Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-09-21
JOB
FACESFULTON'S
NEWEST JUDGE
Ben Hill Believes That by the
Hardest Kind Of Work He
Can Clear Docket.
IMBUED WITH ORIGINAL IDEAS
Intends to Remain on Appellate
Bench Until Roam Is Ready
to Take Place.

Once upon a time there was a Mr.
Hercules who was signed up for the
JOB Of cleaning the Augean stables.
II was surprising hard Job at that.
But Judge Ben Hill, the present head
of the Georgia Court OF Appeals.
faces a task that is Just about as
formidable. He must clear the Grim
fnal docket Of the Fulton County
Superior Court. which, besides be-
ing crowded with venerable Gases
that have been postponed from term
to term, has the startling number of
seventeen murder cases
The fourth judEeship OF the Su-
pertor Court was created, endowed
with the mission OF clearing the long
congested docket, and Judge Hin. by
reason Of his appointment, win fall
into the task. II is his mission, and
he will do it,
Probably IT will take six months.
mayb" a year, maybe longer. Since
time immemorial the criminal docket
Of the court has been overloaded.
Judge Roam, who attended to most
of the criminal business, had other
counties besides Fulton in his charge.
and there never was time for him to
do everything
The cases In which defendants
were out under bond were seldom
reached except after long delay. And,
therefore, the docket Of bond cases
has probably never been clear since
the beginning Of the Fulton Superior
Court. as cases In which the defend
ants were I'm Jail always took prece-
dence over the others, and usually
occupied about all the time Judge
Roam could give to the Fulton County
work.
Has Capacity for Work.
The new judge has a remarkable
capacity for work as any lawyer in
Georgia will tell you He looks at
The task ahead of him in the Atlanta
court without perturbation.
You see. there are hundreds of
cases each year before the Court of
Appeals said a lawyer, that must
be studied carefully as the Judge of
NE court OF last resort should study
cases. After that, where is there any
amount OF work judicial that is APP
palling?
The docket OF the Fulton Su-
perior Court is woefully crowded, II
Is true, due to the lack of time in the
past the presiding judge had in
which to hold court and due. too.
10 the length Of time consumed by
the recent Frank case, There are an
unusual number of capital cases but
the situation altogether is abnormal
because of very natural reasons, and
can be adjusted with a years hard
work"
Works Out Own Ideas.
Judge Hill, also, goes into the new
position with his own ideas about
the duties and responsibilities of a
Judge.
"A Judge" continued the lawyer lis
. part OF every case he hears He
becomes, for the time. that case No
one else can sit I'm It afterward OF
serve in II quite so effectively and
fairly as he. He is the thirteenth
juror"
Just when Judge Hill win resign
from the head of the Court of Ap-
peals and step into the Fulton Coun
~ Court is not known. Judge Hi
himself would not say. II is under
stood, however, that he will not re-
sign until every case before the
Court of Appeals is settled in which
he has served as Judge, and thai
Judge Roam Will not resign until he
has considered all motions i'm case.
tried before him.
This last specification includes the
Frank case, and If the gossip amone
lawyers is of substantial basis
Judge Roam will remain on the Su.
perior Court bench until the Franz
motion for new trial is settled.