Briggs v. Buckner

19 S.W.2d 190, 1929 Tex. App. LEXIS 794
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJune 6, 1929
DocketNo. 3714.
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 19 S.W.2d 190 (Briggs v. Buckner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Briggs v. Buckner, 19 S.W.2d 190, 1929 Tex. App. LEXIS 794 (Tex. Ct. App. 1929).

Opinion

LEVY, J.

(after stating the case as above). It is insisted by appellants that the court erred in not allowing them to file a new bond in lieu of the defective appeal bond, because (1) the statutory provision allowing appellants to amend defective bonds in appeal of civil eases by filing a new bond is an existing provision of law, and was not repealed in the revision of the laws in 1925; and (2) article 1840, R. S., applies to eases appealed from the justice courts to county courts, as well as cases appealed from county and district courts to the Courts of Civil Appeals.

Prior to 1905 there was no warrant of law for amending bonds in civil cases defective in substance in appeals from the justice courts to the county courts after the time had elapsed for perfecting an appeal. Houston & T. C. R. Co. v. Red Cross Stock Farm (Tex. Civ. App.) 43 S. W. 795. Also there was no provision of law for amending defective bonds or recognizances given in appeals of criminal cases. Accordingly, by an Act of the Legislature of 1905, p. 224, it was enacted;

“Sec. 1. When an appeal has been or shall be taken from the judgment of any 'of the courts of this state by filing a bond or- entering into a recognizance within the time prescribed by law, in such cases and it shall be determined by the court to which appeal is taken that such bond or recognizance is defective in form or substance, such appellate court may allow the appellant to amend such bond or recognizance by filing a new bond on such terms as the court may prescribe.
“Sec. 2. The fact that appeals from justice courts to county courts and from county and districts courts to the court of criminal appeals are frequently dismissed on account of defective bonds and recognizances, whereby the right of appeal is, in many cases, unjustly denied, creates an .emergency,” etc.

The caption of the law reads: “An Act to regulate appeals in the courts of the State of Texas.” .

In virtue of the general language of the act, it is not certain that the Legislature untended to specially deal with appeals in criminal eases. It is of doubtful meaning and susceptible upon its face of the two constructions, either that it was intended to apply, strictly to appeals in criminal eases, or that it was to apply to both criminal and, civil cases. At least the courts treated the act, standing as the original act, of doubtful import, and construed it as intended to apply to both civil and criminal cases in appeals from the justice.courts to the county courts. Oliver v. Ass’n (Tex. Oiv. App.) 136 S. W. 508. It is proper, however, to state that this decision was made, not prior to the revision of the laws in 1911, but shortly before the revised laws became effective on September 1, 1911. Considering, therefore, the doubtful import-of the original act, such resort being legitimate, the design and purpose of the Legislature in adopting the revised laws in 1911, as specially relates to the above act, may be inquired into. In the revision of the laws of the state, civil and criminal, 1911, the above Act of 1905, in precisely the same language as section 1 thereof, appeared as article 2104 of the “Revised Civil Statutes,” and likewise, in precisely the same language, it appeared as article 923 of the “Code of Criminal Procedure.” Although the language of the original act of 1905 remained unaltered, yet the division of it into two articles and then arranging the two articles in separate Codes was evidently done with some object and purpose in view in so doing. By dividing the act into two articles the original act can no longer stand as a single section as before. Neither article can have superiority over the other, and they must be construed together and both made to stand, for, in effect, the separation of the two articles constituted each article an independent act. As separated there is no repugnancy or inconsistency between the two articles. The article in the Criminal Code will clearly bear an interpretation in conformity with the subject-matter dealt with in such Code, which is strictly criminal law; and likewise the article in the Civil Code will bear an interpretation in conformity with the subject-matter of the Civil Code, which is strictly civil law. Thus there can fairly be implied the intention of the Legislature to remove any doubtful import of the former act by having the article in the Civil Code regarded and understood in the future as relating strictly to civil cases, and the article in the Criminal Code as relating strictly to criminal eases. And the effect of such separation of the articles was to constitute each article an independent act, separate and distinct one from the other. By the prevalent form of revision of the laws of this state the civil laws of a general.nature, in distinction from local laws, are arranged with the object and purpose in view of having them stand independent and apart from the criminal laws, anfi to be , so regarded and under7 stood. The Legislature adopts the revised laws, although at the same session, yet by separate acts. The adoption of the Civil' Code purports, as recited in the; special á'ct, to be a complete law "in itself and constituting a complete combining and arranging of “allcivil laws.” Likewise .the adoption of the Penal Code, as'recited in the special áet, purports to be a complete combining and arrangi *192 ing of “all penal laws and all laws relating to criminal procedure.” In the light of the previous state of the law as it stood under the revised laws of 1911, the revision of 1925, specially dealing with the former law, can be examined and given legal effect. In the revision of the laws of this state, civil and .criminal, in 1925, article 923 of the Code of Criminal Procedure as adopted in 1911 became, unaltered, article 835 of the “Code of Criminal Procedure.” The former article 2104 of the Revised Civil Statutes of 1911 was entirely omitted from the Revised Civil Code of 1925. The two Codes were adopted by thé Legislature, although at the same session, yet by separate and distinct acts. In respect to the Criminal Code the act recited:

“An Act to adopt and establish a ‘Penal Code’ and a ‘Code of Criminal Procedure’ for the State of Texas.

“Be it enacted by the Legislature of the. State of Texas:

“Section 1. The following titles, chapters and articles are hereby adopted and shall hereafter constitute and be known as the Penal Code of the State of Texas: (Here follows enumeration of different titles, chapters and articles applicable only to crimes.)

“Sec. 2. Be it further enacted that the following titles, chapters and articles shall hereafter constitute the Code of Criminal Procedure, to-wit: (Here follows enumeration of the different titles, chapters and articles relating to “rules applicable to the prevention and prosecution of offenses against the laws of this state.”) •

. In the “general repealing clause” in “Section 1” it is provided: “All laws and parts of laws relating to crime omitted from this Act have been intentionally omitted, and all additions have been intentionally added, and this Act shall be construed to be an independent Act of the Legislature enacted under the caption hereof, and the articles contained in this Act, as revised, rewritten, changed, combined and codified shall not be construed as a continuation of former laws, except as otherwise herein provided.”

In respect to the Civil Code the act recited:

“An Act to adopt and establish the ‘Revised Civil Statutes’ of the State of Texas.

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Bluebook (online)
19 S.W.2d 190, 1929 Tex. App. LEXIS 794, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/briggs-v-buckner-texapp-1929.