Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-07-15
JUDGES
CONTINUED From PAGE All

Continued From Page Al
Mr.. Miller is now in private law
practice with former Senate
Majority Leader Scott Lucas
Of Illinois.
President Kennedy's choice
OF Mrs. Lawson to the Juvenile
Court judgeship puts the Pc
Rod on a story that began in
1857 when the then Senator
K enne dy introduced an
amendment to a pending bill
for one more judge for the
court. 1t would have eliminated
the requirement that the NOM
inee must have lived in the
metropolitan area for at least
five years Immediately pre-
ceding" the appointment.
The Senate District Com
mittee voted down the amend
ment with the explanation that
it didn't want to send the bill
back to the House with amend
ments that might delay pass
age. When the bill was blocked
anyhow and finally reached
the Senate floor in 1858, Sena-
tor Kennedy succeeded in get
ting his amendment tackled onto
the bill.
Senator Kennedy said later
that he had introduced the
amendment to clear the way
for consideration of a Negro
woman attorney who had been
away from Washington for a
year and a half during the pre-
ceding five years. His potential
candidate was Mrs. Lawson,
whose time away from WASH
ington included six weeks in
Reno. She subsequently re-
married her husband, Belford
". Lawson, a Washington
attorney.
Chief Judgeship Issue
When the amended bill went
back to the House, Representa-
tive Davis, Democrat of Geor-
gia. who had sponsored the
original legislation, succeeded
in getting it blocked. The judge
ship campaign had to start all
over again.
The Senate District Commit
tee. the next time around, voted
out a bill to add two more
judges. MIR. Davis countered
with one to wipe out the courts
autonomy. Last February. the
House-confronted by an un-
precedented campaign by all
elements Of the Washington
community-rejected the Davis
bill, accepted the Senate bill
and sent it to the White House.
Mrs. Lawson met the eligibility
requirements.
The question of the chief
judgeship became an issue
along with the search for suit
able candidates as the backlog
of more than $500 cases con-
tinued to grow and Judge Ket-
cham awaited the promised
help.
Judge Ketcham had powerful
support for the chief judgeship,
including that Of Joseph Rauh,
vice chairman Of the Demo-
cratic Central Committee, who
said the choice of either of the
new appointeeS as chief Judge
would be a slap in the face"
for Judge Ketcham. The fact
that Judge Ketcham was a Re-
publican appointee, however,
made his elevation less likely.
Civic leaders who marshalled
nearly 40 different organiza-
tons behind the drive for a
three-judge court have empha-
sized that the chief Judge
should be an expert in court
administration in order to
streamline the court, propose
reviSions of outmoded proce-
dures to cut down the backlog.
In Washington Since 1888
Mr.. Miller. who will be 81 on
July Is, has been closely identi-
fled with housing and urban
renewal. On juvenile matters,
in addition to his chairman
ship of the Juvenile Court Ad-
visory Committee, he served on
the District Bar Associations
Committee on Juvenile Court
and Juvenile Problems and was
an officer of the home and
school associations of Lafayette
School, Alice Deal Junior High
and Woodrow Wilson High
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES