The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1925-03-31
NEW PLAN TO SELECT
ES,COMING UP IN
NEXT LEGISLATURE
GEORGIA BAR SEEKS TO END
rpEE FOR ALL SCRAMBLE
IN POPULAR ELECTION.
NEW LEGISLATION PROPOSED
Bar Association Would Eliminate
Politics in Choosing Judiciary of
State Provisions of Proposed Con-
st;tutional Amendment.

Politics in Choosing Judiciary of
State. Provisions of Proposed Con-
stitutional Amendment.
ATLANTA, Ga.-Legislation will
again be proposed at the session of
tbe Georgia legislature in June to i'm
orove the method of selecting judges
N this state. Amendments endorsed
nv the Georgia Bar Association were
favorablv received by the session of
tbe legislature last year, being favor
abIy reported by the constitutional
amendments committees of both the
house and the senate, but the pressure
Of urgent business was so great in
the last general assembly that the
amendments did not reach a vote in
either house.
In Georgia, as we'll as over the rest
Of the country, the lawyers, through
their bar associations, are trying to
get rid of personal politics in the Sc
lection of Judges The Georgia Bar
Association, it was stated here today,
have worked out a plan by which the
voters retain the right to disapprove
an unsatisfactory judge, but which will
end the present method OF selecting
Judges by ee-for-all scramble in a
popular election.
it is not a recall, lawyers state, be-
cause under it the term of a judge can
not be shortened. Under the plan a
good Judge would not be subjected to
fight for reelection because some
good mixer" wished his place. But
also under it an unsatisfactory judge
could not get a new term against the
wishes of the people to be served by
him.
At the 1928 meeting of the Georgia
Bar Association a resolution was
passed expressing the opinion of the
association that the present method OF
selecting judges was unsatisfactory
and appointed a special committee to
study the matter and to report to the
next meeting of the association its
recommendations for a different plan.
This committee consisted of John ID.
Pope of Albany; H. H. Swift, OF Co
lumbus; Warren Qrice, of Macon;
Willard Reese, of Brunswick, and
Marion Smith, of Atlanta. Its report
was made to the meeting OF the bar
association last year and unanimously
adopted by the association.
Proposed Amendment.
Briefly stated, the plan for selecting
Judges submitted by the committee,
which is embodied in the proposed
constitutional amendment before the
legislature, is as follows:
The term of office of all judges to
be fixed at six years. Those in office
at the time of the constitutional
amendment to automatically become
the first incumbents of these positions,
but with the provision that the SUI
preme court justices and judges OF the
court OF appeals shall occupy terms to
expire as fixed by law for the terms
held
Upon the expiration of the term OF
Office OF any justice or Judge an IS,
sue shall be voted on in the general
election next preceding such ending
Of the term of office in the following
form:
Shall Judge (here naming Judge)
have another term as judge OF ((here
naming courD" .,
On such election no candidate shall
be allowed to declare his candidacy
for such position, but the sole issue
voted on shall be whether the lncum-
bent shall have another term, and II
elected he shall continue in office an
other term.
Vacancies occurring from any
cause, which includes the failure OF
Judge to be elected to another term
shall be filled as follows:
Vacancies on the supreme court
shall be filled by appointment by the
governor, with the advice and consent
OF the senate.
Vacancies on the court OF appeals
shall be filled as follows: The supreme
court shall nominate to the governor
list of not more than four nor less
than two lawyers, who in. the opinion
of the supreme court, would make sat
lstactory appointees to the vacancy
and who. it has been ascertained by
the supreme court, would accept the
position if rendered. The governor
shall appoint from such list.
Vacancies on the superior court are
to be filled in the same manner as va
cancies on the court OF appeals.