Evening star., 1939-10-07
District Court Crisis

to reduce the almost intolerable con-
gestion and stagnation of the civil
docket is highly commendable, but
the means which they propose to use
IN carrying out their determination
promise to do more harm than good.
The justices, apparently taking note
OF the concern over the local situa-
ton expressed recently by the Judi
cial Conference, have, for the time
being, eliminated one of the three
criminal courts and transferred its
presiding judge to civil work.
The Judicial Conference, headed
by Chief Justice Hughes, found that
the District was one of three juris-
dictions in which court congestion
has increased during the past year,
with a corresponding increase in
trial delays. The conference ex-
pressed hope that the appointment
Of additional judges here would afford
some relief to the civil division,
although it was pointed out that
during the year six hundred more
civil cases were filed than during the
previous year, when the total was
slightly more than five thousand.
The conference at the same time OBJ
served that fewer criminal cases were
filed than in the previous year.
The log-jam Of civil cases awaiting
trial has, indeed, become more seri-
Gus with the passing of the months.
This congestion impairs justice. Some
of the cases have been awaiting trial
for as long as two years. During
these years witnesses may have dis
appeared, memories may have faded,
even the original issues may have
become non-existent. A similar con-
dition prevailed in the criminal divi-
sion until District Attorney Pine and
the judges, by extraordinary Coop
erative endeavor, managed to bring
the docket almost to current status
some months ago. But that the least
relaxation will open the door to
return Of serious delays in the GRIM
inal docket is evidenced by the fact
that during the summer recess of
District Court the number of cases
on the criminal docket rose from
Sixty-seven as of last June to more
than 300 today, not including half
hundred awaiting grand jury &C
tion Some of these are narcotic
cases, the defendants in which have
been at liberty under bond since
June. AS DR.. James A. Nolan of the
Criminal Justice Association empha-
sized in deploring this tie-up of drug
cases, the police are having unusual
difficulty with criminals Of the mar
cotic type who are out on bond. The
people of Washington-and the de-
PENDANTS in these delayed cases as
welfare entitled to the security af-
forded by prompt and effective JUS
tice. Experience has shown conclu-
sively that the volume of crime de-
creases and that the percentage Of
convictions increases when criminal
offenders can be brought to trial
promptly. Conversely, when trials
are long delayed crime increases and
the public is done a grave disservice.
With more than three hundred
criminal cases now awaiting trial, the
time is not propitious to abolish one
OF the criminal courts for even a
short period, however bad the civil
congestion.
Certainly the whole sorry situa-
ton in the District Court reflects the
crying need for immediate appoint
ment of a judge to fill the vacancy
caused by the death recently of JUS
tice Cox. It would be distinctly to
the advantage of the harassed court
If the man chosen by the Depart
ment of Justice and the White House
to fill this important post were thor
oughly familiar with local problems,
to which the District Court gives
most of its attention, so that the new
Judge might step into the breach
forthwith and take up his full share
Of the burden Of administering JUS
tice in the Nations Capital.