East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1911-11-09
MORE JUSTICES FOR
SUPREME BENCH
GROWING DUTIES WILL
NECESSITATE ADDITIONS
Next Legislature of Oregon VIII be
Presented With Petition for Great
: ing Two New Judgcships on states
Highest Tribunal Of Justice.


Salem. ore, Nov. 9.-Ineyitable
changes in the oregon supreme court
are sure to engage the attention OF
the people OF the state during, if not
prior to the next session Of the legls-
lGture, it Is believed. That the court
must be enlarged by the addition OF
two new judges and that the court
must be permitted to sit In separate
departments in order that the rapidly
increasing business coming before 1t
NAV be given due attention is now
almost certain These things will
probably be recommended by the
commission created to revise the sys-
TEN of courts of the state
"While Is or IS appeals each month
has been a fair average said Judge
IL. C. Moreland, clerk of the court,
"we filed the eighteenth appeal for
the present month yesterday after
noon, and the month is less than one
fourth spent. While in Pendleton
last week the court heard &c cases,
whereas II was considered large
number before.
THE court IS certain to increase the
number of cases over which they are
to take original jurisdiction as time
goes on. This will add to the work
Of the court. OF course, many OF
these cases would reach the supreme
court on appeal anyway but many
would not. The court will not take
original jurisdiction where it can
avoid doing so, but these matters
must be determined for the best in
| tcrests of Justice and law. The new
/ law giving the supreme court origi-
| nal jurisdiction over certain cases will
naturally increase the number handl-
| ed in this way.
The court is not as far behind as
if was at the first of the year. but
the big rush of business which seems
to have Just begun to flood in Will
cause the court to fall further be-
hind. This is a court of last resort
and the man who would hurry the
court in its work surely does not un-
derstand the purpose of supreme
court They can do more work. but
they can do only so much well and
cases here deserve the most careful
and painstaking consideration.
I'm many states no written opin'
ions of length are required, but in this
state written opinions giving reasons
in full are required by the constitu
ton. The court is establishing anc
Interpreting law and it is perfect,
right and proper that they should
give these decisions in writing, al
though it requires much more tim
In many cases the decisions could cas-
ily be given from the bench. but writ
ten decisions are required"
1t is now believed that the tw
| new judgeships will be created befor
| the new supreme court building vii
| be completed This prediction is bas
| ed upon the alleged fact that the ap
| preparation is not large enough t
| cover the erection and furnishing o
the new building. If the 10000
| available for this purpose proves suf
| ficent to complete the structure it
| self it will do we'll The next legis
| lature will therefore, be expected t
| make an additional appropriation 70
| furnishings. In the meantime, it /
| thought, two more judges will be ad
| ded and the present court room re
| adjusted accordingly.