CURRENT LEGAL ARTICLES.
IN an article on "Courts of Last Resort" Law Notes says: New Jersey, the sixteenth State in matter of population, according to the census of 1900, has the largest number of judges, in its court of last resort, of any of the States. Its Court of Errors and Appeals consists of the chancellor, chief justice and eiglTt asso ciate judges of the Supreme Court, and seven lay or special judges, seventeen in all. Not all, however, sit in any one case. Next in order is the United States Supreme Court, with one chief justice and eight associate jus tices. A total of eight judges each comprises the courts of Maine and Maryland. In Cali fornia, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Massa chusetts, Missouri, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Vermont the courts are composed of seven judges. In New York, however, the constitution empowers the gov ernor, at the request of a majority of the judges of the Court of Appeals, to designate not more than four justices of the Supreme Court to serve as associate judges of the Court of Appeals. Two additional justices, so designated, are now sitting, but it is ex pressly declared by the same provision of the constitution that no more than seven judges shall sit in any case. In Delaware, Georg'a, Iowa and Ohio there are six judges. In the latter State, there are two divisions of three judges each, but cases are heard by the full court when a unanimous decision is not reached in either division. Alabama. Arkan sas, Connecticut, Indiana, Louisiana, Michi gan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Tennessee, V:rginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wis consin each have five judges. Arizona, In dian Territory, and South Carolina have four judges each. Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida, Idaho, Mississippi, Montana, Ne braska, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon. Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas. Utah, and Wyoming have each three judges. In Texas there are two courts of last resort, the Supreme Court and the Court of Crim
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inal Appeals, each of which is made up of three judges. From these figures it may be seen, first. that the consensus of opinion in the various States is in favor of having an uneven num ber of judges constitute the court of final ap peal. In only nine States does the even number prevail. Again, the figures three and five would seem to indicate the favorite numbers of judges. But it must be noticed that the fifteen States having three judges are, as a whole, inferior in population to the fifteen States having five judges, and that the latter States are also inferior in population to most of the States having a still greater number of judges. Thus the rule would seem to be that the size of the court is pro portionate to the number of inhabitants of the jurisdiction. In the matter of terms of office the judges of the two Federal courts, the United States Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia, hold their offices during good behavior, as do also the judges of three New England States—Massachu setts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. Pennsylvania, however, follows close with a term of twenty-one years, and Maryland and New York have terms of fifteen and fourteen years respectively. The judges in California, Delaware, Virginia, and West Virginia hold office for twelve years; in Michigan, Mis souri, and Wisconsin for ten years; in Colo rado, Illinois and Mississippi for nine years; in Maine for seven years; in New Jersey, the Chancellor and Supreme Court judges for seven years and the lay judges for six years; in Alabama, Florida, Georgh, Idaho. In diana. Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio. Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Washington for six years; in Arizona and Oklahoma for four years, and in Vermont for two years. The term of six years has been adopted by eighteen States, exclusive of New Jersey, and six years may therefore be said to be the most popular and approved length of
