Evening star., 1923-03-02
CRIMINAL DOCKETS
TO Be CLEANED UP
Trial Calendar Will Be Es-
tabIished to Relieve Con-
gestion of Cases.
NEW PRACTICE IN D. C.
Indictments Will Be Called Ac-
cording to Their Numbers and
Assignments Made.
NEW PRACTICE IN D. C..

T.e justices OF the District Su-
preme Court have decided to clean
up the criminal dockets. To effect
this most desirable result an order
OF the general term has been passed
whereby, beginning with the April
term, trial calendar Of criminal
cases will be established. When the
cases are reached on this calendar
they will be tried or. otherwise dis
posed Of by the courS In this way.
II is hoped. a large accumulation OF
dead wood" which has gIutted the
dockets Of the district attorneys Office
may be eliminated
a criminal calendar is an entirely
new practice in this jurisdiction.
been left entirely to the United States
attorney, and only on rare occasions
has judge presiding in the criminal
divisions Of the court directed the
trial OF case at specific time. The
assignments by the United States at
tcrney have always been with regard
to the crowded condition of the jail
and the exigencies OF certain cases
like. for instance, a man from Cali
cornia may have been robbed here
and the culprit caught, when an early
trial is arranged TO save the expenses
OF bringing back the prosecuting wit
ness from California.
Mode Of Procedure.
CEder the new order when cases
are at issue they are to be set down
for trial In the order Of the number
on tho indictment. If an odd nur.be,
fha ,,,jyI SaI1 -, YNt,
], and II an even number IN Grim
inal Division .. The order. however
provides that the criminal justices
or the court in general term may
change this nloGe Of procedure and
direct a case assigned to one court
transferred to the othea
The new rule Is solely'in the interest
Of clearing the dockets Chief Justice
Mccoy declared today, and Is in nc
manner a criticism Of the old rule
which has prevailed in the District
Attorneys Office for years Mai
Gordon has held frequent conference.
with the justices in the matter. The
Chief Justice stated.
Text OF New Order.
The new order Of the court reads:
'It is ordered that the folIowins
be and the same hereby is established
as rule OF this court and that it b,
designated Law Rule ia:
There shall be a trial calendar o.
all criminal cases at issue for 1ur,
upon which every case shall be enter.
ed as soon as 1t is So at issue. Wher
several cases come to issue on tn.
same day they shall be arranged 1,
the order of the indictment numbers
The only numbers used in the tria
and motion calendars shall be the in.
dtctment numbers.
Order of Trial
Subject TO special order by tn.
Justices holding the criminal court.
or by the general term the ,ase'
shall be tried in the order In which
they stand on the trial calendar, thu
odd numbered cases in Division 1, ant
tho oven numbered in Division ..
There shall also be a motion cal
endar in the Criminal Court of al
cases In which demurrers may bt
filed, motions made or any issue OF
law raised and of ell cases in which
the defendant shall not be arraignet
within three months after the finding
OF the indictment. All cases Thereon
in which the indictment has an ODD
number shall be assigned for hearing
to Criminal Division l and the Others
to Criminal Division 2, unless other
wise ordered by the justices holding
said divisions or by the general term
This rule shall go into e:ect on th'
first day OF the April term. 1928"