The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-07-14
MORE SPEED BY
HIGH COURT is
MARTINS PLEA
Jurist Stresses Need oil
AcceIeration by State
Supreme Bench.


cussing the report Of Judge Clarence
r. Martin to the Bar Association
in which he charged that accelera-
ton Of effort by certain members
Of the supreme court whose dockets
have accumulated would relieve the
burdensome delay in the decision Of
cases.
without mipcing words or at
tempting 10 shield the court, Judge
Martin read its record to the at
torneys who attended the Bloom
ington meeting.
Statistics submitted by the jurist
showed that judge David r. Myers
wrote but six opinions in the year
ending July 3 and his batting av-
erage" for three years has been
eight cases per year.
Commentators on the court have
pointed out that Myers has made
many visits during the year TO
Greenyburg, his home town, where
the bank of which he is president
mas been constructing a new building.
Seven Years Needed
At the present rate Of progress 1t
would take Judge Myers seven years
to decide The cases now pending
before him. Martins figures reveal.
The highest average Of opinion
written for three years was made
by Martin, who wrote eighty-seven
opinions. Judge Willard B. Gem
min, candidate for reelection this
year, was next with sixty-three
cases. Benjamin Willoughby was
third with flfty-five; Julis G. Trav-
is fourth with fifty, and Myers last
with twenty-four.
Gemmill inherited more than
thirty cases when he came on the
court. In the five and one-half
years he has been a member the
high toe of the plumber of appeals
was reached, yet at the present time
he has cleared his regular and ad-
vanced dockets of all but seven
cases and his transfer docket Of all
but eight cases and soon after court
'reconvenes in the autumn should
have all of his docket clear.
Analysing the statistics of the
court and past performances of the
judges Martin declared in substance
that: Gemmill would have all Of
his pending cases decided within
one-third year; Martin would have
his docket cleared in one-half year;
WilloUghby in two years; Travis in
three years, and Myers in seven
years.
appeals on Decrease
"Of course, as some judges catch
up with their dockets an equaliza-
ton Of the cases may be accom-
plished by reaSsignment, Martin
declared.
The total number Of distributed
cases and petitions to transfer is in
creasing over last year, thirty-eight
new cases and fifty-three petitions
to transfer, a total of ninety-one,
being docketed during the first six
months of 1880. as against ninety
six new cases and seventy petitions
to transfer, a total of 166 for the
calendar year of 1929, Martin
pointed out.
The number of cases appealed
directly TO the supreme court con-
tinues to decrease. The number of
petitions to transfer cases from the
appellate to the supreme court is
the cause Of the total increase.
There are now on the regular
docket eighty-four cases as against
ninety cases a year ago and as
against seventy.one cases two years
ago. There are ninety-five cases on
the advance docket as against 102
cases a year ago, and as against 235
cases two years ago. About lbs of
the latter cases being transferred to
the appellate court under the act
of 1922
Assigned in Rotation
The total number of distributed
cases on both these docketS fully
briefed and ready for decision, is
179 as against 1872 a year ago. and
306 cases in 1927" Martin contin-
ued. There are now on the trans
fer docket 113 cases as against IO9
in 1929 and 126 cases two years
ago.
The cases are assigned to the
judges in rotation. Owing to diff
cference in length of service possibly
to the different character of cases
and the speed with which the work
is accomplished land of course
quality of work can not be sacri-
feed for quantity) the docket of
some of the judges are quite con-
gested while others are almost
clear Of cases. The greatest num-
Der of distributed cases now as
signed 10 any judge is SO, which is
to Travis; while the least number
is seven, assigned to Gemmil."
Judge Martin found the number
Of cases now pending before the
court is less than it has been for
several years.
The cases now are being de-
cided at a rate faster than new
cases are being distributed" he
said. the present burdenSome de-
lay in the decision Of cases is caused
by an accumulation of cases on the
dockets of some of the members of
~. -oss~f Tf ill - v,,re;t@Ia l., 4;v,,,