Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1912-02-16
The New judicial Circuit.
Attorney John Miller Tells of the Efforts to Secure New
Circuit -Marinette Entitled to Judicial Seat-New
Circuit Was Badly Needed

AS the time for electing judge fol
] the new Twentieth Judicial Circuit is
! drawing near it OCCURS to me that il
may be of interest to the people gen
orally to'know something of the work
that was necessary in order to get g
new circuit and also of the crying neeC
there was for new circuit.
Hastings OverwOrked.
For twenty years or more Marinette
and Oconto counties, with Brown and
Door have made up the Fourteenth
circuit presided over by Judge Hast
ings During that time the population
of the circuit has increased fifty per
cent and litigation naturally has in
creased in the same proportion. Judge
Hastings tho conceded to be one OF the
abest and hardest working judges in
the state was unable to keep up with
the work tho he held court more days
every year than any judge in the state.
AS stated by himself in letter to the
legislature he worked Sundays and holi-
days but the work piled up so fast that
the business was almost two years be-
hind.
Actual Conditions.
At the October term of court in
Marinette county there were eighty
eight ca 5es listed for trial and at the
January term there were sixty y-eight
and it was utterly impossible to try one
quarter of the cases that should be
tried. In Brown county. conditions
were even worse as there is enough
work in that county alone to keep a
Judge busy every day in the year
OcontO county was in the same cODdi-
ton and the cases had to be put over
from one term to another often at great
loss to itigants who had a right to
have their cases disposed of at the first
term after they were at issue instead
of waiting for two years until they
reached their turn in the court business.
In the Fourth circuit presided over by
Judge KirWin, matters were just as far
behind, the judge himself making the
statement that he was two years be-
hind in his work with business increas-
ing instead of decreasing. Judge Kir-
win freely admitted hat the two coun-
ties of Sheb0ygan and ManitoWoc would
provide all the work that any one man
could do and that if he were relieved
OF Kewaunee county, conditions in the
Fourth district would be materially bet
tered In Forest and Florence counties
which with Marinette and Oconto make
up the new circuit, conditions were SIM
liar. They were part of the old Tenth
circuit presided over by Judge Good
land who also had Outagamie, Shawano
and Langlade counties, This made a
circuit in two separate parts as Flor
ence and Forest counties were separ-
ated by a whole days journey from the
rest of the circuit The result was
that business in Florence and Forest
counties was unsatisfactory, as if the
= Judge had to be seen on matters out
side of a regular term it required
three full days to make the trip to
the judicial seat, thus making it both
! cumbersome and expensive for both
!: attorneys and clients. Judge Goodland
with five counties to take care of said
himself in letter to the legislature that
he could not give the required amount
of time to matters that they ought to
have and frequently had to make hasty
decisions just to save time. This he
! conceded was not fair to the people
who had matter in dispute to be decided
and said further that if Forest and
: Florence counties were taken out of the
j Tenth circuit be could still have all the
work that any one Judge could do as it
: should be done.
Conditions being such as above set
forth both litigants and attorneys We're
dissatisfied and the only solution was
to get a new circuit This had been
tried before but never with success and
: majority of the attorneys thought it
could not be done as for some reason
every legislature seemed to be radi-
cally opposed to new judicial circuits.
Z However, conditions in Marinette county
! We're such that it was impossible to get
! cases to trial until they were over q
: year old and finally the Marinette bar
/ decided that they would make the at
: tempt. Judge w. B. Quinlan was
asked to draft the necessary bill for in
l PRODUCTION in the legislature and to see
1 that it was introduced Immediately
upon that body meeting, so that if any
. relief was to be obtained it might be
, obtained speedily.
i Bill Drafted.