The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1912-10-31

they appeared IN the district court
snust he preserved and presented In
readable form to the supreme court
If that court Is to review the case,
The rules expressly direct that only
the material parts of the record shall
be printed and that unnecessary ma,
ter shall be omitted; and fix penal.
Ties for putting in the record anything
more than is necessary
In cases involving less than 81
,'rinted abstracts are not required.
There are five judges of the s,l-
preme court each Of whom necessary,
must have copy of the record or alb.
stract. So also the lawyers must
have copies and there must be cop
les to preserve in the record. There
must be at least eight or nine copies
Of the record or abstract. 1t is cheap
er to print eight or nine copies Of the
record in good sized case than i,
is to have that many readable cope,
struck off on a typewriter; and hr-
sides it Is important that permanent,
record be kept in the library OF all
supreme court cases This could
not well be done with typewriter
manuscripts. Consequently BECAUSE
the printed records are just as cheap
Or cheaper, more readable and. more
permanent the rules require that in
cases involving more than $500 the
records or abstracts shall be printed.
Mr.. Robinson says this abstract
is seldom if ever read" This state
ment is a wilful falsehood No inteln-
gent understanding of the facts Of a
case could be had without reading t1c
abstract.
Again Mr.. Robinson states, Twice
d year for about six months at q time
the business of the court is held up
to await the recurrence Of court
terms. ......
The evident inference is that the
court meets once In six months anu
the judges loaf the rest OF the time.
Mr.. Robinson knows. that this is .un-
true and 4 contemplate Islander y !:
The state consultation (sec. ss1.
provided for three terms Of the: sa+
preme court It Bismarck, Fargo ana
Grand Forks respectively. but pro
vided that the legislature could 9th.
erwise provide 81. .s5 .s:::::: .,5 $.s AZ
At the urgent demand Of most Of
the lawyers of. the state and Of the
judges themselves the Legislature
abolished the terms at fdfg6 ana
Grand Forks and provided for two
terms both to be held at Bismarck.
This change was made because ex-
perience had shown that only two
terms were necessary and that the
holding of terms at Fargo and Grann
Forks away from the state lihrar
was impracticable.
The terms merely NIX q definite
time within which the cases to be
presented must be ready for hearing.
beginning on the first day Of the term
the court hears the arguments and
renders it's decisions from time TO
time as speedily as possible until tho
cases are all disposed Of. The court
is open every business day Of every
week from the beginning of one term
until the beginning of the next. Al
everybody who has been around the
capitol at Bismarck any length Of
time, know, the judges of the GIL
preme court work from about $3.50
a. m. until about 5 p. m. with an
hour or so for lunch; and often work
after supper. Tie practice is to
hear arguments in q number Of cases
a couple Of days each week jand de
vote the rest Of the time to study Of
the cases and writing decisions. This
is repeated week by week until the
cases are all disposed Of.
During the last twelve years the
number Of cases before the supreme
court has steadily increased; 80 that
Of late years there has been little or
no time for a vacation between terms.
Every thinking man agrees that we
should simplify our procedure 90 ~
to administer Justice more cheaply
and speedily. But TIL reform can
crly be effected by legislation: en1
it may require some changes In the
constitution.
Judge Bruce before he became a