Year: 1875




THE PROPOSED STATE ASSOCIATION.


The Bar Association held is regular monthly meet
ing evening It's new rooms, No. Twenty yninth
street. Fifth avenue. Mr. William NJ. Eyarts pre-
sided The reading OF the minutes disclosed the fact
that the association now numbers coo members Nine
teen were enrolled last evening, and Committee
On Auditing and Nominations elected. Mr.. George
H. Yeaman read = long and important report
on various abuses prevailing in the Supreme and
Superior and other courts and recommended reorgan
izaton Of the judicial power Of New York city and OF
the county The paper drew attention to the pract
existing in the civil and criminal courts by which
counsel arriving at Chambers few moments late and
just after the calling Of the calendar has been com
menced, are obliged 10 hand up their papers
with possibility OF their being looked
in the evening and this without argument These
delays he held could be easily done away with, and he
counselled radical reform. They might find aremedy
in legislative action but they go down deeper to
have anything like true and thorough relief The com
mittee submitted plan to accomplish the ends in
view, to this Effect


The consolidation OF Supreme, Superior, Common
Pleas and Marine Into one judicial tribunal com
bining all the Jurisdictions those courts now nave or
the In effect; reorganization OF the hrst de-
partment OF the Supreme Court dispensing with the
others and increasing the number, necessary, OF the
district courts No judges need be displaced or their
terms shortened


II Va
bers for parte motions and orders, SO as 10 have
Judge always available for that purpose and let one,
and If necessary judges hold chambers for enumer
nted motlons and let these motions 60 rapidly
| they can Let one Judge constantly hold part or
trial term for the disposition OF short causes
TO the earlier trial Of such actions and TO avoid
interruptions OF other trials sometimes occasoned
by the monthly fridays short cause calendars. The
! report went TO state that II not within the
power Of the Legislature to abolish any OF these courts
TO limit IFS jurisdiction or 70 vest IT, either wholly
or in part in one Of the other courts


IMPORTANT AMENDMENT.


They recommend amendment to the State cons ii
tuition this eect-That the Court OF Common Pleas
for the city and county of New York and the Superior
Court OF the city Of New York shall cease
to exist, and all the Jurisdiction OF said
courts shall rest in and all the judges OF said
then in office shall become justices Of the Supreme
Court, and any judicial power in civil and criminal
cases and any judicial power county judge and other
special authority and jurisdiction vested in any
either Of the judges OF either OF said courts shall
vest in the Justices OF the Supreme Court
for the First Department. to be exercised in
such and under such limitations the
Legislature shall prescribe long the Legislature
shall not have acted, namely in such manner and
der such limitations and regulations as the general
term for such First Department NAV from time to nc
prescribe and thereupon the judges transferred shall
hold their places for the remainder Of their respective
terms for which they shall have been chosen or ap
pointed and all suits, actions, appeals, motions
and proceedings then pending in the courts
abolished shall be and become Immediately trans



Department. without prejudice to any undertaking,
bond pleading deposition or other entry or pro-
ceeding previously had therein; and thereafter
there shall be twenty-one justices OF the Supreme
Court for the First Department, which shall CONSIST OF
the city and county of New York. chosen appointed
provided by the constitution of this State and the
salaries OF all the SAID Justices except five, shall be
provided for and paid by the city OF New
York; the General Term OF the First
Department shall hereafter consist OF Eve
justices, three Of whom shall constitute aquorum, all
OF whom shall DO designated in the manner In which
General Term justices now shall hereafter be-
authorized by law to be designated.


The question OF the report made subject for an
adjourned meeting


STATE BAR ASSOCIATION


The committee appointed at the October meeting 70
investigate the desrability of forming association
Bar OF the State OF New York reported that they
circular containing sixteen questions upward
OF 800 lawyers in the State of New York. and that the
responses Overwhelmingly in favor Of the estab
lishment OF such association. The committee
offered the following resolution


Resolved, That the Bar Association OF the city OF
New York will extend invitation TO lawyers rest
dent in the several judicial districts OF the State
meet at some place most convenient within such dis
tcts then and there select twenty Of their number
delegates from such several districts convention
TO be charged with the organ zaton OF State Bar
time designate twenty delegates to represent this
judicial district in the said convention


The report accepted and the resolution laid on
the table and after discussion, the meeting ad-
journed-