Evening star., 1948-02-18
|Tamm Praised
ByC|ark and
Three Senators
Deny Bor Contention
He Is Not Qualified
To Serve as Judge

Tamm. Federal Bureau of In
vestigation official. to be q
District Court justice, opposed
by the District and American
Bar Associations, was praised be-
fore a Senate Judiciary Sub
committee today by three Sena-
tors, Attorney General Clark and
J. Edgar Hoover.
Senator Bridges, Republican. OF
New Hampshire and Senator Nc
Mahon, Democrat, of Connecticut, O
former Assistant Attorney General,
made strong recommendation of
Mr.. Tamm. They and the other pro-
ponents of Mr.. Tamm occupied the
entire morning hearing. 1t was held
before a special subcommittee head
ed by Senator Donnell. Republican.
of Missouri
Letter From Overton.
The committee also received q
letter from Senator Overton. Demo-
crat, of Louisiana expressing ap-
proval Of the nomination.
An afternoon session was sched.
uled to hear further testimony from
additional hackers of Mr.. Tamm
and his critics. The bar associations
are on record against Mr.. Tamm on
the grounds that he lacks court ex-
perience.
Mr.. Tamms advocates at the
hearing highly praised his judicial
temperament, his intellect and his
experience as adequately qualifying
him for the bench. He has been
serving as assistant to Mr.. Hoover,
director of the Federal Bureau OF
Investigation.
Stephens Hearing Delayed.
Mr.. Hoover, who strongly in
dorsed Mr.. Tamm, admitted In
cross-examination by Senator Dom
nell that the nominee had never
tried a case in court. This lack OF
experience is the keystone of the
argument of the bar associations OPP
position to Mr.. Tamm.
The nomination of Associate
Justice Harold NJ Stephens of the
United States Court of Appeals for
promotion to Chief Justice was
briefly considered by a separate
special subcommittee of the same
committee but was postponed to
$50 am Tuesday. The subcommit-
tee chairman, Senator Cooper, Re-
publican, OF Kentucky, said the post
ponement was necessary because o
required report from the FBI on
Justice Stephens had not yet been
received.
Approval of Justice Stephens for
promotion was registered for the
District Bar Association by Hugh
H. Obear. The American Bar Asso-
citation recommended him by a for
NAL report and testimony by John
j, Carmody, member of special
committee.
Senator Cooper announced that
communication had been received
from Edward j. Creel. whom he did
not identify, asking to oppose the
nomination of Justice Stephens. No
reason for this was put into the
record
The nomination of James M.
Proctor, District Court justice. to
succeed Justice Stephens on the
bench of the appellate court was
approved before the Cooper sub
committee by the District and
American Bar Associations.
Donnell Explains Stand.
Gordon v. Williamson, 625 Mary
land avenue NE. announced he
wanted to be heard in opposition to
Justice Proctor.
The hearing on Justice Proctor
was recessed until 2 pm today.
Senator Donnell, in opening the
hearing on Mr.. Tamm's nomination,
announced that he is a member of
the American Bar Association spe-
cial committee which yesterday
made public It's opposition to Mr..
Tamm's nomination. He explained,
however, that he had refrained
from voting in the committee on
the issue and read letter he had
written to the committee chairman.
John G. Buchanan of Pittsburgh.
Senator Donnell read the letter
from Senator Overton praising Mr..
Tamm as a person of recognized
legal ability and highest integrity"
Mr.. Tamm was present at the
session and the committee agreed
to hear witnesses for and against
him and then to hear him.
Unusually Fitted for Bench"
Senator Bridges, who is chairman
of the Appropriations Committee.
said he had observed Mr.. Tamm's
work handling estimates for the
Justice Department appropriations
He praised him as unusually fitted
for the bench" and man trained
by the law to cope with a wide
variety of cases.
Senator Mcmahon declared Mr..
Tamm had a character which was
excellent and unimpeachable." The
nominees legal learning, he said.
was extensive and he had keen
legal mind"
Senator Cooper and Senator Dom
nell pursued the issue raised by the
two bar associations, that Mr. Tamm
had never tried a case in court.
Senator Mcmahon said he knew
some judges, probably quite
few who had not spent much time
in the practice of law. This type
included. he said, several former
members Of Congress who had
helped make the law and were now
interpreting 1t on the bench
Mr.. Clark and Mr.. Hoover said
Mr. Tamm's experience in the FBI
would offset his lack of experience
as a trial lawyer in court. Mr.. Clark
said Mr.. Tamm had expressed to
him desire to go on the bench
when he had offered him q job as
his own assistant.
No Personal Complaint.
The American Bar Association
made no personal complainst against
Mr. Tamm in its statement yester-
day. It noted, however that in
the Is years since he took his de-
gree, he has been engaged in in
vestigation and administrative work
TO rthe FBI and not In court