A Sketch of the Supreme Court of Ohio. The new Constitution also authorized a commission of five members to be appointed for the term of three years from and after the first day of February, 1876, to dispose of accumulated business, having like juris diction with the regular court. Upon ap plication of the Supreme Court the General Assembly may, not oftener than once in ten years, provide for the appointment of other commissions.
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Two commissions have been appointed under this provision, — one in 1876, concluding its labors in 1879; another in 1883, con cluding its labors in 1885; and yet the dockets of the court continued and con tinue to be crowded, of which more will be said later on. These were the changes under the present Constitution. We are constrained to digress from the subject for the pur pose of referring to one important change wrought by the newthomas Constitution in the administration of jus tice. Indeed, it was one of the most important features in the judicial history of the state, and was participated in by one who was at one time a judge of the Supreme Court — Judge Kennon. Article 14, sections 1, 2, and 3 of the Constitution provided that the General Assembly should appoint three commissioners to revise, reform, simplify, and abridge the practice of pleading, forms and proceedings of the courts, and abolish the distinction between actions at law and equity, and report to the General Assembly
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for action. This was the first step taken to wards the establishment of a code system of procedure. William Kennon, William S. Groesbeck, and Daniel O. Morton were ap pointed commissioners, and reported what was known as the Code of Civil Procedure to the fiftieth General Assembly; and that body, on March II, 1853, adopted it, which has remained with but little change to the present as the Ohio Code. The most important fea ture connected with the life of the Code was the revision and consolidation made by the thorough and capable members of the bar appointed for that purpose in accordance with the act of the General Assembly passed March 27, 1875. The commissioners ap pointed for this pur pose were Michael A. Dougherty, Luther Day, and John W. Okey. Judge Day was a member of the commission only Scott. about a year when he was appointed a member of the Supreme Court Commis sion, and John Brasee was appointed in his place. Judge Okey was a member for two years when he was elected a judge of the Supreme Court, and George B. Okey, a very able son of an able father, was appointed to complete the important work begun by his father. This commis sion suggested in their report that there be no change made in any part of it, unless clearly necessary. " In this way," they said, "the Ohio Code will become stable, and the
