THE PRESENT CONSTITUTION. 125» 



themselves well (subject to tlie allotiaeut hereinai'tcr provided for, sub- 

 sequent to tlie first election.) The president judges of the several courts 

 of common pleas, and of such other courts of record as are or shall be 

 established by law, and all other judges required to be learned in the 

 law, shall hold their offices for the term of ten years, if they shall so long 

 behave themselves well. The associate judges of the courts of common 

 pleas shall hold their offices for the term of five years, if they shall so 

 long behave themselves well: all of whom shall be commissioned by the 

 Governor, but for any reasonable cause which shall not be sufficient 

 grounds of impeachment, the Governor shall remove any of them on the 

 address of two-thirds of each branch of the legislature. The first election 

 shall take place at the general election of this commonwealth next after 

 the adoption of this amendment, and the commissions of all the judges 

 who may be then in office shall expire on the first Monday of December 

 following, when the terms of the new judges shall commence. The per- 

 sons who shall then be elected judges of the supreme court shall hold 

 their offices as follows: one of them for three years, one for six years, 

 one for nine years, one for twelve years, and one for fifteen years ; the 

 term of each to be decided by lot by said judges as soon after the elec- 

 tion as convenient, and the result certified by them to the Governor, 

 that the commissions may be issued in accordance thereto. The judge 

 whose commission will first expire shall be chief justice during his term, 

 and thereafter each judge whose commission shall first expire shall in 

 turn be the chief justice, and if two or more commissions shall expire on 

 the same day, the judges holding them shall decide by lot which shall be 

 the chief justice. Any vacancies happening by death, resignation or 

 otherwise, in any of the said courts, shall be filled by appointment by 

 the Governor, to continue till the first Monday of December succeeding 

 the next general election. The judges of the supreme court and the 

 presidents of the several courts of common pleas shall, at stated timed, 

 receive for their services an adequate compensation, to be fixed by law, 

 which shall not be diminished during their continuance in office, but they 

 shall receive no fees or perquisites of office, nor hold any other office 

 of profit under this Commonwealth, or under the government of the 

 United States, or any other State of this Union. The judges of the 

 supreme court during their continuance in office shall reside withm this 

 Commonwealth, and the other judges during their continuance in office 

 shall reside within the district or county for which they were respectively 



elected. 



Sect III. Until otherwise directed by law, the courts of common pleas 

 shall continue as at present established. Not more than five counties 

 shall at any time be included in one judicial district organized for said 



courts. 



9k 



