Evening star., 1921-12-13
Increase the Court!

traCteQ 1eQeral case brought De1Ore the
District Supreme Court in the near
future. the question of the condition
of the local bench is brought again to
attention, and the hope is that Con-
gress will realize the need of addi-
tional judges for this jurisdiction. The
case has been often stated before, but
1t is well to state it once more briefly,
to stress the need of early action.
The District bench has remained at
its present size Of six judges for many
years. Since the last addition the busi-
ness Of the court has multiplied sew
eral times. Cases Of much greater i'm
portance than ever before have come
before it. The Washington jurisdic-
ton is chosen by the government and
by claimants and suitors against the
government for the settlement of
causes, both criminal and civil, which
in former years were heard before the
federal courts in other jurisdictions.
With the growth of the governmental
organization, and since the war began,
the District court has been the scene
of a greatly increasing number Of is
sues, with the result of steadily
growing arrears of cases.
Since the organization of the Dis.
trict Court Of Appeals it, too. has been
gradually congested until now 1t is
fully a year and half behind it's cur
rent work, despite the utmost dill
gence on the part Of the three judges
Of that bench. Just as an illustration
Of the pressure upon the Court Of Ap.
peals may be cited the fact that the
rent law gave that court first and vir-
tually sole jurisdiction over appeals
from the housing commission. There
is work enough in the Court Of Ap-
peals now for two more judges re-
gardless Of any increase in the size
of the court below.
A bill has passed the House for the
addition of twenty-five judges to the
federal bench, to be distributed among
the states. In the House. when the
measure was under consideration, an
amendment was adopted providing
that judges of the Court Of Customs
Appeals might be assigned to the Su-
preme Court Of the District Of Colum-
tia and other places when and where
needed. This was at the suggestion Of
the Department Of Justice. This pro-
vision, however, does not meet the
needs of the District court. The work
here is peculiar, is constantly press
ing, and calls for the presence con-
tinually on the bench Of men who
have become familiar with the prac-
tice and the peculiar condition Of law
in the District of Columbia. 1t is a
commonplace of experience here now
that it requires fully two years for
new member of the District bench
named from outside Of the District to
acquaint himself with this local prac-
tice to the point of becoming fully
efficient Interpreter Of the laws.
In times past bills have been passed
by one house or the other providing
for immediate court increase, but
political considerations have now and
again prevented final enactment.
There is now no conceivable political
reason against the passage by q re-
publican Congress of a bill increasing
the local court by the addition Of at
least two judges on the District Su-
preme Court and two on the Court OF
Appeals, to be appointed by republi-
can President.
The present conditions constitute a
public menace. Justice is delayed. The
average course Of single cause be-
fore the local courts is protracted be-
yond the range elsewhere. The
Judges of these courts are diligent.
hard.working and competent. They
are overworked and distressed by the
congestion Of the calendars which,
strive as they will, they cannot re-
duce. For their sake, for the sake Of
the government whose interests are so
largely intrusted to them, for the sake
of the people Of the country at large
who meet the government in court.
and for the sake of the people Of the
District Of Columbia these additions
should be made without further delay.