He has served as President of his county's Bar Association, district chairman of the Junior Bar Conference, member of the State Board of Law Examiners, and member of the Circuit Court Commission. Out of a field of eleven he survived the first primary but was defeated in the run-off by Spessard Holland, now junior Senator from Florida. He undertook his only political venture in 1939-40 as a candidate for Governor of Florida. He has four authorized battle stars, one medal, and two commendation letters. Whitehair also served as Prisoner of War Officer in the forward area and "hit the beaches" with the Marines in "island hops" in the Central Pacific. His thorough understanding and keen appreciation of International Law and the Rules of Land Warfare as they apply to enemy aliens, and his outstanding ability to establish and coordinate the administration and government of diverse ethnic groups of peoples were exceptional and contributed in large measure to the success of the Central Pacific Campaign. No private law-book publisher and no official Reporter designated by a Court can satisfactorily be put in a position to decide what opinions shall be withheld from publication the law-book publishers wish no such responsibility.** Remedial measures, if any there are to be, seem to us to depend on the judges and the Courts He landed during the assault phase at Saipan and Guam, immediately instituting the first military government of Japanese Nationals in conquered Japanese territory by armed forces of the United States.
For the individual judge who writes an opinion, for the Court or in dissent, to decide whether it shall be published, has not been indicated as acceptable to the Courts or the Bar. The judges of course have control of what and how much they write. So Senior Circuit Judge Sibley appointed a Committee, with a member from each State in the Circuit.* Practicable solutions are difficult, as everyone realizes who has tried to cope with the problems.
Whitehair urged that the judges "do something about it" he described what had been done in some States he offered "suggestions for action", in the Fifth Circuit. He gave a vivid picture of the expense and shelf-space required of lawyers by what Judge Hanson in our May, 1947, issue (page 426) called "the avalanche of judicial opinions". His "treatise" on the subject was by prearrangement. Whitehair, of the Florida Bar, "spoke up in meeting" in favor of what he called "the elimination or reduction of publication of unnecessary opinions" of Courts.
When the Judicial Conference for the Fifth Circuit convened in New Orleans, Francis P.
0 kommentar(er)
