Evening times-Republican., 1913-09-03
MUCH INTEREST IN CHANGES u,
METHODS or PRACTICE De.
FORE HIGH COURT.
FULL BENCH WILL HEAR ALL
CONSTITUTIONAL QUESTIONS
Otter Matters TO 30 Taken Up BY Di-
visions Of Court Unless Submitted
to Full Bench on Order Of Chief
Justice - Personnel Of Divisions to
Be Changed Frequently.
to Times-Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines. Sept. s.-All cases in
volving constitutional questions will sc
to the full bench Of the Iowa supreme
court, and these are the only cases
that, for the present, will be sent there
and not to a division Of the court. The
new rules will be printed with the
docket for the September term, out in
a few days. Every lawyer in the, state
will be deeply interested in the new
rules.
Aside from constitutional questions
the cases that 60 to the full bench will
be sent there by the chief justice. after
consultation with his associates, per-
haps on request Of attorneys. ThN
final rule as to what appealed cases
shall be submitted to all the judges
is yet to be worked out Of the expert
ences Of the court.
The court will meet next week with
all members sitting together. There are
thirty-six rehearings that must be
heard by the full bench. They are
first on the docket, as usual. They
may be taken up at once, or there may
be an order to put them OF two weeks
Lawyers will have to take their
chances on that, but be prepared at
the beginning to say what they think
of the brand of law doled out to them
last time and say it to the full bench
Afterwards when there 10 q rehearins
asked ON . case decided by a division
of the court only that division will
listen to the back talk.
a..h:>aA - SeAauAnk ChAR0o.
The personnel Of the divisions shall
be changed ct least once each year.
and may be changed from time to time
by order Of the chief Justice or by
vote of a majority Of the bench. The
first division, consisting Of the chief
Justice and three Of the associates, Will
sit on the first Tuesday OF the montn
and hear cases; then a week later the
other three associates and the cn1el
justice will take up another batch OF
cases. On the call Of the calendar al
the beginning Of each term the assign
ment Of cases to the divisions VIII DC
made so far as possible:
II there is a difference Of opinion
in a division it may Gall in the other
division and thus the whole bench
consider a case, or the chief justice
may on mis- own motion, can IN 1he
other division. II there Is difference
of opinion as to the disposition OF
motion the chief Justice shall call n
the other division. If q member OF
division gets behind with his work the
chief justice may call IN, .anothersste
help him ont, zor II a. division gets be-
hind there may be read3Sstnent OF
the work. :,
The regular order will be that each
term Of court shall be divided into
four periods and each period, at least
of the first three, be split into two
divisions; but the last period OF the
term will be for the full bench. Fol
the September term the December pc
riod is to be left blank on the docket
for that will be for cases referred tc
the full bench. If a case Is passed by
any division over to the last period
the division alone will sit and hear the
argument.
The rules are Of course only tenta-
tive as yet and may be modified. The
hardest problem has been as to decid-
ing what cases shall go to the full
bench and this is left to the arbitrary
action Of the chief justice.