The Penn's Grove record., 1894-07-06
Constitutional Changes.

! Among the SUBJECTS V"h9'NN'eN
| McDermott's proposition TO have Tue
| Court of Pardons to consist OF the Gof-
ernor. the Chancellor. Attorney Gener-
al. Secretary of State, Comptroller and
State Treasurer. Ex.Gov. Ludlow
amended by striking out the Secretary
of state, Comptroller and State Treas
urer. which amendment Mr.. MeDer-
mott accepted. Mr., kean moved TIA
TO the Governor, Chancellor and At
torney-General De added the three SEN
| ior Judges of the court OF last resort
This was lost, and after All amendment
by Mr.. Stokes that the word "po"ra
be substituted for the wCrd court
| the proposition was adopted that 1.-The
Board of Pardons consist of the Cover
nor, the Chancellor and the Attorney
General. MI. MCDermott offered a
new proposition that the court OF last
resort shall be called the Supreme Court
and that there shall be a Superior Court
of nine Justices, to sit in three divis-
ions, and that the Superior Court JUS
tees shall also sit in circuits, one oil
these divisions to sit at the capital, the
others in places established by the rule
of the Court. Appeals from civil courts
established by statue to be final in the
Superior Court, thus providing that N
Iy more important cases shall go TO the
Court of Last Resort. Judge Fort &C
cepted this proposition as a substitute
as to the third section Of his PROPOSE
ton.
This weeks session it was decided
that the Court of Errors and Appeals
is to consist of five judges, to be con-
tinuously in session at Trenton for the
speedy disposition of cases. The judges
must be ~counselors a" law of ten years
standing and not connected with any
other Court, thus doing away with the
lay element in the Court Of Appeals.
The next Court is the Supreme Court
| of original jurisdiction, composed of
nine justices to be divided into three
divisions of three justices each. These
justices try all Circuit and Supreme
| Court cases, and all Oyer and Terminer
cases, and three of them shall sit in
banc to supervise the work of their
own members. One division is to sit in
Camden, another in Trenton and the
third in Newark. They decide rules
to show cause, certioIari proceedings
and appeals from inferior Courts. Tn.
der this system 10 cause can be delayed
over 60 days from the time suit is be-
gun until it is finally disposed of in the
Court of Errors and Appeals.
The Court of Chancery is to consist
of a Chancellor and not less than two
Vice Chancellors. The new Circuit
Court, created two years ago, is abol-
ished, and Justices of the Supreme
Court will sit alone in the trial of all
homicide and other important cases,
thereby doing away with the lay Judges
in trials of that character.
Judge Howard Carrow made a strong
argument in favor of making the Court
of Common Pleas aud Quarter Sessions
a Constitutional Court. lie said if any
Court in the State needed reorganiza'
ton and to be placed on a digniled bas
is it was that Court, because it was
Court that was directly in touch will
the people and should be put upon the
highest possible plane. 1t had always
he said, been the subject of entirely toe
much politics. AT almost every session
of the Legislature bills are introduced
either to abolish it or curtail its juris'
dietion. lie thought the people of the
State demanded a reorganization of thu
Court, and he was in favor of combin'
ing the jurisdiction OF the Circuit and
Common Pleas Courts and having only
two trial Courts and one Court of APP
peal.
John Kean opposed the proposition
on the ground that the late Legislature
had passed a bill for the reorganization
of the Court and the election of the
Judges, and the proposition was ultim'
ately lost by a vote of 8 to I.
Ex.Judge Carrow, of Camden, intro
duced a proposition to the effect that
the Governor shall hold office for foul
years instead of g., the members Of the
Senate elected for four years, and that
there be biennial sessions of the Legis'
lature, the members of the House to be
elected for two years. The proposition
was allowed to go on record, bnt it was
outlined in the joint resolution of the
Legislature which created the commits.
sion.
When the proposition to strike from
the constitution all references to the
Justices of Peace was called up, ex'
Governor Bedle, in Il facetious address
urged that the proposition should moi
be passed.
Allan McDermott said be did no
think it would make much differencet t;
the Justices whether they had statutor!
or constitutional warrant to do bust
ness, that the proposition did not pro
pose to abolish the Justice Court, blu
to remove them from the constitution
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