Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 20, Number 20, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 November 1898 — Have Reached The Supreme Court. [ARTICLE]

Have Reached The Supreme Court.

The Benton county contempt cases have reached the Supreme court, and are attracting unusual notice, all over the state. This is the case in which Judge Thompson had a number of the attorneys of the Benton oircuit .court fined for an alleged contempt in making public some resolutions adopted at a meeting of the bar. These resolutions declared “that no man should be oalled upon to bow to the will of any other man, even though occupying a judicial position,” and “condemned in unmeasured terms the conduct of judges who become partisans, examine witnesses, comment on the evidence or select and single out portions of it in the words or by the name of the witness to serve as a basis or to illustrate an instruction on the law written and announced in argumentative terms.” Judge Thompson considered these resolutions an affront to his court: and fined the attorneys, who appealed. The Supreme Court judges have asked the attorney general to Appear for the state, or Judge Thompson’s side, in the case, and he has consented to do so. I? will be one of the most interesting cases recently decided in this state.