PUBLIC LAWS-CH. 646-JUNE 25,1948 § 253. Duties of chief judge; precedence of judges The chief judge of the Customs Court shall control the fiscal affairs and clerical force of the court; assign or reassign, before trial and under rules of the court, any case for hearing, determination, or both; and promulgate dockets. The chief judge shall have precedence and preside at any session of the court which he attends. If he is temporarily unable to perform his duties as such, they shall be performed by the judge in active serv- ice, who is present, able and qualified to act, and next in precedence. Judges shall have precedence and preside according to the seniority of their commissions. Judges whose commissions bear the same date shall have precedence according to seniority in age. § 254. Divisions; powers and assignments The chief judge of the Customs Court shall divide the judges of such court into three divisions of three judges each, to hear and deter- mine applications for the review of reappraisements of merchandise, protests against decisions of collectors, petitions for remission of additional duties and such other matters within the jurisdiction of the court as the chief judge may assign to them. The chief judge may sit in any division. He may when necessary assign other judges to any division. The chief judge may designate a judge or a division and necessary clerical assistants to proceed to any port within the jurisdiction of the United States to hear and determine cases assigned for hearing at such port. A majority of the judges of any division may hear and determine all cases and questions pending therein. § 255. Publication of decisions All decisions of the Customs Court shall be preserved and open to inspection. The court shall forward copies of each decision to the Secretary of the Treasury and the collector for the district in which the case arose. The Secretary shall publish weekly such decisions as he or the court may designate and abstracts of all other decisions. CHAPTER 13-ASSIGNMENT OF JUDGES TO OTHER COURTS Sec. 291. Circuit judges. 292. District judges. 293. Circuit or district judges to Court of Customs and Patent Appeals. 294. Assignment of retired justices or judges to active duty. 295. Conditions upon designation and assignment. 296. Powers upon designation and assignment. § 291. Circuit judges (a) The Chief Justice of the United States may designate and assign temporarily any circuit judge to act as circuit judge in another circuit upon presentation of a certificate of necessity by the chief judge or circuit justice of the circuit wherein the need arises. (b) The Chief Justice of the United States may designate and assign temporarily a judge of the Court of Customs and Patent Ap- peals to serve as a judge of the Court of Appeals or the District Court for the District of Columbia when requested by the chief judge of the court in need of such assistance. (c) The chief judge of a circuit or the circuit justice may, in the public interest, designate and assign temporarily any circuit judge within the circuit, including a judge designated and assigned to tem- porary duty therein, to hold a district court in any district within the circuit. 900 [62 STAT.
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