Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-10-01
SUPREME COURT
CONvENES TODAY
Justices Back From Vacation
Facing 500 Cases Due
for Hearings.
BY the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
| The Supreme Court convened today
for the new term. with efforts to bring
| its work up-to-date meeting with sue
cess. All its members have returned
| to Washington after restful vacations
eager to dispose of 500 cases which
confront them-90 less than a year ago
| Eight of the 500 cases were argued
| last term and will be disposed of
! promptly by written opinions. OF the
remainder 800 are petitions asking re-
views. Many of them were examined
by the justices during the Summer re-
cess and will cause the court slighs
delay. When the justices, in the eX-
erciSe Of the discretion allowed them in
such matters, have separated wheat
from chaff. it is estimated that only so
or so of the petitions will be granted
reviews.
Docket Record Probably Reduced.
On that basis the court would I'LL
timately be required to hear all argu-
ments and prepare written opinions
only in about half of the cases now
on its docket. New cases reach the
court at an average of Is week
throughout the year, but experienced
practitioners who have closely followed
the efforts of Chief Justice Taft and
his associates to remove congestion and
prevent delay, predict that. nothwith-
standing these new cases, the court will
have fully caught up with its work early
next year and will be prepared to hear
and dispose of cases without any delay
Opinions expected soon are those
covering the controversy over the di-
version of water from Lake Michigan
at Chicago, a Ku Klux Khan case from
Buffalo, N. Y, to test the Walker law,
requiring reports from such organiza-
tons: case from Texas in which ne
gro Shriners throughout the country
were prohibited from using the ritual
and insignia of the white Shriners and
two cases from louisiana testing the
validity of the shrimp and oyster laws
of that State.
Case Postponed on Request.
The court had intended today to hear
the marlborough case from New York
City, challenging the scent subway
fare, but was asked to postpone it two
weeks on account of the illness of Sam
uel Untermyer, counsel for the State
Transit Commission. The court will
take up no cases for argument during
the first week, but will devote all its
time to consideration of the petitions
for review
NOIlOdy, OCIUUST o, lie court Will near
the boundary dispute between Louis
lana and Mississippi and begin hearing
oral arguments in cases in the order in
which they appear on the docket.
The O'Fallon case to test the methods
used by the Interstate Commerce Com
mission in valuing railroad property
for rate making purposes, one of the
most important questions now before
the court has been set for argument on
January 2.
Fuel Gas Cases Due October Is.
On october Is the court will again
hear arguments in the United Fuel Gas
cases from West Virginia and Kentucky
involving rates on natural gas in those
States.
Several appeals arising out of the
lake cargo case also are pending. The
case deals with the injunction against
the Interstate Commerce Commission
from requiring Southern railroads to
cancel reductions in rates from the
Southern coal fields to lake ports to
meet similar reduction in Northern
fields, made by Northern carriers and
approved by the commission. No date
has yet been set for the argument on
the appeals.