Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-13
SUPREME COURT
HAS RECORD DOCKET
Largest Number of Civil
Cases in D. C. History
Set for Fall.

When the District Supreme Court
conyenes for the Fall term october 6
it will face the largest civil docket in
its history. The criminal business is
SO we'll advanced because of the I'M
precedented activity in this branch of
the court last year that less than 200
cases will be ready for trial at the
opening of the criminal divisions of the
court.
Frank E. Cunningham. clerk Of the
court. and Frederick C. O'Connell, the
assignment commissioner, have Just
completed the calendar Of civil cases
for the next court year beginning with
the October term There are ! 400 law
cases scheduled for trial and ISL equity
proceedings ready to be heard. making
a total of 2.15l civil cases The calen-
dar for October, 1890, showed a total
of 1889 cases scheduled for hearing
The new calendar contains 3l2 more
cases.
On the new equity calendar there IS
still pending for hearing a suit inSti-
tuted September 6. 1904. which bears
the docket number 24,888, while the
current equity cases are running in the
53,000's. The Oldest pending case on
the law calendar was filed November
%, 1928. and is a suit for personal in
Iuries which was prosecuted to the
U. S. Supreme Court where a new trial
was directed. 1t bears the docket num-
Der 68.243. while current law cases are
being numbered in the 80,000's.
Nine Murder Cases.
On the criminal ready for trial"
docket there are pending nine first de-
gree murder cases and a number of
lesser homicide charges in addition to
the third-degree cases against the five
YNNliPaF1afo ha
the horsewhipping charge against a
woman and four men growing out of
the troubles of the International Union
of Operative Engineers. There are lis
prisoners in jail, only 40 of whom are
now awaiting trial. Twenty-one have
not yet been indicted. 81 are waiting
to be arraigned and are ready for
sentence
Unless President Hoover should name
a successor to the late Justice Freder-
lex L. SiddonS before Congress con-
handicapped in its efforts to make in
roads into this voluminous calendar of
2,l5l cases.
While no formal announcement of
the new assignments of justices has
been made, it is generally known that
Chief Justice Alfred A. Wheat will take
over the motions court. Another justice
will be designated to preside in condem-
nation cases, which will leave only six
justices, two each in the Circuit, Equity
and Criminal Divisions.
Court in Three Parts.
Under the present arrangement of JUS
tees, the assignments have been an
nounced in october and have remained,
except for special reasons, until the adj
Journment in the following June. Be
cause of the heavy demands on the JUS
tlce holding the motions court under
the new Cleveland system, the justices
are expected to divide the court year
INTO three parts, changing the justices in
January and again after the Easter re-
cess. This new method is to obtain in
all the branches of the court, it is I'M
derStood.
United States Marshal Edgar G. Sny
der has taken advantage of the Summer
recess to have court rooms, offices and
corridors painted and has adopted an
innovation in the way of designating the
court rooms. SignboardS containing the
names of the individual justices are be-
ing displayed on bracket from the
doorJamb of each court, showing what
Judge Is presiding there. Heretofore the
court rooms have been marked only ac-
cordlng to the nature of the business be-
ing transacted. The new scheme will
greatly aid litigants who often know
only that their case is in Justice Cor
don's court, or in the court OF some
other justice by name.