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6 Trial Judges J. 1 (1967)

handle is hein.journals/judgej6 and id is 1 raw text is: JANUARY, 1967 Vol. 6. No. 1 0~~~~~~' 0 M-0 00 0 A National Program for Reform in Judicial Administration By HONORABLE JOSEPH D. TYDINGS United States Senator, Maryland The courts of this country are themselves on trial. They are accused, not of incompetence, but of a vice that breeds its own kind of injustice-sluggishness. As Chief Justice Warren charged in a recent address to the American Law Institute: Interminable and unjustifiable delays in our courts are ... corroding the very foun- dations of Constitutional govern- ment in the United States. Today, because the legal remedies of many of our people can be realized only after they have sallowed with Senator J. D. Tydings the passage of time, they are mere forms of justice. Our courts of law should constitute one of the great cornerstones of our democratic society, for they are designed as forums for the peaceful resolution of disputes. An effective judi- cial system, however, must resolve disputes swiftly if it is to render real service to the people. If courts fail to function with dispatch, they Will lose the confidence of the people and perhaps, ultimately, encourage the resolu- tion of disputes by less than peaceful means. Such a state of affairs would surely spell chaos for any society. As lawyers we are aware that our courts are con- fronted with cases of unprecedented number and com- plexity. Delay, however, is not an inevitable consequence of this development. With determination and imagina- tion-by breaking away from indifference and ancient prejudices-we can meet the challenge. We are building twentieth century highways to deal with congestion in transportation. We can build twentieth century judicial systems to deal with congestion in the courts. Given the mandate of the Senate Judiciary Subcom- mittee on Improvements in Judicial Machinery, of which I am chairman, modernizing the federal judiciary has been our primary concern. To this end, the Subcommit- tee has undertaken a number of projects to help the federal courts with the task of maintaining a modern pace. Although we are constantly working to develop new legislation that will enhance the federal judicial process, the problems of state courts cannot be ignored. It is in the state courts that most people have contact with judicial process. If these courts falter, public respect for courts, be they state or federal, must diminish in proportion. We cannot expect the layman who has been offended by delay in the courts to focus his sense of in- justice on only one jurisdiction. Moreover, it should not be overlooked that we often rely upon state courts to (Continued on page 21) Judge Wright, Stalwart Conference Worker, Leaves the Bench By JUDGE ANDREW W. PARNELL, Past Chairman, National Conference of State Trial Judges In mid-September the Honorable Eugene A. Wright of Seattle, Washington, made the momentous decision of submitting his resignation as Judge of the Superior Court of the State of Washington to accept the appoint- ment as Vice President and Trust Officer of The Pacific National Bank of Seattle. He entered upon his new duties November, 15, 1966. The announcement of his judicial retirement came as a surprise to his host of friends around the country, in and out of the judiciary, who enjoyed the privilege of his acquaintance and shared the knowledge of his outstand- ing qualities as a trial judge. We z \ trust that his contributing influ- ence will still pervade all programs and activities that portend to im- - prove the administration of jus- N tice and that his valuable associa- :; tion with the National Conference and the National College of State Trial Judges will continue. ..,. XHe had a most important de- Judge E. A. Wright cision to make and he made it. After all, it was a Wright decision and we must so accept it. We hope it carries for him all of the benefits, pleasures and satisfactions he anticipates. Judge Wright has a remarkable record of achieve- ment. He graduated from the University of Washington in 1934 and from its Law School in 1937. He practiced law until he ascended to the trial bench. He fostered and promoted many important improvements in the admin- istration of his court and the Superior Court system of his state. He served as an intelligence officer during World War II in the South Pacific and continued to serve as an army reserve colonel until his recent retirement. He was a regular lecturer at the Washington Law School for many years. He became a very vital part of the Na- tional Conference of State Trial Judges upon its organ- ization. He was named a member of the Book Commit- tee, which was commissioned by the then chairman of the Conference to prepare, edit and publish a book for the state trial judges of the country. He was appointed a member of the Advisory Committee to the Joint Com- mittee for the Effective Administration of Justice and participated in the management of the activities of that committee until its termination. He was a frequent panel- ist in judicial seminars sponsored by that committee in all parts of the country. (Continued on page 2) CONTENTS, page 2. I Trial Judges'Journal

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