COURT REFORM

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 213, 9 August 1937, Page 7

COURT REFORM

U.S. BILL IN SENATE. PASSED DURING A LULL. COMPROMISE PLAN. (United Press Association—By Electric ’Telegraph.—Copyright.) Received August 9, 10.30 a.m. WASHINGTON, Aug. 8. The Senate passed the compromise Court Reform Bill. The last phase was almost an anti-climax, Mr Garner, taking advantage of a lull in the debate in order to effect its passage, and members of the Senate were unable to offer any controversial amendments which they had planned or to record their objections. In an effort to avert a split in the party, a group of Democrats proposed to President Roosevelt a substitute plan for the reorganisation of the Supreme Court, which would eliminate any retirement of Justices because of their age and any increase in the membership of tho Bench. The proposal provided that there should, be legislation requiring a two-thirds majority for the Court, to be able to ’ doclaro any act of Congress unconstitutional. Tho President’s original proposal was that the President should be given power to appoint an additional Justice to duplicate any Justice who was over 70 and had held offico for 10 years or more. It was replaced by Senator Robinson’s Bill, which proposed to empower the President to appoint four additional Justices, at the rate of one each year, to duplicate Justices who had reached tiie age of 75.