Milford News | 1928-05-25 | Page 3 | Giving Judge More Power would Aid Administration of Criminal Law

! Giving Judge More Power Would Aid Administration Adminis-tration of Criminal Law Ey EMORY R. BUCKNER, Ex-United States Attorney. The judge should be the thirteenth juror and the third lawyer in the I j American courtroom. The judge is perhaps the most experienced man in j the courtroom, and yet be is padlocked tf su-h an extent lie does nothing noth-ing but preserve order and rule on objections while the partisan lawyers work on the jury. When tlie h:e charges the jury be must not give' the slightest indication of his own views. Instead, he confines himself to the j seldom-understood law, or if it is a review of (he facts he must not in- 1 dicate his own judgment of truth. ! The administration of criminal law needs many other reforms, . I unpadloeking our judges would work a miraculous clmnse ownii"lit. I: ! the judge thinks that the defendant has been proved guilty, let him tel. ! the jury so. Why the secret? Why the mystery? If he thinks the defendant has not been proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt he already luis the power to direct an acquittal.