City of Minot v. Kitzman

71 N.W.2d 633, 1955 N.D. LEXIS 125
CourtNorth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 26, 1955
Docket7466
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 71 N.W.2d 633 (City of Minot v. Kitzman) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering North Dakota Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
City of Minot v. Kitzman, 71 N.W.2d 633, 1955 N.D. LEXIS 125 (N.D. 1955).

Opinion

SATHRE, Judge.

This is an appeal from.an order of the ■ District Court of Ward County dismissing the appeal of the City of Minot from a judgment of the Pólice Magistrate acquitting the defendant of a charge of violating Section 203 of Chapter 8 of the Revised Ordinances of the City of Minot.

Said Section 203 is as follows:

“It shall be unlawful and punishable as provided in Section 8-204 for any person whether licensed t>r not, who *634 ' is an habitual user of narcotic drugs or any person who is under the influence of intoxicating liquor or narT cotic drugs to drive any vehicle upon any highway within this city.”

Section 204 of said Chapter 8 prescribes the penalty and is as follows:

“Every person who is. convicted of a violation of Section 8-203, relating to habitual users of narcotic drugs and driving while under the influence of intoxicating liquor, or narcotic drugs shall . be punished by. .a fine of not more than one hundred dollars ($100.00), or by imprisonment for a period of not exceeding ninety (90) days or by both such fine and imprisonment. Provided, that the coürt in sentencing any person either for a first or a subsequent violation of this article may suspend any sentence of imprisonment or any part thereof, and make its order that' the person so sentenced shall be precluded from driving any automobile within this city for a period of not to exceed ■ ninety (90) days. Upon proof to the satisfaction of the court that such order ■ has been disobeyed, such suspension' shall be by the court revoked.” ■,

The facts in the case are as follows:

The defendant Maynard Kitzman was arrested by the police officers of the city of Minot and charged with driving while under the influence of intoxicating liquor in violation of Chapter 8, Section 203 quoted herein. He entered a plea of guilty to such charge. Thereafter upon showing duly made before the Police Magistrate he was permitted to withdraw his plea of guilty and was’ granted a trial. After such' trial the Police Magistrate rendered a judgment of acquittal. The city appealed to the district court from this judgment. Upon motion of the defendant the appeal to the district court was dismissed. In its order of dismissal the district court held that there was no statute granting the right of appeal by the city from the judgment of acquittal entered by the Police Magistrate’s court. The city of Minot appealed from the order of the District Court dismissing its appeal: ’

The sole question raised on this appeal is whether under the constitution and statutes of the state a city has the right to appeal from decisions of a Police Magistrate. Section 113 of the State Constitution provides :

“The legislative assembly shall provide by law for the election of police magistrates in cities, ' incorporated towns, and villages, who in addition to their jurisdiction of all cases arising under the ordinances of said cities, towns and villages, shall be ex officio justices of the peace of the county in which said cities, towns and villages may be located. And the legislative assembly may confer upon said police magistrates the jurisdiction to hear, try and determine all cases of misdemeanors, and the prosecutions therein shall be by information.”

Section 114 of the Constitution provides:

“Appeal shall lie from the county court, final decisions of justices of the peace and police magistrates in such ' cases and pursuant to such regulations as may be prescribed by law.”

The only statute which provides for appeals to the district court from a judgment of a police magistrate is Section 40-1819, NDRC, 1943 which provides as follows:

“An appeal may be taken to the district court from any judgment in a police magistrate’s court or in the court of a village justice of the peace in the same manner as is provided for by the taking of an appeal from a justice’s court generally, except as otherwise provided in this section.- No appeal shall be allowed unless the de~ fendant shall enter into an undertaking with sufficient surety to be. approved by the police magistrate or by the village justice of the peace, as the case may be, at the time and with the conditions following:
“1. If the sentence from which the defendant wishes to appeal requires the payment of a fine, such undertaking *635 shall be filed within ten days after the judgment is entered and shall be conditioned for the payment of the fine and costs and the costs of the appeal;
“2. If the sentence from which the defendant wishes to appeal requires the imprisonment of the defendant, such undertaking shall be filed within twenty-four hours.after the judgment is entered and shall be conditioned for the payment of the costs of the appeal and the appearance of the defendant in execution of the judgment if the appeal should be determined against the defendant;
“3. If the sentence from which the defendant wishes to appeal requires the payment of a fine and the imprisonment of the defendant, such undertaking shall be filed within ten days after the judgment is entered and shall be conditioned for the payment of the fine and costs and the costs of the appeal and for the appearance of the defendant in execution of the judgment.
“On all appeals from a determination in a police magistrate’s court or in a court of a village justice of the peace, the district court shall take judicial notice of all of the ordinances of the city or of the village, as the case may be.”

The right of appeal conferred by said Section 40-1819 applies only to the defendant. The statute confers no right of appeal on the City. Section 40-1811, ND RC 1943 provides:

“In all cases not specifically provided for in this chapter, the process and proceedings in the court of a police magistrate or of a village justice of the peace shall be governed by the provisions of the laws of this state regulating proceedings in justices’ courts in criminal cases.”

Section 33-1234, 1953 Supp. NDRC 1943 provides:

“An appeal may be taken from a judgment of a justice of the peace or a police magistrate sitting as a justice of the peace, to the district court by the state in a criminal action, upon any question of law, and by the defendant upon both questions of law and fact, at any time within thirty days after the entry of judgment, by giving a notice of the appeal, and by the defendant giving bail for his appearance in district court as prescribed in this chapter. Any defendant having pleaded guilty without the advice of counsel shall, Within thirty days thereafter, upon application of his attorney, be entitled to have any judgment entered on such plea vacated and a new trial granted.”

Under Section 114 of the Constitution quoted herein “Appeals shall lie from * * final decisions * * * police magistrates in such cases and pursuant to such regulations as may be prescribed by law.” As we have pointed out the only statutes which have reference to appeals to the district court from a judgment of a police magistrate are Sections 40-1819 and, 40-1811, supra.

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Related

City of Minot v. Knudson
184 N.W.2d 58 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 1971)
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99 N.W.2d 849 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 1959)

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Bluebook (online)
71 N.W.2d 633, 1955 N.D. LEXIS 125, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/city-of-minot-v-kitzman-nd-1955.