Evening star., 1948-01-10

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House just be- VyS
fore the turn Of
the century. He =
died In January IA
Of 1900, when
his boy was 'u&1A EA AAB>a
years old.
Young Laws went through grammar and high
schools In the public school system. There
after began long, persistent process Of edu-
cation In evening classes. Prom age 16 he was
the support Of his mother and sister. Two
years OF night school were his prelegal. Then
came evening classes at Georgetown Law
School for an IL. B. In 1918 and, doggedy, an
LII. M. In 1914. He was an editor Of the George
town Law journal and is permanent secretary
Of his class.
It is often said that Judge Laws was reared
In Washington. It could be said with almost
complete accuracy that he was reared In a
courtroom His nrst employment was as q
stenographer in the district attorneys Office.
Promotion kept pace with his education. When
he came to the bar he was promptly made
an assistant United States attorney and rose
to be assigned to trials of many Of the chief
criminal cases Of that Office Resigned from
Office, he practiced for a year In New York
City, then did brief service in the Federal Gov
cIllIIlcLt dS ASS1SGdAt Sci1cId1 COuIlScl W tIle
Shipping Board, and in 1922, with Paul B.
Cromelin he formed flrm which quickly and
permanently became one of the leaders in the
general practice Of law In Washington. He
was In private practice for some 20 years.
In civic affairs he has been the recipient Of
the annual awards for outstanding public
service by the Society of Natives of the District
Of Columbia, the Washington Federation Of
Churches and the Council Of Social Agencies
He is past master of his Masonic lodge and
past president Of the Worshipful Masters As
ISOLATION.
Since 1882 he has taught the Mems Bible
Glass, OF some 200 members, at Mount Vernon
Methodist Church, great metropolitan church
IN downtown Washington. To his friends this
is one Of Bo's most-discussed characteristics
For Is years, no matter what else has been on
his crowded schedule, no matter what ventures
Saturday may have developed, 10 o'clock Sum
day morning has found him In his place with
a meticulously prepared 30-minute address on
the Sunday school topic Of the day.
Appointed Judge in 1888.
While Judge Laws was president of the Bar
Association, vacancy arose in the District
Court. The associations Committee on Judi
cial Selection would have included his name
in their recommendations, but on grounds OF
propriety he refused to permit 1t, having desig-
mated the committee. When the group called
upon the Attorney General they felt In hon.
esty compelled to, say that one name which
would otherwise have been on the list was not
there. Intrigued, MIR. Cummings made inde-
pendent inquiry about this lawyer. SO in June
Of 1898 President Roosevelt nominated and the
Senate confirmed Bo Laws as District Judge.
In 1943, when the present Chief Justice of
the United States retired from the United
States Emergency Court Of Appeals, Judge
Laws was appointed to that bench And in
January OF 1945, upon the death of Judge
Eicher, Judge Laws was named as Chief JUS
tice of the District Court. For nonresidents
Of the District it should be noted that this
court is not only Federal district court with
the jurisdiction usual in such courts, but is
also the court of general trial jurisdiction in the
District Of Columbia. It's IL judges sit in every
known variety of litigation. from uncontested
divorce suits to antitrust injunction proceed
ings, from assault to treason. Almost 10000
cases were fled there during the last fiscal year.
At the end of his first year as a Judge his
brethren chose him to inquire into the newly
designed pretrial procedure. During the sum-
mer he visited Detroit and Boston upon that
assignment. He became convert and then
an evangelist. The procedure was instituted
in his court and he was assigned as the first
pretrial justice.
Thus to him fell the opportunity to organize
the work and to set its precedents At the end
Of the year Chief Justice Hughes had the fol-
lowing to say in the report of the Conference
of Senior Circuit Judges: I'm the District
Court for the District of Columbia notable
gains have been made during the past year
in clearing up highly congested calendar and
the director reports that If similar degree Of
progress is made during the next year the
docket will soon become current Most of that
reduction has been occasioned by an intelligent
and skillful use of the pretrial procedure per-
mitted by the Rules of Civil Procedure"
On his own bench Judge Laws next assign
ment was in the Motions Court, where the
daily grist includes so much Of domestic rela-
tions litigation. That summer, by designation
of his brethren, he again visited other jurisdic-
tions in study of procedure in domestic rela-
tions cases. The result was his advocacy Of
domestic relations commissioner in the District
Court and the establishment of that Office.
A more material, and perhaps even more
critical, need of the court when Judge Laws
became it's chief was building. The judges
and the various Offices auxiliary to the court are
scattered throughout several buildings. Wit
nesses, itigants and jurors must crowd the
Corridors for lack of room. Filing space and
conference space are practically nonexistent.
The courthouse. one of the real architectural
gems in a city of such gems, was built to house
court fraction Of the size Of the present
organization, when Washington was small
town instead Of great metropolis. The situ
alton has been publicly described as national
disgrace
Leader in Courthouse Drive.
Judge Laws promptly joined those judges,
lawyers and local citizens who were attempting
to secure new building. As result of many
months of concentrated attention, all inter-
ested were finally brought together into one
program, Congress authorized the project and
the building plans for a modern and COM
rnodinI1s hnnne for the court are now under WaY