matters of equity, subject to appeal to the Supreme Court, in such manner as may be prescribed by law.
Sec. 16. A judge of the circuit court shall be a citizen of the United States, at least twenty-eight years of age, of good moral character, learned in the law, two years a resident of the State, and shall have practiced law six years, or whose service upon the bench of any court of record, when added to the time he may have practiced law, shall be equal to six years.
Sec. 17. The judges of the circuit courts shall be elected by the qualified electors of the several circuits, and shall hold their offices for the term of four years.
Sec. 18. The judges of the circuit courts shall at stated times receive a compensation for their services, to be ascertained by law, which shall not, after the adjournment of the first session of the general assembly, be diminished during the time for which they are elected. They shall not be allowed any fees or perquisites of office, nor hold any other office of trust or profit under this State or the United States.
Sec. 19. The clerks of the circuit court shall be elected by the qualified electors of the several counties, for the term of two years, and shall be ex-officio clerks of the county and probate courts and recorder; provided, that in any county having a population exceeding fifteen thousand inhabitants, as shown by the last federal census, there shall be elected a county clerk, in like manner as clerk of the circuit court, who shall be ex-officio clerk of the probate court of said county.
Sec. 20. No judge or justice shall preside in the trial of any cause in the event of which he may be interested, or where either of the parties shall be connected with him by consanguinity or affinity, within such degree as may be prescribed by law; or in which he may have been of counsel or have presided in any inferior court.
Sec. 21. Whenever the office of judge of the circuit court of any county is vacant at the commencement of a term of such court, or the judge of said court shall fail to attend, the regular practicing attorneys in attendance on said court may meet at 10 o'clock a. m. on the second day of the term and elect a judge to preside at such court, or until the regular judge shall appear; and if the judge of said court shall become sick or die or unable to continue to hold such court after its term shall have commenced, or shall from any cause be disqualified from presiding at the trial of any cause then pending therein, then the regular practicing attorneys in attendance on said court may in like manner, on notice from the judge or clerk of said court, elect a judge to preside at such court or to try said causes, and the attorney so elected shall have the same power and authority in said court as the regular judge would have had if present and presiding; but this authority shall cease at the close of the term at which the election shall be made. The proceeding shall be entered at large upon the record. The special judge shall be learned in the law and a resident of the State.
