Henderson daily dispatch. (Henderson, N.C.) 1914-1995, 1940-07-29
judicial Convenience

BY y : OF the esteemed Public
Ledger comes the Information that
indignation WAS rampant among
members ot lie Gar and their clients
in civil actions set Tor the July term
OF Granvilie Superior Court i'll OK
ford over action OF Judge Henry L.
Stevens. j.. IL adjouning the term
Tuesday afternoon and leaving tor
his home il Warsaw.
The acc.t! o. TIE judge in what
appeared 10 oe al arbitrary termi-
nation OF the session after oi>po>!ng
OF tie few criminal cases on the
doChe: caused some disturbance ana
disruption u scheduled hearings.
One gil seeking q divorce, and en-
pecting - be granted on Wednesday
had already bought a rousseau tor
second marriage Saturday. a Louis
burg attorney VINO had case pend
Ing in civil court Wednesday came
to Oxford Ior the trial, Only to find
Judge Stevens had adjourned court
and gone home.
The Public Ledger says the judge
made no explanation in open court
of his decision 10 carry over the civil
cases, but privately coQfided to a
member Of the bar that he had
planned to take his wife and son to
the beach for Il few days. The paper
also added that talk around the court
house was for presentation OF bill
in the 1911 legislature to require
superior court judges to remain III
county until Friday evening OF the
week set tor the term. A penalty OF
500 d day would be applied for fail
ure to comply.
OF course, that would be rather
drastic. II the business OF the term
were concluded earlier, there would
be no point in the judge staying over
to idle away his time. Moreover, i'll
ness might justify an earlier adj
iournment But, on the face OF the
news from Oxford, there would
seem to be no good reason for the
action Of Judge Stevens in this case.
Fortunately, there are few judges
on the superior bench who look upon
their duties 50 lightly as this. Furth-
er, it is no place for men who place
mere judicial convenience ahead OF
the business OF administering justice.
It is not pleasant experience to SIT
in a stuffed court room all day IN
July weather Of the intensity Of that
during the past week. But the COM
mon run of humanity who pay taxes
to provide $4,000 salaries for superior
court judges couldn't adjourn their
affairs and 60 to the beach, how
ever oppressive the heat may have
been.
Positions on the bench carry duties
and responsibilities for which most
people are unsuited and unqualified.
But they are not 50 burdensome but
that those entrusted with the
work e. -cStly seek the posts. And
they owe it to the cause Of justice
and to the State to put public inter-
ests ahead Of their own. After all,
il is their job and when they take
liberties as Judge Stevens did in
Granville county, if the reports are
accurate, they cannot be said to be
faithfully discharging their obliga-
tons.
Since the term Of court has been
set by law and the calendar fixed by
the bar, it would seem to have been
the proper procedure to work
through the remaining two days
necessary to finish the docket, or at
least to have obtained the consent OF
court officials and attorneys to
sborten the session if sufficient
reasons could be given Tor doing so.
Certainly there could nave been
some consideration for the rights
and plans of others as we'll as the
convenience of the presiding judge.