Bartholomew v. Port

309 F. Supp. 1340, 73 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2706
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Wisconsin
DecidedJanuary 30, 1970
DocketNo. 69-C-392
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 309 F. Supp. 1340 (Bartholomew v. Port) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Wisconsin primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bartholomew v. Port, 309 F. Supp. 1340, 73 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2706 (E.D. Wis. 1970).

Opinion

DECISION and ORDER

MYRON L. GORDON, District Judge.

This is an action for a judgment declaring unconstitutional and restraining enforcement of §§ .04, .05, .07, .09 and .13 of § 9, ordinance of the city of Brookfield and Wis.Stat. § 66.114. The plaintiffs allege that the ordinances are unconstitutionally vague and overbroad on their face. They charge that the state statute is unconstitutionally vague and that it is an unconstitutional delegation of judicial authority. They further claim that each of the foregoing sections is being unlawfully applied by the defendants to intimidate the plaintiffs in order to deter them from exercising their constitutional rights.

In this decision, the court will rule on two motions filed by the parties. The plaintiffs have asked for an order temporarily enjoining the defendants from prosecuting alleged violations of the ordinances cited above. The defendants have filed a motion to dismiss.

[1342]*1342The plaintiffs are members of Local 277, Lithographers & Photoengravers International Union and are employees of the W. A. Krueger Co., which is located at 12821 West Bluemound Road in the city of Brookfield. They bring this suit as a class action.

Since June, 1969, the plaintiffs have been on strike against W. A. Krueger Co. They allege that in support of this strike they have engaged in

“ * * * all forms of lawful and peaceful activities including, but not limited to, picketing, distributing leaflets and disseminating information to public and other employees.”

The defendants are the municipal justice, city attorney, and chief of police of the city of Brookfield and their agents. W. A. Krueger Co. is not named as a party to this action.

The plaintiffs allege that the Brook-field police and others acting in concert with them have utilized “every means at their disposal” to obstruct the plaintiffs and interfere with their communicating to the public. The plaintiffs allege that such obstruction includes arresting the plaintiffs “without any warrant of any kind and .without any scintilla of probable cause”, failing to warn the plaintiffs of their constitutional rights following arrest, and requiring the plaintiffs to post excessive bail in the sum of $200.

The defendants deny that they have violated the plaintiffs’ constitutional rights. They allege that they had probable cause to arrest the plaintiffs for the following overt acts: “ * * * placing injurious substance on highway, obstructing traffic, refusing to obey cf. ficer, disorderly conduct consisting ox rock throwing, resisting officer, profanity”.

I. DISTRICT COURT JURISDICTION

The plaintiffs invoke the jurisdiction of this court pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 1343(3), 1343(4), 2201, 2202, and 42 U.S.C. § 1983. The defendants contend that “there is no substantial federal question sufficient to invoke the jurisdiction of this court” and they argue that the court should decline to exercise jurisdiction over the case since the plaintiffs have an adequate remedy under state law.

Title 28 U.S.C. § 1343 provides in relevant part:

“The district courts shall have original jurisdiction of any civil action authorized by law to be commenced by any person:
(3) To redress the deprivation, under color of any * * * statute, ordinance * * * of any right, privilege or immunity secured by the Constitution of the United States; * * *
(4) To recover damages or to secure equitable or other relief under any Act of Congress providing for the protection of civil rights. * * * ”

Title 42 U.S.C. § 1983 provides in relevant part:

“Every person who, under color of any statute, ordinance * * * of any State * * * subjects, or causes to be subjected, any citizen of the United States * * * to the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured by the Constitution and laws, shall be liable to the party injured in an action at law, suit in equity, or other proper proceeding for redress.”

These sections and 28 U.S.C. § 2201 and 2202 provide this court with jurisdiction to hear a claim that ordinances or state statutes are unconstitutional on their face or as applied. Dombrowski v. Pfister, 380 U.S. 479, 85 S.Ct. 1116, 14 L.Ed.2d 22 (1965).

I reject the defendants’ contention that the court should decline to exercise its jurisdiction because the plaintiffs have an adequate state remedy. A district court should not, for reasons of comity, abstain or decline jurisdiction to grant declaratory relief under the circumstances set forth in the present case. Zwickler v. Koota, 389 U.S. 241, 88 S.Ct. 391, 19 L.Ed.2d 444 (1967); Cameron v. Johnson, 390 U.S. 611, 88 S.Ct. 1335, 20 L.Ed.2d 182 (1968).

[1343]*1343Furthermore, although the plaintiffs seek to enjoin prosecutions in state court which are currently pending against them, the circumstances of this case make it inappropriate, notwithstanding 28 U.S.C. § 2283, to abstain from considering the merits of the plaintiffs’ case. In Dombrowski v. Pfister, 380 U.S. 479, 489-490, 85 S.Ct. 1116, 1122 (1965), the Supreme Court said:

“We hold the abstention doctrine is inappropriate for cases such as the present one where, unlike Douglas v. City of Jeannette [319 U.S. 157, 63 S.Ct. 877, 87-L.Ed. 1324], statutes are justifiably attacked on their face as abridging free expression, or as applied for the purpose of discouraging protected activities.” (emphasis added)

See Zwicker v. Boll, 270 F.Supp. 131 (W. D.Wis.1967), aff’d 391 U.S. 353, 88 S.Ct. 1666, 20 L.Ed.2d 642 (1968); Soglin v. Kauffman, 286 F.Supp. 851 (W.D.Wis. 1968); State v. Zwicker, 41 Wis.2d 497, 164 N.W.2d 512 (1969).

II. TEMPORARY INJUNCTION

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Bluebook (online)
309 F. Supp. 1340, 73 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2706, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bartholomew-v-port-wied-1970.