
hold on there until about the list of
February, when they will adjourn and
go home, leaving perhaps 1000 or
| 1900 cases on the docket, to meet in
jackson on the 1st Monday in April.
They generally hold court at jackson
until about the 10th Of June, when
they leave, so that they will have
ample time to get back to Knoxville
by the first Monday in September.
These are facts and every lawyer
knows 1T. These are the reasons
why no mole cases are tried. Every
lawyer knows that there is a dearth
in litigation all oyer the State, and
that there are not one half as many
cases in the inferior courts now as in
| 1875. Still the appeals to the court
of last resort are just as numerous
now as eyer. Why is thisi It is
this, as we believe. This court has
unsettled so many principles OF law
which had been considered as well
established by the profession, that no
lawyer knows what they will do, and
If ne has case of any Importance he
will carry it to the Supreme Court
aud take the chances" They have
not only shown by their decisions that
they would not stand by what the
older courts had sad was the law,
but they have been equally as re-
CARELESS Of their own decisions. Our
reports show that the present Su-
preme Court have, at one time, upon
tull argument, solemnly announced
certain principles as law, and haye
ordered the opinion published. And
at the next term they have decided
the same question the other way, and
sometimes without referring to the
former case. That opinion is also
published. Thus the identical ques-
ton has been decided both ways and
both opinions are sent out as good
law The impression that this court
I ,r-;U not he GOVERNED nv any sort of