Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-05-14
Visiting Judges
Help 70 Speed
Court Dockets
Elapsed Time Cut
Between CuIendurinq
And Trial Dutes
BY WILLIAM G. POLLARD

BY WILLIAM u. POLLAhD
Visiting Federal judges have
helped in speeding up the trial
of cases in the U. S. District
Court for the District of Column
bia and in improving the status
of the courts heavy docket.
Visiting judges are designated
for that service by Chief Justice
of the United States Warren.
upon request, after it has been
determined they are available.
The request for such service is
made by the chief judge of the
circuit where the visiting judges
are wanted to help relieve con-
gested court calendars.
Their service in the U. S. Dis
trict Court here is asked for first
by Chief Judge Bolitha j. Laws
of that court.
Initially, Judge Laws asks
Chief Judge Henry w, Edgerton
of the United States Court of
Appeals here for permission to
ascertain. from other jurisdic-
tons just what judges would be
available to serve as visiting
judges.
After this is determined. Judge
Laws furnishes the information
to Judge Edgerton. Judge Eyer
ton then asks Chief Justice
Warren to designate the Judges
for service as visiting jurists.
Recently there have been
three visiting judges helping in
the trial of cases here. AS a
result of their aid, the elapsed
time between the date of cal
endaripg profitable civil nom
jury cases and the date of their
trial has been reduced from II
to IA months.
This has been accomplished
since April /, it was revealed by
Richard L. Collins. the courts
assignment commissioner.
2l Months Before Trial
Civil jury cases take approx
mately 81 months to come to
trial after the date of calendar
ing. Normally these cases are
pre- tried anywhere from 10 days
to four weeks before trial.
Divorce cases. which are tried
by judges without iuries, are
not pre-tried. Contested divorces.
in turn, come to trial about II
months after being calendared
and non-conteSted divorces in
about six months.
Visiting judges recently sitting
here at District Court include:
Judge John w. Holland. re-
tired Judge of Florida. who fin
ished five weeks here Friday:
Judge Robert Ewing Thomson.
of the Western district of Texas,
who is to complete four weeks as
Ia visiting judge late this month,
and Judge Robert N. Wilkin, re-
tired Ohio Judge. who has been
Sitting as a visiting Judge this
year since March l and is sched-
luled to continue through De-
Icember.
Judge Holland and Thomason
have specialized in presiding at
the trial of civil non-jury cases.
However beginning last Monday
Judge Thomson is assigned to
preside at criminal trials.
| Judge Wilkin, who prior to
this year had frequently sat here
as a visiting Judge. has special
lied in hearing condemnation
cases and also has presided at
the trial of civil non-jury cases.
| 100 OTIHIndl Eases
From February 81 to March
%. Judge Lamar Cecil of the
Eastern District of Texas pre-
sided here at the trial of civil
non-iury cases.
Beginning today. Judge A
Sherman Christensen of Utah
is to begin presiding as a visit.
ling judge for four weeks.
AS of May l. there were 4,68:
calendared civil cases awaiting
trial and 1876 criminal case,
available for trial.
In an effort to speed up the
handling of civil jury cases
Judge Luther w. Youngdahl. one
of the courts Is regular judges
has been assigned to devote hi.
time in an effort to get lawyer.
to settle civil jury cases without
the necessity of trial. The settle.
ment of many cases out of courI
is expected to help accelerate the
courts trial calendar.
1t was expected that settle.
ments will be brought about
faster after the system. has beer
in effect for several weeks
Statistics on the number of case,
settled will be available at tn,
end Of this month, Mr.. Collins
said.
Under the settlement plan
lawyers are to be invited in t
discuss possible settlement o.
cases in two categories. Thes,
will include civil jury cases which
have been pre-tried but which
have not yet been scheduled fol
trial; also civil jury cases which
have been calendared for 81,
months and which have not beer
pretried.
Out-Of-COu Settlement
The plan to have lawyers tall
to a judge to see If settlement