The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1922-01-30
WOULD RELIEVE
CONGESTION IN
SUPREME COURT
Senator Park Trammell Intro
duces Bill In Senate for
This Purpose.
(gY GEORGE H. MANNlNe)

WASHINGTON, Jan. SIN con
tinuance OF bis efforts TO move the
work Of the supreme court Of the
United States forward and to relieve
the congestion OF It's docRets Senator
Park Trammen OF Florida Friday in
troduoed a bill in the United States
senate which. If passed. relieves the
chief justice and the associate JUS
tees OF that court from all duties con
corning the circuit court OF appeals
and the district courts OF the United
States,
In presenting this hin to the senate,
Mr.. Trammell said:
II would like to make a brief eE-
PLANTATION OF the object and purpose
OF the bill. The statute sought TO be
repealed by the measure requires that
the chief Justice and the eight asso-
ciate justices OF the supreme court
shall attend the circuit court of ap-
peals OF the nine judicial circuits. one
OF them being allotted to each circuit,
and sit in those courts. and also re-
quires the chief Justice TO consider
applications for the assignment OF
circuit and district judges from one
circuit to the district court in another
circuit for the purpose of relieving or
assisting the district judge in disposing
Of accumulated business
These arc all duties Inconsistent
with The jurisdiction and, one might
say, the dignity of the supreme court
of the United STATES and the-chief JUS
tice and associate justices thereof. If
Z L,1 Il -T.gy>
by law, it will require much Of their
attention and time. They should be
relieved of these duties so that they
may devote their entire time to the
hearing and consideration of cases
pending in their own court.
while conditions are somewhat i'm
proved IN the supreme court there
were, according to the report Of the
attorney general for the fiscal year
1921. 97J cases upon the docket Of that
court, OF which COS We're disposed Of.
leaving undisposed of at the close Of
the 1920 October term S67 cases. These
cases or most of them are of great i'm
portance, many OF them involving
great constitutional Question affect
ing the validity of legislation and the
powers and limitations Of the other
two coordinate departments Of the
government.
The duties required Of the chief
Justice and of the associate Justices
must, under tho provisions which my
bill seeks to repeal. require some time
which could be devoted to the DISPOSE
ton of cases in the supreme court. #
the justices dc not attend the circuit
court Of appeals or do not render any
service there, then the law requiring
them to do so should be repealed
There should be no duties imposed
upon judges or courts which they do
not discharge, because a derelction of
duty in such high offices will neces-
sarily cause criticism of the judges and
the courts.
MIR. President. I introduced a resO-
luton some three or four weeks ago
seeking to get information in regard
to tho condition of the docket of the
supreme court, setting forth in the
resolution the object Of arording some
relief. if it could be afforded, so that
cases in the supreme court could be
disposed OF expeditlously and with
promptness and in order that there
would not continue long delays in
reaching a decision in that court.
"Unquostionably. from the iEforma-
ton which seems to have been sub
mltted by the attorney general, the
court is considerably behind with it's
work
The object of the bill l have intro
duced Is to relieve them Of certain
duties connected with the circuit
court. There is no necessity and there
is no reason, in policy or otherwise.
why they should be assigned to sit in
the circuit courts. BY relieving them
of that duty we will then give them
a greater amount of time to attend to
the business that Is before their own
court. and in that way I hope to bring
about some relief. at least, toward