The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1907-07-27
APPOINTMENT OF JUDGES.

One Of the enterprises Governor
woodruff took with him to Hartford
when he went there to enter upon the
duties Of his office was the appoint
ment of city and borough court judges
by the chief executive. A previous
legislature had provided for the APP
pcintment of judges of the courts Of
common pleas, but gave the appoint
ment of the lower judges to the Ju-
dietary committee This legislature
virtually informed the governor that
the scheme was working first rate and
that there was no need for further
change
We are not informed as to what ex-
tent the appointment Of judges by the
judiciary has been unsuccessful but It
has been 50 in two cases that we do
know about. In the case Of the police
court of the city Of Stamford dis
agreement between the house and SEN
ate has until now stopped the progress
of the appointing power. In the case
of the town court of East Hartford a
similar disagreement makes it imposst-
BILE to fill the vacancy according to the
philosophy laid down by two non-re-
forming legislatures If the General
Assembly ad1ourns without further ac-
ton then, as we understand 1t, the
governor. automatically becomes the APP
pointing power; what two legislatures
declared the governor Of the State was
not to be trusted with becomes his by
right Of political inheritance. 1t may
be argued that this Is not 50 bad as
1t would be If he enjoyed the power
to fill all of the court vacancies, but
it is certainly bad as far as IT goes
If there is anything to the alleged prin-
ciple which forbids the executive to
appoint inferior judges
1t has always been the Connecticut
practice to have the governor appoint
the Judges of the supreme and superior
courts upon the theory that the popular
choice of the people for governor, who
is directly responsible to the people for
the use he makes of his power, would
be more likely to select with care his.
appolntees than political cabal would.
1t may be said, too, that on the whole
this theory has worked out satisfac-
torily. No man likely to be made gov
ernor would dare fool with his court
appointments. Those which have been
made by the governor to the courts Of
common pleas have been made, on the
whole, with excellent judgment and
have established a court organization
by which one may enter the judicial
service of the State in the court Of
common pleas and hope intelligently
for a seat some day on the supreme
bench Why since this is the record Of
executive appointments an exception
should be made in the case Of local
courts is yet to be satisfactorily ex-
planned. If it is the purpose Of our form
OF government to keep the judiciary
out Of politics. and IL 1t is found that
less politics creeps in under executive
appointment it would appear as If exc
cutive appointment was the only as
surance given of non-partisan bench.
Fortunately the day Is not distant
when all judges in the State of Con-
necticut will be taken out of politics
and he selected for their legal ability
and judicial temperament. In the
meantime 1t must make Governor
Woodruff smile to think that vacancies
in local courts at Stamford and East
Hartford will be filled by him when
the time comes.