September 1887: The right of justices of the peace to charge a fee for issuing a criminal warrant was far from clear, but many justices did it. Jersey City Justice William Lane was prosecuted and fined $50 for accepting a fee. He paid it under protest and appealed. The Court of Errors and Appeals reversed, holding that a justice could charge a fee unless the applicant made a sworn declaration of inability to pay it.
100 Years Ago
September 1912: Chancellor Robert Walker, addressing the State Bar Association, noted the state court system was virtually as was set up just after the East Jersey and West Jersey provinces were ceded to the British in 1702. The Supreme Court was given the jurisdiction of the Queen’s Bench, the Common Pleas and the Exchequer in England, and the Court of Chancery was vested with general equity jurisdiction.
