The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-02-21
POLICE JUSTICE BILL.
Mr.. Murphy's Measure Re-
specting Criminal Courts
in First Glass Cities.

Especial to 1.-THE Jersey City News."1
TRENTON, Feb. p, 1S99.-Mr. Murphy,
of Jersey City, impressed with amount
of labor some people are undergoing to
obtain the position of Police Justice in
first class cities has been so impressed
with the importance of the position that
he thinks the people should decide who
should hold the position. He therefor,
last evening, introduced this bill:-
An Act respecting Criminal Courts iii
cities of the first class in this state, ana
providing for the election of the Judges
of said courts, the appointment OF the
clerks of said courts and fxing the COM
pensation of said judges and clerks.
Be it enacted by the Senate and Gen
eral Assembly of the State OF New Jer-
sey:-
or passage of this act, the Judges OF the
Criminal Courts, now established IN cities
of the first class, shall be elected by the
Mayors OF such cities as now proyided
by lew.
2. THAT the first election of said Judges
under this act. shall be at the nrst munl-
cipal election held in the respective cities
of the first class, next succeeding the
date of the approval or passage OF TINS
act. The election for such Judge snall
be held and conducted IN the same man
ner and by the same officers as elections
for other municipal officers are held and
| conducted in such cities of the first class.
Upon the ballots to be voted when sucn
Judges are to be elected, shall be printed
the words. For Judges of the Criminal
Courts" Hereunder shall. be printed the
names of the persons to be voted ZOE as
first elected under this act, snail COM
mence on the first day of May next
| succeeding their election and shall pc
| for the period of three years from said
first day of May and until their success
| sors are in a like name elected and
! qualified. The terms of any successor or
successors to said Judges or any OF tnsln,
shall m on the first day Of May
next succeeding their election ana pc
for the like period of three years, ana
until their successors are elected ana
vacancy shall occur in the ofnlce OF
any of said Judges, such vacancy shall
be filled by appointment by the mayor
of the city where such vacancy occurs,
but such appointee shall hold Office under
| such appointment only until the first dag
| of May next succeeding his appointment
unless such vacancy shali occur wisnin
municipal election to be held in sucn city
where the vacancy occurs; in Whlcn latter
case, the appointee shall hold ms once
day of May next succeeding his appoint,
ment. When any vacancy. shall occur ana
the same shall nave been filled by the.
Mayor Of n city gyl,s az at9 3be n,;;n,e sueh
| NdCduCy Aldl ~ iitN0
election in such city held next succeeding
such appointment by the Mayor, unless
such vancancy shall have occurreq
within thirty days before such
election and in every such last mem
toned case the vacancy shall be filled at
the second municipal election succeeding
the occurrence of sue vacancy. Inc
term of any person elected to fill any
such vacancy shall be for the unexpired
term only. In cases of election to MI
vacancies, the ballots to be voted at sucn
a. -1o1 hnun nrinfpd 11n0n Them
the words, For Judges OF the
Courts to fill vacancy and t~hereunder
shall be printed the name OF the person
to be voted for to fill such vacancy. IS Z.
3. That the Judges so elected shall hold
the rimina Courts as now established
in cities of the first-class, and the Boards
shall designate which of the Judges elect
ed in their respective cities SHAH mold the
respective Criminal Courts therein; ana
said Boards shall designate and assign
to each of said Judges the particular court
to be by him held; which designations and
assignments the said Boards Of Police
Commissioners may alter or change at
pleasure. In addition TO the powers and
upon the Board of Police Commissioners
with respect to said courts, SAID Boards
of Police Commissioners SHAH have the
power to fix and determine and may NIX
and determine the hours at which said
courts shall be opened and the hours be-
tween which the same snail continue
open. And It shall pc the duty OF sag
courts to which they may be from time
to time assigned by said Board of Police
Commissioners and keep the same. open
for the transaction Of Of a business egd during aatars
mined by said Boards Of Police Commits
sioners.
4. That each of said Judges shall have
power to appoint a clerk OF sald court.
who shall hold office during the pleasure
of said Judge. The said clerk SO APP
pointed shall perform the same duties and
be subject to the same requirements in
all things as are now by law imposed upon
or required of the clerks of said courts.
5. That the salary Of each Of said
Judges shall be three thousand dollars
per annum and the salary of each. of said
clerks shall be fifteen hundred dollars per
annum, to be paid monthly by said cities,
in the same manner as other salaries in
said cities are paid. Neither of said
officers shall receive any other fee or COM
clerk, except as herein provided; all fees.
costs and charges, the whole or any part
whereof have heretofore been allowed or
paid to said Judge and clerk or either of
them, shall henceforth be charged and
collected as heretofore, but the same shall
be paid over to the city in which such
Court may be established for the exclu-
sive use and benefit of such city.
s. That the jurisdiction of said Crimi-
nal Courts and the mode of procedure
therein, shall continue to be the same as
now fixed and established by law.
Z. That the terms of office of all Judges
and clerks of said Criminal Courts or
any of them, in any Of the cities of the
first class, now in Office or who may be
in office on the thirtieth day of April.
eighteen hundred and ninety-nine, shall
expire and cease and determine on the
first day Of May, eighteen hundred and
ninety-nine.
s. That all acts or parts Of acts re-
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