|
I could ask you what you think would
happen if we left it up to the judiciary. I
do not know the answer; I do not know
whether the judges would appoint commis-
sioners in those areas or whether or not
the legislature would.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Hargrow.
DELEGATE HARGROVE : The reason
I am asking the question, Delegate John-
son, is if you leave it up to the legislature
to create and pretty much determine com-
missioners, would it have to be under the
provision of the local governments gener-
ally throughout the state, a public general
law, as well as Baltimore City, where they
might not be needed?
DELEGATE JOHNSON: I think they
would be by law, and therefore I would
assume a public general law. Yes, I think
that would be true. I do not think that
they would have to establish the same num-
ber of commissioners in each area, no more
than they would have to determine the
same number of judges in each area.
As you know, the legislature decides on
how many judges there will be in each spe-
cific area, and certainly in my opinion, and
in the opinion of the minority, they can
also decide on how many commissioners
there will be in each and every area.
THE CHAIRMAN: Are there any fur-
ther questions? Delegate Rush.
DELEGATE RUSH: Delegate Johnson,
yesterday there was a statement made by
Delegate Bradshaw that the cost of revis-
ing salaries alone in the judicial system in
the State of Maryland would cost the State
approximately $250,000.
As I am told, in 1959, if we had dis-
carded the magistrate court system and
then moved into the municipal court sys-
tem, which they have there now as moving
up to the district court level, the difference
in cost I am told was $90,000 in 1959, but
in 1966 it is $350,000 worth of salaries be-
ing paid only in Baltimore City.
Do you agree with Delegate Bradshaw's
statement of $250,000 for the whole State?
DELEGATE JOHNSON: Well, I think
that Delegate Bradshaw gave us the benefit
of the information that he had at hand,
but I do not think that it is accurate. I
do not think it could possibly be a true pic-
ture, because it does not take into consid-
eration the number of judges that there
may or may not be. It indicates, in my
opinion, a conservative estimate of judges
|
that will be appointed under this new sys-
tem, and it likewise does not take into
consideration how much it will cost to pro-
vide new facilities, particularly district
court facilities in all these areas where we
do not have them.
I am in favor of a unified judicial court
system, but I think that we would be less
than honest with ourselves if we did not
admit that it is going to cost a great deal
of money.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Rush.
DELEGATE RUSH: Do you know how
large the court that they just recently
built in Baltimore City is right now?
THE CHAIRMAN: I am not sure the
Chair understands your question, Delegate
Rush.
DELEGATE RUSH: The new one they
recently built. Did they not recently build
or approve one?
THE CHAIRMAN: Baltimore City?
DELEGATE RUSH: Baltimore City,
yes.
DELEGATE JOHNSON: We have not
built a new court house in Baltimore City,
though many of us would like to see that
happen. We have not built a new court-
house, that is, on the supreme bench level.
DELEGATE RUSH: They are in the
process of building a building, or they have
approved one, one single courthouse, for the
tune of $14 million. Am I correct in that?
DELEGATE JOHNSON: I see what you
mean. I think — I may be incorrect about
this — the City Council approved and the
electorate approved a loan I think of some-
thing like $11 million for a new central
police station, which will house the court.
Now, how much of the money is attrib-
uted to the courtrooms I am not certain
about, but certainly several million dollars
for the courtroom space in our municipal
court level. Yes, I would say that that is so.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Rush.
DELEGATE RUSH: And everybody, or
a lot of the judges who came before us, or
people that came and talked to us in our
Committee said that approximately the
round figures would be 60,000 people per
population, for one district court judge.
Am I correct in that statement?
DELEGATE JOHNSON: I think most
indicated that was an ideal figure, some-
|
