The Green Bag
672
Justice James, “that John Sinister has
English bench of today who could
found the conclusion to the long dilemma
deliver a judgment
of his life, and that now after the close of his isolated existence he at last reposes in the arms of his only legitimate
ties of Lord Justice James’s judg ments, and that is Mr. Justice Darling. Long may he sit on the bench, and wage war against perjury and false
parent—his mother Earth.”
There is only one occupant of the
with the quali
sentiment.
The Disagreeing Jury Failed to Disagree By JUDGE A. G. ZIMMERMAN.l
T was a score of years ago, more or
cially rushed, and am simply ‘copying
less, when United States District
pleadings.’" This was a standing joke between
Attorney Harold Brown leisurely sauntered into the law oflices of his friend Jim Johnson. The two had been associate law clerks of a distinguished Senator in those same ofiices some seven or eight years before. Brown, however, then had about com
pleted his legal novitiate, and since had been quite successful at the bar and in politics, as his honorable official position so early in his career indicated. Johnson,
on the contrary, found himself obliged to rehabilitate his finances by going back to teaching for a time, before completing his course and engaging in
the practice of law.
His legal career
was therefore mostly before him as yet, and his time not especially valuable.
"How are you, Jim?
them since student days.
It seems that when Johnson first became junior law clerk as a sort of
fag to the senior, Brown one day gave the newcomer a complaint to copy. Johnson went faithfully to work, and being an ex-school teacher thought he
could improve on the phraseology and thus make the “copy” read more smoothly than the original. He accord ingly made his “improvements" and
proudly exhibited his work when com pleted to his immediate superior. Brown looked at the new clerk dis gustedly, and impressed upon him his first legal lesson by saying :— “You darn fool, don't you know
Pretty busy
enough to know that a copy means a
this morning?" said the District At torney, as he glanced into the private office.
copy, even to the crossing of the t’s and dotting of the 'i’s? “Besides," he added, “you're not supposed to know about pleadings,
"Oh hello, Harold! Come in. Never too busy to talk to you. Pull up that swivel chair there.
but you are presumed to have common sense. As old Dean Sloan would say,
"Fact of the matter is,” continued
I guess that is ‘a violent presumption’
Johnson, smilingly, after the two lawyers
in your case.” After some reminiscent conversation
were familiarly settled, "I'm not espe 1 Of the Dane County Court, Madison. Wis.
concerning student days, the government
