Bennie Day and Karen Day v. City of Dercherd, Otis B. Smith, Jr., Mayor, Hank Weddington, Bill van Hoosier, Frank Green, and Daryl Doney, Commissioners - Concurring

Opinion

IN T H E C O U R T O F A P P E A L S O F T E N N E S S E E

A T N A S H V IL L E FL E I D B E N N IE D A Y a n d K A R E N D A Y , ) J u ly 1 , 1 9 9 8 ) C e c il W . C r o w s o n P e titio n e rs /A p p e lla n ts , ) A p p e lla te C o u r t C le r k ) A p p e al N o . v . ) 0 1 -A -0 1 -9 7 0 8 -C h -0 0 4 4 2 ) C IT Y O F D E C H E R D , O T IS B . ) F r a n k li n C h a n c e ry S M IT H , J R ., M A Y O R , ) N o . 1 4 ,3 8 1 H A N K W E D D IN G T O N , B IL L V A N ) H O O S IE R , F R A N K G R E E N , a n d ) D A R Y L D O N E Y , C O M M IS S IO N E R S ) ) R e s p o n d e n t s /A p p e l le e s . )

C O N C U R R IN G O P IN IO N

I c o n c u r in th e re s u lt o f t h e m a j o r i t y o p in io n b u t w o u ld b a s e th a t r e s u lt o n d iff e re n t re a s o n in g . I n M c C a lle n v . C ity o f M e m p h is , 7 8 6 S .W .2 d 6 3 3 (1 9 9 0 ) th e S u p re m e C o u r t a b a n d o n e d t h e d if f e re n t s t a n d a r d s o f r e v ie w b e tw e e n c o m m o n la w c e rtio ra ri a n d d e c la ra to ry ju d g m e n t a n d h e ld : W h e th e r t h e a c ti o n b y th e l o c a l g o v e r n m e n t a l b o d y is le g is l a ti v e o r ad m in is tra tiv e in n a tu re , th e C o u rt s h o u ld re fr a in fr o m s u b s titu tin g its ju d g m e n t fo r th e b r o a d d is c re tio n a r y a u th o rity o f th e lo c a l g o v e rn m e n ta l b o d y . A n in v a lid a tio n o f th e a c tio n s h o u ld ta k e p la c e o n l y w h e n th e d e c is i o n is c le a r l y il l e g a l , a rb it r a ry , o r c a p r i c io u s .

T h e r e f o r e , t h i s a c t io n ( i n a c t io n ) b y th e C ity o f D e c h e r d C o m m is s io n e r s s h o u l d b e re v ie w e d a c c o r d in g to th a t s t a n d a r d . M y r e v ie w o f th is r e c o r d d o e s n o t le a d to th e c o n c lu s io n th a t th e d e c is io n is " c le a rly ille g a l, a rb itra ry o r c a p r ic i o u s ." T h e r e f o r e , t h e C h a n c e r y C o u r t d e c r e e s h o u l d b e a f f i r m e d . F u r t h e r , I a m m o v e d to c o m m e n t o n t h e p a r a g r a p h re g a r d i n g l e g is l a to r s . M a n y f o r c e s a f f e c t t h e l e g i s la t i v e p r o c e s s a t a n y l e v e l ; s o m e g o o d , s o m e n o t. T h e ju d i c ia ry s h o u ld n e v e r b e u s u r p le g is l a ti v e fu n c ti o n ; b u t w e s h o u ld b e a v a i la b l e a s a c h e c k o n l e g i s la tiv e a c t io n s w h i c h a r e u n c o n s titu t io n a l o r o u ts id e le g is la tiv e p ro v in c e .

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ W A L T E R W . B U S S A R T , S P E C IA L J U D G E