The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-02-29

INDEPENDENT COURT
The COMMITTEE Of Lawyers
Appointed by the Senate
Agree on the Appel
late Court.
OHANCELLoR'S POWER SHOWN
Proposed Amendment Giving The
Governor the Appointment
Of the Vices.
special to the Jerseu cttu Meas

TRENTON. Feb. %. 1S96.-The commit
tee of nine prominent lawyers Of the
State. selected under the Voorhees, resolu-
ton of last Tuesday. to consider the
subject of reorganizing the judiciary of
the State. held an all day Conference be-
hind closed doors in tn e Chancellor's room
lat the State House yesterday. The COM
mittee had been selected to draft a suit
able constitutional amendment remodel
ing the Court of Chancery and the Supreme
Court, and creating an independent Court
of last resort instead of the present
Court of Errors and Appeals. The Voor-
hees resolution also requests the lawyers
committee to suggest some plan by which
the State can be apportioned into Assem-
bly, districts again. An effort is expected
to be made to draft a law which viii
divide the State into districts and vet
overcome the constitutional objections
raised against the former law. If this can
not be done a constitutional amendment
10 cover the point will be submitted. Such
restrictions will be thrown around the
law, however, thai the old time gerryman-
dering schemes will not be very success
full.
The nine legal gentlemen who are wrestl-
ing with the p~erpiexing questions are
Thomas N. McCarter, of Newark; Samuel
H. Grey and D. j. Pancoast. of Camden;
ex-Judge Stevens, of Newark; Eugene
Stevenson. of Jersey City: ]. Frank Fort,
of Newark; Frank Bergen. of Elizabeth;
G.. D.. w. Vroom. of Trenton. and Gilbert
Collins. of Jersey City. Each CT the nine
has radically different views on how the
thing shall be accomplished.
Thomas n. McCarter was selected as
Chairman of the Committee and Frank
Bergen Secretary. The entire day was
spent in discussing the proposition for a
separate and independent Court of last
resort, the lawyers finally coming to an
understanding and deciding to suggest an
absolutely independent Court. The aniend-s
ment 10 be submitted eliminates all ref
erence to the Court of Errors and Appeals
from the constitution. Tine new Court as
to-consist of but five judges. instead of
sixteen as at present. One is to be known
~as the President Judge. The term of
office of each judge is liked at seven years
and they are to be appointed by the Gov
ernor. Il will require four members of
the Court to vote upon any decision, and
there can be no such thing as a deadlock.
In the event of any one of the five being
unable to sit upon any case. or in case Of
disability, the Governor is empowered to
appoint one of the Justices of the Supreme
Court to fill the place temporarily. All the
Judges must be learned in the law.
~ - =
course. touch the question of salary, but
it is supposed that the salary of the JUS
tees of the Supreme Court, 5000 a year,
VII be fixed. In the event Of the adop-
ten of the lawyers suggestion the Cover
nor would no doub select Chief Justice
Beasley as President Judge Of the highest
Court for many reasons. This is the
opinion expressed by lawyers of the COM
nittee. The reasons advanced for the re-
duetion of the Judges from 1e TO 5 Were
that as the highest Court Judges would
have considerably less work than the
present Judges there is no necessity to
hav more than five.
The lawyers did not discuss the changes
for the Supreme Court today. The propo-
s.tion for the Court of last resort was
proposed by Samuel il. Grey, substantially
as adopted.
The. committee also agreed tc draft an
amendment MAX ing the Vice Chancellors
constitutional officers and depriving the
Chancellor of the power and placing it
with the Governor.
Nothing was done by the committee to-
day with reference to the proposition TO
create Assembly districts. This question
VII be taken up at tho next meeting.
wrich will be at the State House on
TtlaSd1x-