The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-04-29
LIST 0F QUESTIONS
 SENT ID LAWYERS
 ABOUT JUDICIARY
Legislative Committee Seeks to Learn Attitude of Bar on Certain Questions
 Involved

The joint legislative committee on the judiciary, after having sat from the time | of recess to the present, and after hay ing examined many witnesses in various cities of the state. is now appealing di- rectly to the attorneys. Yesterday morn- ing the lawyers of Birmingham received communication from W. c. Davis, chairman of the recess committee on ju- dietary. urging answers to 23 questions, considered by the committee vital.
 The questions give insight into the problems considered by the committee as of prime importance, and it is consid- cred probable that in its efforts to re- | form the Judiciary many of the matters touched upon by the questions will be included by the committee in its recom- mendations to the legislature.
 The g questions follow:
 Do you favor a consolida tion of the courts after the plan of the Lusk bill, or the United States district courts?
 Do you favor the retention of any of the law and equity courts of this state? If so, name those that you desire re- | tained.
 What counties. including yours would make a desirable circuit for a consoli- dated court, and at the same time give to the judge of such court business suf- fcient to keep him engaged as much as 10 months in the year holding court on an average of six or seven hours per day?
 How much time would 1t be necessary l for a solicitor to give to his duties in order to properly represent the state in all criminal cases in such circuit?
 hot ATI,.tc nv would in your opinion be necessary in | such a circuit to aid the circuit court in the trial of misdemeanors. l Do you favor abolishng the office of chancellor and conferring his jurisdic- ton on the circuit court? | What changes do you favor in the pres ent rules of pleadings in courts of equity ?
 Do you favor the adoption of the fed eral equity rules so as to allow the oral examination of witness before the court | in equity cases?
 What other of the federal equity rules I do you favor being adopted for our state 1 equity courts?
 authorizing appeals from interocutory 1 decrees?
 1 What change do you favor in the pres ] ent jury law?
 What change do you favor in the pres ent rules of pleadings in courts of 1 law?
 Do you favor giving to the state and 1 defendant an equal number of chal- lenges?
 l What change do you desire in the pres 1 ent law relative to oral charges? l. What limitation or restriction of the l existing right to ask written charges do l you favor2
 Do you favor serving nonresidents. lwhose address is known, by registered | mail instead of bV publication? l What changes do you favor as to the l preparation of records for appeals to | the appellate or supreme court? | Do you favor substituting for the bill | of exceptions the transcribed testimony 1 taken on the trial by the stenographer 1 when it's correctness is certified to bysthe trial judge?
 Would you favor prompt asubmission of criminal appeals?
 Do you favor shortening the time for signing bills of exception? If so, what l time?
 1 Do you favor continuing the court of i appeals, or would you prefer instead i giving to the supreme court such addi- l tonal judges, if any as may be neces- sary for the prompt consideration of all appeals and divide the court into at lea st 1 two divisions one to be known as the i criminal division of the supreme court to which all criminal cases would be l submitted?
 1 Should the supreme court, in cases where 1t holds the affirmative charge should have been given for defendant, | render judgment for the defendant in- stead of reversing such cases? When criminal case involving degrees is tried, the defendant convicted of a lower degree and the case reversed, should such defendant then be tried as if l the first trial had not occurred?