New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-10-23
TO ALTER THE COURTHOUSE
IMPORTANT CHANGES NEEDED BY THE
FIRST OF JANUARY.

AN EFFECT OF THE Transfer OF J'p"ES ~
THE SUPREME couRT-INcREAsED ACCOM-
MopATIoNs REorIRED-ExPEcTED IN
pRovEMENTs IN THE TRANsAc-
T1oN OF JUDICIAL BUSINESS.
Some important changes are to be made III inc
County Courthouse within the next TWO moh'hs
The abolition OF the Superior Court and the Court OF
Common Pleas and the transfer OF the JUDGES anu
OF the lawsuits from those courts to the supreme
Court render necessary alterations in the buiidhe
itself TO accommodate the changed condition OF
affairs There will be seventeen Supreme court
Judges after January |. besides the members OF .he
Appellate Division. This number Will include the
two present Supreme Court Judges Lawrence anu
Andrews who have not been assigned to the APP
pellate Division: the six Judges OF the superior
Court the six Judges of the Court of Common Pleas
and the three new Judges be elected In November
In order to accommodate so large n NUMBER OF
Justices the rearrangement of the rooms IL heces-
sary There are now nineteen Judges in the three
courts, but several OF these are not occupied AT
any one time in General Term work. the number oil
courtrooms needed is not as great under the new
arrangement. Provision must also be maze LOT
private rooms for all the Judges.
Judges Barrett and Ingraham have made an ex-
animation of the County Courthouse, with view 10
recommending needed changes The building Is still
called the New County Courthouse" although In
its twenty years of If has ceased TO appear new
and already requires remodelling In many respects
The plans for the court accommodation nave
not been fully decided upon but IL Is propaoe uh
the present General Term room Will be cohhec'eu
with the private chambers OF the present Judges
and new private rooms will be made from the OLD
General Term room The library and private rooms
of the Judges will then occupy the northern par All
the main floor OF the building Two m,
be ASSIGNED to Judges at Chambers. There are now
tree ina bes IN the Superior and Common Pleas
frenI
Judges can do the work. and 1t proposed so 10 di
business and the other hear motions The granting
of -pare orders under the present system Is doe
in the hurry OF other wGra a the papers handed
TO him by the court officer. Under the new system
tenon because the Judge will not be distracted by
the hearing OF arguments on motions al une time
when papers are laid before him for signature. 49,
The present General Term rooms OF the SUPERIOR
and Common Pleas courts can. OF course, De auuea
to the number OF rooms for trial anu speriai a,
The rooms occupied by the Superior and Common
pleas clerks will also be brought into use as court
dstion of the deputies Of the County Clerks office
may be necessary. This may be .ound on me ne
assigned for some OF the court clerical work on
OF the other floors Room must also oe I'm maq 1
The present cerrs offices Of the Common Pleas and
isature may permit the destruction OF some OF the
old papers which no longer valuable but me
must be preserved is so large that special arrange
ments must be made for their storage ~. Cam.
Many OF the courtrooms now in use IN the Z ouh-
~ Courthouse are small and poorly ventilated
The new arrangements may provide for the holu-
irg OF fury trials only in the larger rooms, pc
cause the presence Of jurymen and the fact ina,
most OF the cases OF sensational interest are tried
before iuries render il desirable that the rooms at
the trial terms should be especially large; ~.
The necessity OF making these changes BEFORE the
onening OF the year may lead to the closing OF
some branches of the Supreme Court and perhaps
some of the other courts in the latter part OF No
yember and in December. This Will lead to an
accumulation of cases. but II all the rooms are
ready for use on the first OF January, the newly
organized Supreme Court, with Its seventeen Judges
OF whom at least fifteen will have had ludiciai
training, will be able rapidly TO dispose OF cases
As no one Of the Judges will be compelled to stop
his usual work to prepare decisions on appeal. all
OF them can. without interruption, carry on the
exacting labors Of the trial Judge.