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Abolition of City Courts.

Bec. Art. the office of clerk of any of the said courts, the judges of said Supreme Bench of Baltimore City shall have power to fill such vacancy until the general election of delegates to the General Assembly to be held next thereafter, when a clerk of said court shall be elected to serve for six years thereafter; and the provisions of this article in relation to the appointment of deputies by the clerks of the Circuit Courts in the counties, shall apply to the clerks of the courts in Baltimore City.

38. IV.

The clerk of the Court of Common Pleas shall have authority to issue within said city, all marriages and other licenses required by law, subject to such provisions as are now or may be prescribed by law. The clerk of the Superior Court of said city shall receive and record all deeds, conveyances and other papers, which are or may be prescribed by law to be recorded in said city. He shall also have custody of all papers connected with the proceedings on the law or equity side of Baltimore County Court, and of the dockets thereof, so far as the same have relation to the City of Baltimore, and shall also discharge the duties of clerk to the Supreme Bench of Baltimore City, unless otherwise provided by law.

39.

The General Assembly shall, whenever it may think proper and expedient, provide, by law, another court for the city of Baltimore, and prescribe its jurisdiction and powers; in which case there shall be elected by the voters of said city, qualified under this Constitution, another judge of the Supreme Bench of Baltimore city,

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who shall be subject to the same constitutional provisions, hold his office for the same term of years, receive the same compensation, and have the same powers, as are herein provided for the judges of said Supreme Bench of Baltimore city; and all of the provisions of this Constitution relating to the assignment of judges to the courts, now existing in said city, and for the dispatch of business therein, shall apply to the court, for whose creation provision is made by this section. (Under this section, the General Assembly, by the act of 1888, chapter 194, established the Circuit Court No. 2 of Baltimore city, conferring upon it the same jurisdiction as that possessed by the Circuit Court of Baltimore city.) And the General Assembly may reapportion, change or enlarge the jurisdiction of the several courts in Baltimore city. Until otherwise provided by law, the clerk of the Superior Court of Baltimore city, of the Court of Common Pleas, of the Circuit Court of Baltimore city, of the Baltimore City Court, and of the Criminal Court of Baltimore, shall each give bond in such penalty as is now prescribed by law to be given by the clerks of the courts, bearing the same names, under the present Constitution.

40. IV.

The qualified voters of the city of Baltimore, and of the several counties, shall on the Tuedsay next after the first Monday in November next, and on the same day in every fourth year thereafter elect three men to be judges of the Orphans' courts of said city and counties, respectively, who shall be citizens of

Sec. Art.

Abolition of City Courts.

the State, and residents for twelve months preceding, in the city or county for which they may be elected. They shall have all the powers now vested in the Orphans' Courts of the State, subject to such changes as the Legislature may prescribe. Each of said judges shall be paid a per diem for the time they are actually in session, to be regulated by law, and to be paid by the said city or counties, respectively. In case of a vacancy in the office of judge of the Orphans' Court, the Governor shall appoint, subject to confirmation or rejection by the Senate, some suitable person to fill the same for the residue of the term.

3. VI.

MINNESOTA.

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The judges of the Supreme Court shall be elected by the electors of the State at large, and their term of office shall be six years, and until their successors elected and qualified. (Whenever all or a majority of the judges of the Supreme Court shall, from any cause, be disqualified from sitting in any case in said court, the Governor, or, if he shall be interested in the result of such case, then the Lieutenant-Governor, shall assign judges of the District Court of the State, who shall sit in such case in place of such disqualified judges, with all the powers and duties of judges of the Supreme Court.)

9. VI.

All judges other than those provided for in this Constitution, shall be elected by the electors of the judicial district, county or city, for which they shall be created, not for a longer term than seven years.

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Abolition of City Courts.

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The justices of the Supreme Court shall be elected by the qualified electors of the State at the general election, and shall hold office for the term of six years from and including the first Monday of January next succeeding their election: Provided, That there shall be elected, at the first election under this Constitution, three justices of the Supreme Court, who shall hold office from and including the first Monday of December, A. D. 1864, and continue in office thereafter two, four and six years, respectively, from and including the first Monday of January next succeeding their election. They shall meet as soon as practicable after their election and qualification, and at their first meeting shall determine, by lot, and the justice drawing the shortest term shall be chief justice, and after the expiration of his term, the one having the next shortest term shall be chief justice, after which the senior justice in commission shall be chief justice. And in case the commission of any two or more of said justices shall bear the same date, they shall determine by lot who shall be chief justice. NEW HAMPSHIRE. Art. 35. It is essential to the

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preservation of the rights of every individual, his life, liberty, property, and character, that there be an impartial interpretation of the laws and administration of justice. .It is the right of every citizen to be tried by judges as impartial as the lot of humanity will admit. It is, therefore, not only for the best policy, but for the security of the rights of the people, that the judges of the Supreme Judicial Court should hold their offices so long as they behave well, subject, however, to such limitations en account of age as may be provided by the Constitution of the State; and that they should have honorable salaries, ascertained and established by standing laws.

Art. 78. No person shall hold the office of judge of any court, or judge of probate, or sheriff of any county, after he has attained the age of seventy years.

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Justices of the Supreme Court, chancellor, judges of the Court of Errors and Appeals and judges of the inferior Court of Common Pleas shall be nominated by the Governor, and appointed by him, with the advice and consent of the Senate.

The justices of the Supreme Court and chancellor shall hold their offices for the term of seven years; shall, at stated times, receive for their services a compensation which shall not be diminished during the term of their appointments; and they shall hold no other office under the government of this State or of the United States.

Sec. Art. 2. VII.

Abolition of City Courts.

Judges of the Courts of Common Pleas shall be appointed by the Senate and General Assembly, in joint meeting.

They shall hold their offices for five years; but when appointed to fill vacancies, they shall hold for the unexpired term only.

NORTH CAROLINA.

10. IV.

The State shall be divided into nine judicial districts, for each of which a judge shall be chosen; and there shall be held a Superior Court in each county at least twice in each year, to continue for such time in each county as may be prescribed by law. But the General Assembly may reduce or increase the number of districts. 21. IV.

The justices of the Supreme Court shall be elected by the qualified voters of the State, as is provided for the election of members of the General Assembly. They shall hold their offices for eight years. The judges of the Superior Courts, elected at the first election under this management, shall be elected in like manner as is provided for justices of the Supreme Court, and shall hold their offices for eight years. The General Assembly may, from time to time, provide by law that the judges of the Superior Courts, chosen at succeeding elections, instead of being elected by the voters of the whole State, as is herein provided for, shall be elected by the voters of their respective districts.

22. IV.

The Superior Courts shall be, at

all times, open for the transaction of all business within their jurisdiction, except the trial of issues of fact requiring a jury.

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NORTH DAKOTA.

90. IV. The judges of the Supreme Court shall be elected by the qualified electors of the State at large, and except as may be otherwise provided herein for the first election for judges under this Constitution, said judges shall be elected at general elections. 91. IV.

The term of office of the judges of the Supreme Court, except as in this article otherwise provided, shall be six years, and they shall hold their offices until their successors are duly qualified.

92.

The judges of the Supreme Court shall, immediately after the first election under this Constitution, be classified by lot, so that one shall hold his office for the term of three years, one for the term of five years and one for the term of seven years from the first Monday in December, A. D. 1889. The lots shall be drawn by the judges, who shall for that purpose assemble at the seat of government, and they shall cause the result thereof to be certified to the secretary of the territory, and filed in his office, unless the Secretary of State of North Dakota shall have entered upon the duties of his office, in which event said certification shall be filed therein. The judge having the shortest term to serve, not holding his office by election or appointment to fill a vacancy, shall be chief justice, and shall preside at all terms of the Supreme Court, and in case of his absence, the judge having in like manner the next shortest term to serve. shall preside in his stead.

3. IV.

OHIO.

The State shall be divided into

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Abolition of City Courts.

nine common pleas districts, of which the county of Hamilton shall constitute one, of compact territory, and bounded by county lines, and each of said districts, consisting of three or more counties, shall be subdivided into three parts of compact territory, bounded by county lines and as nearly equal in population as practicable; in each of which, one judge of the Court of Common Pleas for said district, and residing therein, shall be elected by the electors of said subdivision. Courts of Common | Pleas shall be held by one or more of these judges, in every county in the district, as often as may be provided by law; and more than one court, or sitting thereof, may be held at | the same time in each district. 4. IV. The jurisdiction of the Court of Common Pleas, and the judges thereof shall be fixed by law.

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13.

eight hundred and fifty-one shall continue in office until the expiration of their terms of office, respectively, or until otherwise provided by law, but neither of said courts shall continue after the second Monday of February, one thousand eight hundred and fifty-three; and no suits shall be commenced in said two first mentioned courts, after the second Monday in February, one thousand eight hundred and fiftytwo; nor in said last-mentioned court, after the second Monday in August, one thousand eight hundred and fifty-two; and all business in either of said courts, not disposed of within the time limited for their continuance as aforesaid, shall be transferred to the Court of Common Pleas.

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