The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-05-16
DRAFT OF PROPOSED COURT MERGER BILL PRESENTED ID BAR
The Committee Will Hear Further Discussion and X Make Final Rpeort on
 Measure May 29

At a meeting of the Birmingham bar, held yesterday morning, in the rooms of the city court, the proposed consolidated court bill was submitted by the commit tee for the approval or rejection of the bar. Since the bill was printed in Jan uary quite number of amendments have been made to the original and it was the amended bill that was presented yesterday.
 As further suggestions followed the reading of the bill motion prevailed that the amended bill be published and that any suggested changes be submit ted to the committee who will make q final report on the bill at a meeting of the bar on Saturday. May %
 The meeting was attended by many of the leading attorneys of the city and . much interest was manifested in the read ing of the bill. M. NJ. Ulman, chairman of the committee, who drafted. the bill. called the meeting to order and stated it's purpose. H. '. Sims was elected chairman and Louis Berllowitz secretary. The voluminous bill was read by Mr. Ullman and before action was taken Her bert Harley of Chicago, secretary of the American Judicature society. was intro- duced and addressed the meeting at length on judicial reform. At the close of his address he was accorded a ris- ing vote of thanks for his interesting address
 Committee on Finance
 committee on finance was appointed to raise the necessary amount to have the bill printed and for other expenses incident to it's being presented at Mont gomery The bill is entitled, an act
 ''fro consolidate the city court of Bir- mingham. the circuit court of the Tenth judicial circuit of Alabama. the criminal court of Jefferson county and the chan cery court of Jefferson county into one court to be known as the circuit court of Jefferson county, with a sufficient number of judges for the transaction of the business of such consolidated court, as provided by section 14S of the con stitution of Alabama, and to provide for the nomination and election of the judges thereof, and the appointment of clerks and deputy clerks and fix the salary of the officers and employees of the court.
 Said court shall be presided over by nine judges as follows: The four judges of the city court of Birmingham. the two judges of the circuit court of Jefferson county, and the two judges of the crimi- nal court of Jefferson county. and the Chancellor of such chancery division of Alabama as shall include Jefferson coun. ty and said judges shall serve as judges of the circuit court of Jefferson county for the terms for which they are elected or appointed to serve a g judges and chan. cellor, respectively"
 Election of Judges
 The bill provides for the nomination oi candidates for the iudgeship by the Bir mingham bar to be voted on later b, the people. The section is as follows
 On the first Monday in June of eacf general election year at which judge, of said court are to be elected the pre- siding judge of said court shall call z meeting of the bar of Jefferson county to be held not less than five nor more Than 10 days after said call, which meet. ing shall be held at the courthouse r Birmingham, after the call shall havc hcen published in daily newspaper pub- Hshed in the city of Birmingham, for the purpose of nominating candidates to run before the qualified electors of the county for the offices to be filled at the general election next thereafter ensuing.
 Said meeting shall nominate not more than two candida = from any one polit. ical party for each judeeship of this court to be filled a the general election to be held next thereafter ensuing"
 Clerk of the Courts
 Under the provision of the bill the pres ent clerks are provided for under the following section:
 The present clerk of the circuit court of Jefferson county shall be the clerk of the law division of said court and the present clerk and register of the city court of Birmingham shall be tile assistant clerk of the law division of the second Tuesday in January 1917, tho Present register in chancery shall be tn, register of the equity division of sait court until the first Monday after second Tuesday in January, 1917: the present clerk of the criminal court shall be the clerk of the criminal division of tn, court created by this act until the frs