The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-11-27

OO@-0-~O@O~~ tionS will be discussed in Ha December 14th.
 A state commission authorized by the General Assembly will submit reports and recommendations. In connection with the general discus sion planred Secretary Edward c. Fisher has issued the following statement:
 A public hearing to consider Sug- geStionS in connection witl the rec concentrations to be made by the commission will be 'leld in the Old Senate Chamber, State Capitol, Hartford, Connecticut, on the 13th day of December, 1943, at eleven o'clock in the forenoon. The matters to be considered will be taken up in the following order:
 Il a. m. to D. m.
 1. Should the Danbury Traffic Court be continued?
 2 Should the coroners and medi- cal examiners be continued?
 3. What should be done about the municipal courts?
 4. What should be done about the courts of common pleas?
 2p. m. to 5 p. m.
 5. Is the juvenile court operating satisfactorily?
 G. Should the prboate courts be reorganized?
 2. General discussion including the supreme court, the superior court, the justice courts, workmen's compensation commissioners, urlem- ployment compensation conn: :i3sion- CT, and any other relevant matters.
 AS stated above, no final conclu- sionS have been reached but for the assistance of those who may care to attend the hearing some further ex- planation of the progress made may be helpful as guide.
 The operative section of the Spec ial Act reads as follows:
 Said commission shall study the integration and reorganization of the judicial system of the state, in- cluding the supreme court of errors, the superior court, the court of com mon pleas, the municipal courts, justices of the peace, the juvenile court, workmen'S compensation commissioners, unemployment con- pensatoin commissioners and the probate courts, to determine the most efficient and economical meth ods of integrating and recognizing the same into one judicial system, including, but rot limited to, meth Ods of appointment of judges and such commissioners and their tenure of office and salaries.
 Alter long discussion and careful deliberation the commission is not prepared at this time to recommend q complete integration of the courts but is studying 8 number of con- crete problems which seem to re- quire attention. The most difficult of these relate to the court of com- mon pleas, the municipal courts, the probate courts, the juvenile court, the cororers and the Danbury Traf- fic Court.
 The court of common pleas as re- organized by the 1941 session of the General Assembly has now been in operation for two years. There is a temporary drop in the mum er of cases tried in all courts due to the absence of so many parties and wit nesses in the armed forces and this applies to the court of common pleas. For this reason an accurate appraisal of the work done by that court is difficult at this time but tie situation should be reviewed. Four suggestions are now being con sidered by the commission:
 1. Repeal the 1941 act and let the court revert to it's former status. This would mean that there would be civil and criminal courts of com mon pleas in the countries of New Haven, Fairfield. New London, Litchfeld and the judicial district of Waterbury and a civil court or common pleas III Hartford.
 2. Abolish tEe court and have the work done by the superior court. This would involve the appointment of some additional superior court judges and the expansion Of the offices of the states attorneys put the net savings in overhead ana sinplification of procedure Woulo be- considerable.
 3. Let the court remain as 1t is & state court operating in all the counties of the state. :.
 4. Expand the court SO that It will absorb at least the civil work of 4y,a yo,,rjcinal courts
 If the municipal courts are to pc continued in their present form, the commission feels that the terms or the judges should be extended to four years and that public hearings should be held on the resolutions appointing them. The question as to whether the judges should be nom mated by the governor and con- firmed by the general assembly, as are the judges of the higher coalrts' is still under consideration.
 The commission has tentatiVely decided to recommend that the judges of probate be placed on sal. ary. They are now compensated by fees collected for the settlement of estates, from which they pay most of the expenses of running their offices. Two other proposi- tions in connection with these courts are under consideration:
 & Make the probate court a state court with circuit judges.
 2. Consolidate the present 118 probate districts so that there would