The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-02-08
COURT D0CkETS
ARE CONTESTED
Judges. About 1900 Cases Be-
hind on Their Calendars.
ANOTHER DIVISION NEEDED
NEW JUSTICE OF PEACE Law
CoMPLICATEs MATTERS.

Tnere Is such a congested condition
OF cases in the three divisions of the
Third judici2l district court that il
i Despsaks, prolonged. exas operating ce-
lays in the administering of Justice
( The dockets are loaded down with
about 1850 actions, which will take
more than two years TO try if all OF
them were submitted at once to JUDGES
and juries for settlement.
There is no apparent or immediate
relief in sight, and those who have
given the matter any consideration are
| hoping against hope. for the sake Of
justice. that another judge may be add
ed to the judicial force. If something
is not done to relieve the congested
condition, the calendars of the three
divisions of the court viii remain in
their present status for an inter
minable length of time.
Probate Matters Not Included.
The 1900 cases now waiting trial do
not include the probate matters. which
accumulate as the county grows, and
which have assumed such proportions
as to necessitate Judge Hall giving
them his undivided attention al ica st
one day week. Were they added %
the actions of law, equity ana the
criminal cases, the total number would
be several hundred more.
The future is still more cl0uded by
the operation of the new law taking
suits for more than SIG damages from
the court of the justice of the peace.
and making it necessary TO file II e
complaint in the district court. Since
that new law went into effect petty
and semi spite suits involving very
small sums OF money, have been filed
by the dozen with the clerk of the
courts. In many instances the fling of
a complaint Is used TO inttmlddJe the
defendant a
other instances the cases are awaiting
trial.
There are only three judges in the
Third division, and their jurisdiction
includes Summit and Tooele counties.
While Judge Morse is now holding
court on TOOele county the cases on
his docket are awaiting trial Through
his being compelled to go into those
two counties. the Mary Jane Smith
case, the DR.. Payne murder trial and
other actions of a criminal nature. are
compelled to wait. And in the mean
time new cases are being filed for
record and trial at an alarming rate.
Apparently No Relief in Sight.
To show the congested condition of
the courts il is only necessary TO state
that it would take the three Judges
in this division, if they disposed Of one
case a day Ga year consisting of SEQ
up the docket And in the meantime
the docket would be filing up with new
cases.
1t would be impossible sor the judges
to dispose of. on an average. one case
d day. Some of the cases require weeks
and months to settle The electrical
case now under Amusement by Judge
Morse was on trial before him eight
weeks; another case, of recent trial be-
fore another judge, occupied his at
tentiOn for six weeks. But, could he
judges average three cases a daY be-
tween them, and should no more cases
be filed after today, it would take the
judges about two years to enter the
decree in the last action filed with the
clerk of the courts yesterday after
noon.
Another Judge Is Required.
With limitation placed upon the jus
tice of the peace court, which places
an extra burden upon the district
courts, and the additional number of
actions growing out of the increasing
population of the city and county. it
will soon place the district judges in
the position of being forced to either
ask the legislature for another judge,
or hold court twelve hours out of every
twenty-four on every day excepting
holidays, in the hope of catching up
with their calendars in the dim and
distant future.
1t would be possible to bring every
one Of the almost 1,500 cases now on
file to issue within the next few days.
In that event it would take all of
two years for the judges to dispose
of Them and cases filed in the interim
would have to wait about twenty-fOur
months before they could become at
issue and a date set for their hear
ing.