The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-08-21
To Relieve Vast Increase Of Work
in Circuit Courts.
WHEELS OF JUSTICE ARE CLOCCED
Work Of the First District Is More Than
Two Judges Can
Dispose OF.

Say, why don't you call attention
to the crying need of a third judge in
this court" said prominent attorney
to an Advertiser man in search of his
usual court reports a day or two since
What is the trouble?''
Here it is in a nutshell: This term
of court is supposed to last just four
weeks. 1t has been running two weeks
and we have just got through with the
Hawaiian jury cases. Even if Judge
Stanley exercises the extra powers
given him by the last Legislature and
continues the term for two weeks more
there only remains at the most a.
month, or twenty-four working days,
in which the finish up the calendar,
and, by the way, one of these is a holi-
day.
Let me show you how the calendar
stands. There are twenty-six crimi-
nal cases for the foreign jury on the
printed list. Some of these have been
disposed of, but others have been add
ed. Some of those cases will take a
couple of days to try In my opinion
the court will have all it can do to get
through the criminal cases before the
end of the term
What then?" was asked.
That's just it. Why, the civil cases
will have to go over to the next term,
like many of them did from the last
term to this. You talk about the laws
delays and of course blame it on the
lawyers. My clients do the same. There
are cases on the calendar in which 1 am
interested which 1 have been trying to
get to trial for three terms, and here |
am with very little prospect of getting
to trial at the present term.
Cant some of the cases be assigned
to Judge Perry?" queried the reporter
mo, they can't. Judge Perry has
got all he can do and more too. That
Waialua case will take him a couple of
months to try alone, if know anything
about it. 1t is an important case and
so many people are interested in it and
so much money is tied up by it that it
is of great public interest that the case
should be decided as soon as possible
In addition to hearing the evidence,
the Judge has got to read and digest
all the testimony after the reporter has
copied it out, before he can render his
decision. Then again, he has to take
all the probate business while Judge
Stanley is attending to the regular
term. And let me tell you that the
probate business of this district alone
is enough for one judge to attend to.
Now there are twenty-one mixed
jury civil cases, twenty-four foreign
jury cases and thirty jury waived
cases, let alone divorce and separation
suits, on the calendar of the present
term. Can you or any other man
imagine for a moment how one judge
can attend to them all, L don't care how
he may be? And the busi- |
ness of the court is constantly increas- |
ing. At the November term things will |
be worse than they are now, and the |
business of the court will become so
clogged that none of us will know |
where we are at. 1 am suffering pecu-
mary loss from the present delay and |
so are my clients, but / get blamed |
all the same because my clients don't |
realize the situation.
1T was proposed to have the last |
Legislature authorize the appointment !
Of a third judge, but the measure was |
defeated through the opposition Of the