Evening star., 1937-04-17
JUDICIARY HEARING
TO END BY APRIL 28
Date Set by Unanimous
Vote of Senate Group,
Ashurst Says.
BACKGROUND

BACK hGROUND-
President Roosevelt sought Con-
gressiondl authority to name 81
uep justices to Supreme Court
unless incumbertS oUer 10 retired
after tribunal had inudlidated set
eral Ne10 Deal ldps. His supporter
demanded more "enlightened"
Interpretation Of the Constitution.
Proposal encountered stiff resist
ance in Senate and throughout
country Various compromise pro-
posuls Dere advanced, but Presi-
dent ,Das reported holding fast to
determination that original bill be
enacted.
The Senate Judiciary Committee de-
cided at an executive meeting today tc
close hearings on the Roosevelt court
bill by April %.
Attempts to close the hearings i'm
mediately failed. The To-day extern
sion was voted to take care of those
already invited to testify.
All next week will be given over to
opponents of the bill.
Friends of the measure then will
be permitted to present closing evil
dence for the first three days of the
following week, if they choose 1t is
possible, however, that the admins
tration would rest its case and permit
the testimony to end next week.
Vote Unanimous.
Chairman Ashurst announced that
the vote to close the hearings by April
90 was unanimous Senator Hughes,
Democrat, of Delaware, who made the
original motion to close Immediately
accepted an amendment by Senator
McCarran, Democrat, of Nevada, to
provide for 10 days more.
Hughes also accepted an amendment
by Senator Pittman, Democrat, of
Nevada, to permit each side to file
statements in addition to the evidence
presented orally.
Ashurst said the committee would
start almost Immediately after the
close of hearings to consider the legis
lation in closed session. Asked how
long it would take the committee to
act once it began secret deliberations,
the committee chairman replied no
body knows"
Meanwhile, new compromise has
been advanced by Senator McGill,
Democrat Of Kansas. who has been
defending the Presidents measure
during the committee hearings. McGill
suggested Mr.. Roosevelt be allowed to
appoint two new Supreme Court JUS
tices if those over rs do not retire.
Other Compromises.
Two non-committal committee mem
bers-Senators Hatch, Democrat, of
New Mexico and McCarran, have Of
fered somewhat similar compromises
of the Presidents proposal to appoint
six new members to the court unless
justices over 10 withdraw.
Opposition Senators said submission
of these compromise proposals indi-
Gated the reluctance of these uncom-
mitted legislators to accept the Roose-
welt proposal and their desire to find
"a way out" which would be satisfac-
tory to the administration.
Senator McGill said his proposed
amendment to the Roosevelt bill would
remove most of the objections which
have been raised.
His amendment would permit ap-
pointment Of additional members OF
the court whenever it contained
justices more than rs years old, pro-
vided that no administration could
select more than two.
President Roosevelt would be able
to appoint two justices Immediately
but no more could be designated until
q new administration came into office
unless the size Of the court dropped
below nine,