Evening star., 1939-09-13
Civil Court CONGESTION

SINI SOuIt SOnSSStIOH
Decision of the District Bar Asso-
citation to recommend certain re-
forms in District Court with view
to reducing congestion Of the civil
docket serves to focus public atten-
tion anew on the aggravating and
Justice defeating delays that occur
in the handling of civil cases in this
jurisdiction. Whereas, by diligent
efforts Of the district attorneys Of
flee and the judiciary, the criminal
calendar has been brought nearly up
to date, the civil docket has fallen so
far behind that sometimes there is
lapse of about two years between
the filing of a suit and the date of
trial. In the meantime, more often
than not, important witnesses have
become unavailable, testimony of
other witnesses has been impaired by
fading memories and occasionally
even the principals themselves have
lost interest in the final outcome.
Special studies of the situation
were launched some time ago by the
Committee on Procedural Reform Of
the District Bar Association and the
Committee on the State of the CAL
endar of the Junior Bar Section, with
the result that joint report, con-
tanning eight specific recommended
tions of remedial nature, was sub
mitted to the Bar Association for
approval. The report, with other
things, suggested longer hours and
shorter vacations for the justices,
a definite assignment of adminis-
trative control of the court to one
of the justices and several other
changes in procedure designed to
speed up the disposition of civil cases.
The association declared that at
least during the present period of
almost intolerable docket congestion
the trial of cases should start
promptly at ten o'clock in the morn
ing and continue until four o'clock in
the afternoon, that jurists assigned
to civil work should sit on Saturday
mornings to hear short non-jury
cases, that matters in the Motions
Court should be disposed of during
the summer recess and that the va
cation period itself should be Short
ened by month. 1t is well known
not only to the lawyers but to many
litigantS that trials occasionally do
not get under way until eleven
o'clock or later and that frequently
they are adjourned early in the aft
ernoon, with little accomplished.
Saturday sessions are rare indeed.
The summer recess, by long custom,
usually extends from the end of June
until early in October.
There are exceptions to these
schedules, of course. Some of the
justices work long hours when occa-
sion demands. Frequently much OF
this work is done in chambers
before court is opened in the morning
or after it is closed in the afternoon.
Some of the civil cases require inten-
sive research on the part of the court
and careful reading of briefs and of
documents offered in evidence. 1t is
assumed the bar members took these
factors into consideration in prepar-
ing their recommendations. I'm
doubtedly the judiciary itself is aware
of the seriousness of the situation
with respect to civil cases. The recent
addition of three judges to the court
should help to relieve the log-jam,
but the civil work continues to in
crease alarmingly with the growth of
the city. The lawyers have tackled
a grave problem frankly and in good
faith. The judges may be expected to
receive the bar report in the CO.
operative spirit in which it was pre-
sented and to give the proposed re-
forms their immediate and earnest
attention for the sake of justice.