The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-02-22
LOCAL ATTORNEY IS
 CITED FOR CONTEMPT BY SUPREME COURT
Mitchell Must Appear Be- fore That Body as Result of Article in Alabama
 Democrat

Montgomery, February 21.-(Special) ) James A. Mitchell. a practicing attorney of Birmingham, has been cited to appear before the supreme court on March 27 and show cause why his name should
 not be purged from the roll of practicing attorneys in that court and why he should not be adjudged guilty of con- tempt of the court, because of utterances in an article he wrote several weeks ago in the Alabama Democrat
 The article was entitled, "The Recent Work of the Supreme Court of Alabama D and contained severe and caustic ar raignment of the court The most bitter criticism given expression to by Mr. Mitchell contained the intimation that
 there had been certain Considerations
 in actuating the court ''to go to such lengths as to beat a man out of his money"
 This drastic statement was made by the Birmingham attorney in calling at tention to certain case, Sulzby vs. Pal
 mer, that had recently been put out by the court In drawing his conclusions
 from this case, MT. Mitchell said: CAUSE OF CIIAllON Tt looks like the court was groping around in the dark hunting for some pre-
 text under which the complainant s rights could be defeated It is difficult
 to conceive what the considerations would be which would actuate a court of last resort to go to such lengths to beat a man out of his money which he had loaned the defendant in good faith in or der to build home for her which had
 sheltered her and her family for many years"
 The article contained many other state l ments which reflected on the court, some
 of the language being as vigorous as that quoted in the preceding paragraph. At the beginning of his article Mir. Mitchell asked the question: What is the matter with the supreme court?'
 l MT. Mitchell is the first attorney in may years to be cited by the supreme court to appear before that tribunal and show cause why he should not be adjudged guilty of contempt, and law yers of the state doubtless will look forward to the finding of the court with | con siderable interest.
 COULD BE BARRED | Should he be adjudged guilty of con tempt, the supreme court, should 1t so
 desire, could purge his name from the roll of practicing attorneys before the
 court, and. in addition, could impose 1 a prison sentence.
 1 The article of MT. Mitchell caused considerable comment by the lawyers
 of Montgomery, and the action of the supreme court in the matter caused little surprise.
 | The courts order is as follows: 1 Be 1t ordered by the court that one
 James A. Mitchell, Esq. of Birmingham, 1 Ala, be, and is hereby, cited to appear 1 before this court, at Montgomery, Ala,
 on Monday, the 27th day of March, 1916,
 and then and there show cause why his
 name should not be purged from the
 roll of practicing attorneys in this
 court and why he should not be ad-
 judged guilty of contempt of this court Gone or both); because of the writing, publishing or utterance of a
 certain publication appearing in a weekly newspaper called the Alabama Democrat, published at Montgomery Ala, on February 10, 1916."