Evening star., 1922-07-15
Record Number Of U. S. Judges
To Be Named by the President

sixty-three years of age when he was
sworn in as Chief Justice. and with
in two or three months time became
sixty-four.
Mr.. Taft, however. had been Presi-
dent of the United States, and years
before\had been a federal Judge him
self in Ohio. His appointment. at the
age Of sixty-three or at any age up to
seventy would have been popular in
the country.
Washington, with the Supreme
Court and the Department of Justice
located here. has always been the
center OF things judicial in this coun-
try. But, under the new law, Wash
ington will be the scene each year OF
gatherings Of the senior United States
circuit judges. when these judges will
come here to report to the Chief JUS
tice upon the state of business in
! their circuits and to make recon-
mendations tor expediting the busi-
| ness of the courts. These meetings
are to be here the last Monday In
! September of each year. Prior to these
Washington conferences. the senior
| judge in each OF the federal districts
| must file with the senior circuit Judge
| in which the district is located re-
pOTls upon the WOFh VI Tic uSti ~
and his recommendations also. In
| this way the circuit judges will be
able to have q complete and detailed
statement of what is going on in their
circuits, and the Chief Justice Will
| have a report of the business Of the
| courts from the entire United States
in detail.
These conferences in Washington. II
is expected, will prove Of great bene-
At. Chief Justice Taft has recently
visited Great Britain for the purpose,
Mt Is said, of studying the judicial
system there. He is reported also 10
| be bringing back to this country some
reeomme endations for improvements
| in the American system. The Judges
conference here each September-the
| first may be held next fall-will en-
able the Chief Justice and the De-
partment Of Justice to prepare recon :
mendations to the President and to
may be necessary.
| Whether the President will make
his appointments to the new federal
judgeships before the election or aft
erward will be a matter of no little
interest. From present indications,
the coming elections will leave a
number Of lame ducks"-good re-
publicans who have failed to be re-
elected to Congress. Some of them
might well be interested in an ap-
pointment to a federal judgeship, and
| incidentally. the overwhelming ma
tority of senators and representatives
are members Of the legal fraternity.
| Probably not all the new federal
ljudgeships will go to republicans, 1t
| is said. though the majority of them
will. Democrats of standing in the le-
gal profession are likely to be named
| for some of the places.
The new law is designed to relieve
to some extent the congested condi
, ton Of the courts here-the District
Court of Appeals and the District Su-
! preme Court. Provision Is made that
| judges of the Court of Customs Ap-
/, peals-if their own court docket Is
not overcrowded, may be called upon
to serve on either of the District of
| Columbia courts mentioned. Also. the
Chief Justice has the power to assign
federal district and circuit judges to
aid in other district courts where the
need for help is great.