Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-04-12

in the Common Pleas Court, planned
by Judges William P. Martin and
Harry V. Osborne, worked out we'll
during its first week, and will un-
doubtedly be continued. In the past
criminal and civil matters have been
alike handled by both judges, the
two judges between them before able
to devote about five full court days
week to criminal cases.
Under the new method one judge
hears all the criminal cases and the
other all civil matters which en-
brace orphan court, employers la
bility act, naturalization, lunacy and
license hearings, or, in fact, every
thing that comes before the Court of
Common Pleas except criminal cases.
The judges will alternate each week
in trying criminal cases, Judge Mar
tin this week sitting in the criminal
branch of the court, while Judge os-
borne presided over the other branch,
or "junk" court, as it has been rath-
err appropriately named by those
having business with it. The name
Junk" court will probably stick, as
litigation of almost every sort and
nature can be handled in 1t.
Under the old system the average
number of criminal cases disposed of
in a week would not number more
than a dozen or fifteen at the out
side. This week Judge Martin has
disposed of twenty-six cases. An
other advantage gained for the GRIM
inal end of the court work is in the
fact that frequently the calendar in
the Junk court will go to pieces
through settlements postponements
and other reasons. In that case the
Judge sitting in that branch can have
criminal case transferred to him
for trial, as under the new system
there will always be plenty of cases
ready for trial and the criminal
branch of the court will never be idle.
In the past it has frequently hap
pened that through prisoners plead
ing guilty rather than stand trial. or
unavoidable postponements, both
courts would lose an entire day
through cases not being ready.
Under the new system a dozen or
more cases are listed for trial each
day. The judge sitting in the Grim
inal branch opens his court prompt
ly at 10 o'clock, enough cases to keep
the court busy all day are selected
for trial and disposition of the other
cases made by postponement, all
within a few minutes after the OPEN
ing of court.
1t is q time saving proposition for
everyone involved. The lawyers in the
different cases only have to be in
| court for a few minutes each morn
| ing. If their cases are not ready or
are postponed for any reason they
| know at once just when they will be
| taken up and there is no time lost by
| them in hanging around the court
| room or by the court in waiting fol-
| LAWYERS to show up to defend their
clients, as frequently happened be-
| fore the new rule went into effect.
The new order of things, however
demonstrates the fact that the Court
| House is far too small for the bust
ness conducted in it and also demon.
strates that a great error was made
| in its construction in that no provi
sion was made for waiting-room fol
| witnesses awaiting call to testify II
cases. The judges, and rightfully so
owing to the very bad ventilation o
| the courtrooms, allow just as few
persons as possible to assemble in the
| rooms. AS result only witnesses
interested in the case actually on tria
are allowed to sit in the courtroom
With ten or dozen cases read,
there is a big throng of witnesse
that are forced to wait in the CORR
| doris or else seat themselves on tho
stone seats or steps of the stairways
On Wednesday of this week the write
counted 116 persons. thirty-seven o
whom were women. standing in tn
corridor in front of Judge Martin
courtroom, or else seated on the stair
ways, awaiting disposition of cases il
which they were subpoenaed to ap
pear as witnesses or else were inter
ested as friends of the accused o
accuser.
complete resume of the work o
the week under the new system
shows that So cases We're listed TO
trial. OF this number 2S were post
poned to later dates, eleven cases wer
tried before juries, resulting in sever
convictions and four acquitals. II
addition to the eleven trials Their
were nine cases where prisoners re
tracted pleas OF not guilty and plead