Page:Vol 6 History of Mexico by H H Bancroft.djvu/504

484 confusion is great, and a revised code is needed to eliminate the mass of odd, feudal, and mediæval hasty and contradictory enactments. Those concerning the administration of justice rest on the decree of October 9, 1812, though subjected to many changes, especially after 1857. The special privileges under the fuero tribunals of the clergy, army, and guilds are abolished yet the custom thus inculcated has done some good in promoting arbitration methods. There is no imprisonment for civil debt, and no detention as prisoner beyond three days, without justifiable proofs, to which end the amparo law may be invoked; yet numbers languish in waiting for delayed trials. Counsel is provided for those in need thereof. Criminal cases are limited to three instances, and a defective jury system extends only to certain cases. State codes differ greatly.

The present form of tribunals does not vary much from that ordained by the constitution of 1824. There are three grades of federal courts, [sic]suprem[e], circuit, and district, with original jurisdiction in affairs of state, and as courts of appeal or final instance. The eleven supreme judges arc elected for six years There are eight circuit courts, and one district court