McKinley Brown, Etc. v. T. A. Vance, Etc., Mary Jean Boone, Etc., Cross-Appellee v. Walter L. Dennis, Etc., Cross-Appellants

WISDOM, Circuit Judge:

These consolidated class actions challenge the statutory fee system for compensating justice court judges (justices of the peace)1 in the State of Mississippi.2 Brown v. Vance involves criminal cases; Boone v. Dennis involves civil cases.3 The plaintiffs concede that the pertinent statutes are constitutional on their face, apparently because the judges are paid regardless of the outcome of the cases. They contend, however, that the system is unconstitutional, as ap- . plied, for lack of due process. A judge’s compensation depends on the number of cases filed in his…