City of Sioux Falls v. Walser

187 N.W. 821, 45 S.D. 417, 1922 S.D. LEXIS 78
CourtSouth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedApril 10, 1922
DocketFile No. 5050
StatusPublished
Cited by20 cases

This text of 187 N.W. 821 (City of Sioux Falls v. Walser) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering South 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 Sioux Falls v. Walser, 187 N.W. 821, 45 S.D. 417, 1922 S.D. LEXIS 78 (S.D. 1922).

Opinion

WHITING, J.

[1] Defendant was convicted of violating an ordinance of the city of Sioux Falls; and he appeals from the judgment of conviction. The ordinance declares, among other things, that it is unlawful for any person to manufacture for sale, barter, trade, gift, or beverage purposes, any wine in said city. Part of the evidence introduced upon the trial consisted of some wine and certain other articles of personal property. The testimony showed that these articles of personal property were used in the manufacture of the wine and as containers for same. The articles so introduced in evidence had been seized by officers purporting to act under a search warrant.

Appellant contends: That the law under which the search warrant issued is unconstitutional; that the search warrant was issued by a party having no authority to issue same; that, because the property had been seized under an invalid warrant, the court erred in not ordering the return of said property to appellant, and in receiving such property in evidence; and that the ordinance alleged to have been violated was itself invalid.

[2] This court, in the case of State v. Madison, 23 S. D. 584, 122 N. W. 647, held that, where personal property was otherwise competent as evidence, the mere fact that it may have been seized under an illegal search warrant did not affect its admissibility in evidence against one in whose possession it was found. [421]*421If we should follow such decision, it will be seen that it is entirely immaterial whether or not the search warrant was invalid for either of the reasons urged by appellant. However, appellant cites several decisions by federal courts, including decisions 'by the highest court of our land, which he contends entirely overturn the holding of this court in State v. Madison. The question involved is whether or not the receipt in evidence of personal property seized under an invalid search warrant is a violation of section 9, art. 6, of our Constitution, providing that no person shall be compelled, in any criminal case, to give evidence against himself; and a violation of section ii, art. 6, of such Constitution, providing that the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated.

It seems to be the contention of appellant that the holdings of the federal court declaring the effect of the Fourth and Fifth Amendments to the federal Constitution (being in effect the same as sections g and ii, supra) are controlling upon this court. That said Amendments 4 and 5 do not govern the several states and the courts thereof is the settled law of this country. State v. Brennan, 2 S. D. 384, 50 N. W. 625; Eilenbecker v. Plymouth County, 134 U. S. 31, 10 Sup. Ct. 424, 33 L. ed. 801; Floyd v. Dollison, 194 U. S. 445, 24 Sup. Ct. 703, 48 L. ed. 1062, Ensign, v. Commonwealth of Pa., 227 U. S. 592, 33 Sup. Ct. 321, 57 L. ed. 658. It follows, therefore, that the courts of this state, when considering sctions 9 and 11, supra, are not controlled in thier decisions by the decisions of the.federal courts, as would be the case provided the provisions of the federal Constitution were in and of themselves controlling upon the several states and the courts thereof. Nevertheless, the views of the federal courts as to the force and effect of these federal amendments are entitled to most carful consideration by us when we are considering the force and effect of like provisions of the state Constitution; and, if we should find that the federal decisions are in conflict with a decision of this court, we should hesitate to follow our decision rather than those of a tribunal whose decisions are entitled to such consideration as those of the Supreme Court of our land. The following decisions, later than those cited in State v. Madison, [422]*422are in entire harmony with the holding of this court in that case: Adams v. New York, 192 U. S. 385, 24 Sup. Ct. 372, 48 L. ed. 575; Hardesty v. United States, 164 Fed. 420, 91 C. C. A. 1; Hartman v. United States, 168 Fed. 30, 94 C. C. A. 124; Ripper v. United States, 178 Fed. 24, 101 C. C. A. 152; Lum Yan v. United States, 193 Fed. 970, 115 C. C. A. 122. The first decision of the federal Supreme 'Court that is asserted to be out of harmony with the holding of this court in State v. Madison is that in Boyd v. U. S., 116 U. S. 616, 6 Sup. Ct. 524, 29 L. ed. 746; but the court, in Adams v. New York, fully discusses that case and clearly points out wherein the facts of the case differentiate it from the Adams Case and therefore from the case at bar and from State v. Madison. The Boyd 'Case holds, in effect, that the property in question was such as would not 'be subject to seizure at all — that its seizure, even under a lawful writ, would be an unreasonable seizure. Appellants rely particularly upon the decisions in Silverthorne v. United States, 251 U. S. 385, 40 Sup. Ct. 182, 64 L. ed. 319; Gouled v. United States, 255 U. S. 298, 41 Sup. Ct. 261, 65 L. ed. -; Amos v. United States, 255 U. S. 313, 41 Sup. Ct. 266, 65 L. ed. ——, and Burdeau v. McDowell, 256 U. S. -, 41 Sup. Ct. 574, 65 L. ed. -, decided by the federal Supreme Court June 1, 1921. An examination of the decisions cited discloses that the language used in State v. Madison may have been too broad; but such examination also discloses that nothing said by the federal Supreme Court, in those cases, has airy bearing upon the question before us; and this because of the difference in the facts. What is virtually held in those cases is: That the seizure of some kinds of property, for the purpose of using such property in evidence, would be, because of the nature of such property, an unreasonable seizure even under a valid search warrant; that property, seized in the name of the government but without warrant or under an invalid warrant, cannot be properly used in evidence where the possession of the property, by the person from whom seized, was lawful, and the purpose of seizing such property was merely for its use as evidence; and that property, otherwise competent as evidence, is not inadmissible simply because it was wrongfully taken — even stolen

[423]*423—'from its owner if the government was in no sense a party to such wrongful seizure.

[3] Section 2-5 of the National Prohibition Act, 41 U. S. Statutes at Large, 315, reads in part:

“It shall be unlawful to have or possess any liquor or property designed for the manufacture of liquor intended for use in violating this title or which has 'been so used, and no property rights shall exist in any such liquor or property.”

This law,, enacted 'by Congress under the authority of the federal Constitution, is the law of, and applies to property in, this state. In United States v. Fenton (D. C.) 268 Fed.

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Bluebook (online)
187 N.W. 821, 45 S.D. 417, 1922 S.D. LEXIS 78, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/city-of-sioux-falls-v-walser-sd-1922.