Omaha daily bee., 1915-02-21
Nebraska
TALK SUPREME JUDGESHIPS
House Has Under Consideration for
Time Measure Of Lanigan Pro-
viding for the Change.
MoCKETT DECIDEDLY OPPOSED
CFrom a staff Correspondent

(From a Staff Correspondent
LINCOLN, Feb. 20.-(Special) "A bill in
troduced by Representative I.anigan of
Greeley known az house roll No. 252, be
ing a Joint resolution calling for the sub
mission to the people. of the state a propo-
sition to increase the number Of supreme
court judges. was up in the house today
for a brief period and was passed over
TO come up again later on.
The bill is one to increase the number
of judges from seven to nine and pro
vides for the districtinE of the state into
supreme judicial districts each district
to elect its own judge, the chief justice
to be elected by the entire state. The dis
ti1cts II the resolution is adopted by the
people, will place the state into nine dis
tricts, as follows:
RedistrIctIng state.
= The First district will compose the en-
tire state and will elect the chief justice
Other districts are as follows:
Second Observation-Disclosures, Pawnce,
johnson, Nemaha, Otoe Cass, Sarpy and
Saunders, with a population of approNi-
mately 120,S79 people, which at the last
election cast about 27,00O votes.
Third District-Jefferson, Gage, Saline,
Lancaster and Seward, with l54,t3l people
and about $4,000 votes.
Fourth District-Douglas county alone,
with a population of about l6S,5i6, accord
ing to the last census. and casting about
FIFTH District-Garfield. Wheeler, Val
ley, Greeley, sherman, Howard, Nance,
Boone, Madison, Platte, Stanton, ColtaN,
Dodge, Burt and WASHINGTON, with l6S'z"o
Sixth District-Nuckolls, Thayer, Gay
Fillmore, Hall, Hamilton, York Polk'
Butler and Merrick, with l5S'S2o popu-
'a seventh District-Dundy. Chase, Hayes.
Hitchcock. Frontier, Red WilloIw, Cos
Per FHrn9s Phelp Wab affaR ana ADAMS
with 47,7S4 people casting at the last
election about 5000 votes.
Tanner. Scotts Bluff, Morrill, Garden.
Mcpherson, Arthur, Logan, Grant.
Butte, Dawes Sioux, Blame and Loup,
IEn Ig P aPPproximateiy 5000 Votes at
'n Smith nth e DistTiot-Keya Paha, Brown.
Rock, Boyd, Holt, Knox, Antelope Cedar,
Dixon Dakota Pierce, 10 Wayne cri cunning ing
at the last election casting about 5000
votes.
The bill divides the court up into three
sections of three judges each, sitting in
separate rooms, so that three courts
working at the same time will be able to
get off the work three times as fast as at
the present time. In constitutional con-
troversies the whole court shall sit. seven
Judges being necessary to declare any
act of the legislature unconstitutional.
DemOAxntic pledge.
This is a platform pledge fthe demo-
cratic party
Mr.. Norton read the plank in the demo-
cratic platform favoring the election of
judges by districts and said 1t had his
approval but he did not think the num-
Der of judges ought to be increased.
Korff attempted to insert an amend
ment raising the age from 80 to 10 years,
but later withdrew it and the bill was
reported for progress and will come up
again.
VIII Caucus on Bill.
Chairman Taylor of the democratic
house caucus was asked in writing by a
number of his party colleagues this after
noon TO call a session Of that body the
early part Of this week to consider plat
form pledges. and particularly the Liant
gan bill. House Roll No. 252. for a con-
stitutional amendment to have supreme
Judges elected by districts.
Democratic sentiment in the legislature
is favorable TO the district idea, but there
is good deal Of opposition within the
party to increasing the number of judges
from seven to nine. as proposed in the
Lanigan bill 1t is expected the caucus
viii vote TO amend the bill by making Il
provide for seven Judges. one to be
chosen from each congressional district.
and one (the chief justice) at-large. This
Nwil enable the court to sit in two d.
visions, the same as 1t does now. Some
republicans will vote with the democrats