Evening star., 1942-05-03
New Municipal Court
Has Hardest Problem
In Choked Jury Docket
Additional Judge Provided
Is Expected to Help
In Reducing jam
Nv w. G. POLLARD.

The principal problem Of the new
Municipal Court to be formed by
consolidation of the present Police
and Municipal Courts, will be re-
duction of the number of criminal
cases awaiting jury trial.
As an aid in this direction the
new court will have one more judge
than the present setup. Two Grim
inal jury courts can be operated
easily in the future without any
special burden on judges, court cir
cles believe.
In the present Police Court, which
handles criminal cases only, the
number Of jury cases pending trial
Is steadily increasing. Even though
Judge Hobart Newman, presiding
in Jury branch of Police Court dur
ing April, disposed Of more than
200 cases, there were still 635 pend
ing trial as of May /, according to
court records.
This count includes only the num-
ber of individuals against whom
trials are pending. Some of them
face several charges. The number
Of cases awaiting jury trial has in
creased from about $50 listed during
February.
Delays Of More than Year.
The pyramiding Of jury cases
means that many continued for re-
assignment do not come up again
for three months or more. A num-
Der of the cases are continued sew
eraI times. and in some instances
they do not actually come to trial
until a year or more after charges
are preferred.
During April Judge Newman dis
posed of approximately 205 cases,
taking the count as to individuals
against whom charges were pending.
Counting all cases, however, includ-
ing multiple charges against some
individuals, Judge Newman COM
pleted approximately 255 cases.
Judge Newman believes it Is i'm
portant to reduce the number OF
Jury cases and feels that this can
be done faster, perhaps. by wedding
out many that probably never would
come to trial.
110 Pleaded Guilty.
BY the 205 count for April Judge
Newman disposed Of ITO cases
through guilty pleas. There were
70 nolle pressed, IA dismissed for
lack Of prosecution, one IN which
Jury trial was waived, and one in
which collateral was forfeited.
Judge Newman selected jury
panel Of 18 for the month. COM
pared with the 80 or more fire.
ouently selected. The jury was ex-
cused altogether on seven days. On
six of those days Judge Newman
disposed of ITO cases, counting
multiple cases against individuals.
On the other Judge Newman was
absent.
The Jury cost for the month, In
cluding yesterday, not regular jury
day, was $500. Although the jury
was not used on majority OF l3
days in which 1t was present. Judge
Newman felt 1t necessary to have
the panel in court to prevent any
defendant using the jury's absence
rs an excuse for q continuance.
Jury Cost Below Average.
Actually the jury cost for the
month was considerably below the
average for 194l, when the total cost
for the year was 1892. or slightly
over a 81 $50 average for each month.
Under terms of legislation provid-
Ing for consolidation of Municipal
and Police Courts into the new
Municipal Court, the measure Is to
20 into effect three months from
the day President Roosevelt signed
the bill. He signed it April g. This
would mean establishment Of the
new court by July 2.
The bill also provided for estab-
hshment of an appellate court, to
be known as the Municipal Court
of Appeals, within a month after
the Presidents signature. Jurists
for the latter tribunal have not been
named. however.