Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-02-20
Attorney Raps
Judges Urging
-
Special Court
Advises Vacation Cut
To Speed Domestic
Relations Cases Here
ABB THE EVENING STAR
"** Washington, D. C.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1854
BY John v. Homer

boafQman declared To-Day that
the judges of the u. S. District
Court for the District of Col1m-
bia could speed disposition of
domestic relations cases here if
they would forego one month of
their customary three months
vacation.
In a sharp blast at the IS
Federal judges, Mr.. Boardman
accused them of telling the pub
lie about one kind of court that
should be established here for
domestic relations matters, and
sponsoring a bill in Congress to
produce another kind of court.
Public hearings on the pro-
posed family court bill will open
Wednesday before the Barrett
Senate District Judiciary SUBJ
committee.
The bill is actively supported
by the District judges and the
judicial conferences of the
9 United States and the District
OF Columbia. It is opposed by
the District Bar Association, Mr..
Boardman leading the oppoSi-
ton.
Statement Lists Charges.
Mr.. Boardman challenged any
one to prove wrong the charges
made in this statement:
Certain judges of the U. S.
District Court for the District of
Columbia used the prestige of
their judicial Offices to induce
lawyers to vote in favor of the
family court or to refrain from
voting in opposition to it at the
meeting of the District of Column
bia Bar Association on February
8, 1854.
"At least three judges wrote
letters in which they urged the
recipients to attend the bar
association meeting and to vote
in favor of the family court and
sent them to their friends and
acquaintance among the law
yerS, timed to be delivered on the
day before the bar association
meeting. To my knowledge seven
such letters were received by
lawyers on the ninth floor of the
Shoreham Building where my
office is. From all reports, the
total number of such letters
must have run into the hundreds
and it might have been over a
thousand.
Power of Judges.
Not only do the judges hold
the power of decision in the
cases in which lawyers appear,
but they have wide discretionary
powers to grant or to deny appli-
cations for continuances and en-
largementS Of time, they have
almost absolute power to punish
q lawyer for contempt for being
one minute late in court or to
excuse him entirely if he fails
to appear at all. and they have
unrestricted powers to favor Ger
tain lawyers by appointing them
to remunerative receiverships,
truSteeships and guardianships
in estate matters. Under these
circumstances no judge can plead
ignorance of the tendency of
such personal letters to cause
lawyers to attempt to curry or
to retain favor with the judges
by voting for the family court
or to cause them to refrain from
opposing the thing which the
Judges want.
Even with such unprecedented
tactics, the total number of
votes which the judges were able
to muster in support of the
family court was 157 out of a
total active membership in the
bar association of 2,626. On
the other hand, 209 lawyers had
the courage to stand up and be
counted in opposition to the
judges who hold such tremen-
dous powers over them and their
clients.
Cites Vacation Time.
Justice long delayed is jus
tice denied" is an ancient
maxim, but it now takes from
a year to year and a half to
obtain a final hearing of a
domestic relations case in the
District Court. Yet, for as long
as I have been at the bar. the
judges Of the District Court have
been giving themselves an an
nual vacation of three months
dncluding a week at Christmas
and a week at EASTER.
"These same judges, who
themselves hold regular sessions
during only nine months of the
year have prepared, Endorsed and
caused to be introduced in Con-
gress legislation to create a fam
lily court, in Section IL whereof
1t is provided: The family court
for the District of Columbia will
hold regular sessions of the court
throughout the entire calendar
year.
And at this same time while
they are asking Congress to Gre
ate at the expense of the tax
payers separate full-time court
to relieve them of a large, vastly
important and unpleasant part
of their work, the judges of the
District Court are asking Con-
greSs to increase their own sala-
ries from $4,000 to $27,50O a
year for nine months work to
be paid by taxpayers who have
to work from II to liz months
q year.
IF the Is judges of the Dis
trict Court would forego just one
month Of their long vacation,
they could do much towards
bringing current the disposition
Of domestic relations cases.
Changes in Procedure Made.
"In order to obtain support
for the family court. certain
judges have stated land it has
been given newspaper publicity
that local procedure in domestic
relations cases is Yo1u S1Ihctop