The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1922-02-09
YOUR SUPREME COURT

Tor the correction of errors in cases
coming from the district courts. How
ever, three kinds of actions may be
begun in the Supreme Court
habeas corpus, mandamus and quo
warranto.
Habeas corpus means a court order
to bring in the body of some one who
claims to be unlawfully detained or
imprisoned.
handamus means a court mandate
or order to do some particular thing
which the law requires, and ono war
ranto means an order to show bv
what warrant certain things are done.
as IN the case of a corporation which
attempts to go beyond its charter
powers. Quite a number of these
original prOceedings-that is, cases
OF these three kinds-are brought
every year.
But the main work is in cases COM
ing up on appeal. In these there is no
jury, or trial in the ordinary sense,
but the lawyer for the appealing
party may tell the court orally and
by his printed brief how badly he
thinks the trial court Numbered. Will
the attorney for the appellee NAV
similarly point out the lucidity and
other merits of the decision rendered
by the court below.
The printed arguments are called
briefs, but no reason for such a mis-
homer has been discovered by the
writer hereof. These with printed
abstracts-or condenSations of the
evidence offered on the trial in dis
trct court-are required, so that
each member of the Supreme Court
may have a copy Of the briefs and alb
stracts to read and study for himself
before the members all go into con-
,sultation, and afterwards when writ
ing or examining the opinions.
Each of the one hundred and FIVE
counties has a district court with
jurisdiction over the lives, liberties
and property of all its inhabitants,
and practically all the cases tried
there may be and very many are ap-
pealed to this court The way of ap-
pealing is simplicity itself. The com
planning party merely writes a notice
that he complains of the judgment
rendered, serves it on the opposing
party and then files it with the clerk
of the district court. From that
moment the Supreme Court has juris-
diction-even before the copy of the
notice with a copy of the journal
entry of the judgment appealed from
is sent up by the clerk of the district
court to the clerk of the Supreme
Court, as required.
The volume of the work here is in
Dictated by the fact that during the
year ending June so, 1920, $50 cases
were filed, and in the following fiscal
year, 64S cases. During the former
year 25S cases were orally argued and
118 submitted on briefs, while during
the latter year 276 were orally argued
and 123 submitted on briefs.
The judicial department of state
government is coordinate and CO.
equal with the legislative and execu-
tive departments. This is the court
of last resort for all save federal
questions, and here must be settled
all questions arising under our State
Constitution.
About forty-five opinions are writ
ten each of the ten months of the
year in which open sittings of the
court are held.
The court meets on the first Mon
day of each month except January
and July and then on the first Tues
day. There is no regular sitting in
August or September. Five days each
month are usually devoted to hearing
oral arguments and on the sixth, Sat
urday, the opinions for the preceding
month are handed down." that is,
delivered to the clerk for filing. With
each original opinion is one copy for
the reporter, one for the plaintiff, one
for the defendant, and one for the
judge of the district court who tried |
the case, the three last named being
mailed by the clerk forthwith, so that |
each side and the district judge has a
complete copy of the syllabus
brief statement of the law points de-
sided-and opinion as soon as the
mail can carry them.
At the close of each days sitting
the members meet in the room of the
Chief Justice, where the cases sub
mitted during the day are assigned.
Beginning with the Justice who had
the last case, the first one goes TO the