Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-06-30
Senate Unit Action Slated
On Family Court Judges
3 Nominations
Are Submitted
BY Eisenhower
BY MIRIAM GUTENBERG


ton soon after the holiday on
the three judges for the newly
created Family Court here was
forecast today. after the nomi-
nations Of a Municipal Court
judge and two prominent WASH
ington lawyers went to the
Senate.
President Eisenhower's three
nominees are:
Municipal Court Judge Frank
H. Myers, who has been on the
bench since 1949.
Godfrey L. Munter, former
president of the District Bar AS
ISOLATION. and long active in civic
and legal circles here.
1O-Year Terms
John H. Burnett, a veteran Of
IS years at the bar in both civil
and criminal practice.
Their nominations were exclu-
sively predicted in The Star Of
May 81 and have since been
widely praised.
They we're nominated to serve
10-year terms at salary Of
$l7,500 annually.
The court. to be known as the
Domestic Relations Branch Of
Municipal Court. was created
under a bill signed by the Presi-
dent on April IL.
A Senate source said Chair
man Nicely of the Senate District
Committee. who has been at his
West Virginia home recuperating
from an operation, is expected
to return to Washington either
late next week or early the fol-
lowing week. A committee hear
ing ON the nominations is ex-
pected to follow soon after his
return.
Cases PiIing Up
Now pending before the COM
mittee are two other nomina-
tions. that of assistant United
States Attorney Austin FicklinE
to be a Municipal Court judge.
and John Lewis Smith, jr., to
the Public Utilities Commission.
A Senate committee aide said all
five nominations probably would
be considered at the same time.
District Court officials empha-
sized that every days delay in
appointing the judges for the
Family Court is piling UP more
domestic relations cases for the
u. S. District Court for the Dis
trict of Columbia. There is at
times backlog of $500 domestic
relations cases in District Court,
and contested divorce matters
now take 10 months from calen-
daring to disposition. Under the
: law, the Family Court will not
+ begin to accept cases until 30
days after the new judges are
confirmed.
u Judge Myers. Democrat, had
S two years to go on his Municipal
r Court appointment.
: Other Republicans
The other two men are Re-
Q publicans, whose nominations
. were Endorsed by the District Bar
, Association and the Republican
4 State Committee.
The three candidates are all
\ SO years old. All are fathers
and all have had Is years or
more in active law practice.
r Judge Myers, a native Wash
ingtonian. began his service on
! the bench after rs years in pri-
vate practice.
\ He is graduate of the old
" Central High School and George
Washington University and
>. served during World War l in
the Student Army Training
Corps.
= :. Married in 1890, he and Mrs
!, Myers have a son and a dauRh-
!, . ter. He lives at 1854 MCKINLEY
: street NV.
y Munter Born Abroad
: Mr.. Munter, who was born in
Bern, Switzerland. and natural
lied here in 1919. is a graduate
OF George Washington Univer-
lsity and National UNIVERSITY
Law School. from which he also
holds an LID. He has been in
general law practice here since
1919.
He was organizer and presi.
: dent of the Chevy Chase CT.
d william Defense area, is former
y president Of the Chevy Chas,
= Citizens Association, a member
ylof the board Of trustees d
le George Washington University
legal adviser of a World War i
:. draft board. trustee and vic,
r. president of the Legal Aid Blu.
n reau and long active in ieRa
l. organizations.
a He has been married sine,
= 1924 and has two daughters anc
,e three sons.
W Burnett GU Law Graduate
Mr.. Burnett was born in Ma.
:. J rion, H., graduated from Regis
!, College and \ received his Law
= degree from Georgetown Univer.
;. sity Law School in 1920. HI
served in the A. E. F. in World
War I.
l. He entered law practice ir
l. the office Of former Judge Mi.
= chael M. Doyle and later served
l. IN the United States Attorney
j office for ID months before coins
into private practice in the firn
l. of O'Shea, Burnett and Gold.
le stein in 1925.
is Since 1910, he has been asso.
is ciated with Chaplin B. Bauman
er president Of the Oriental Build,
TT ing Association. He is a veteran
l. Of both civil and criminal tria
al work and is regarded by hi
colleagues as a lawyers law
liver"