Clayton v. State

21 Ill. Ct. Cl. 321, 1952 Ill. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 44
CourtCourt of Claims of Illinois
DecidedSeptember 12, 1952
DocketNo. 4510
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 21 Ill. Ct. Cl. 321 (Clayton v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Claims of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Clayton v. State, 21 Ill. Ct. Cl. 321, 1952 Ill. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 44 (Ill. Super. Ct. 1952).

Opinion

Delaney, J.

John H. Clayton, Jr., claimant, filed his complaint herein on April 24, 1952, alleging that he is the duly elected, qualified, and acting Judge of the City Court of Johnston City, Illinois, and has been since May 17, 1949. He further alleges that the 1940 Federal census disclosed the population of Johnston City to be 5,418 persons, and that under the provisions of Chap. 37, Par. 355, Ill. Rev. Stat., 1947, he was entitled to a salary of $2,500.00 per year, and that such salary was, in fact, paid until November 16, 1951.

Claimant further alleges that on November 16, 1951 he was advised by the Auditor of Public Accounts of the State of Illinois that inasmuch as the 1950 Federal census disclosed that the City of Johnston City had a population of 4,479 persons, his salary would be reduced to $1,000.00 per annum, which was the amount provided for judges of city courts of cities under 5,000 population. Claimant further alleges that, since November 16, 1951, he has been paid $83.33 per month salary as the Judge of the City Court of Johnston City, Illinois, and brings this action to recover the difference between $83.33 per month and $208.33 per month to which he contends he is entitled. In this claim he seeks to recover for the period from November 16, 1951 to April 16, 1952, in the sum of $625.00.

The statutes in force at the time of the election of the claimant as Judge of the City Court of Johnston City, Illinois provided an annual salary for judges of city courts, based upon a sliding scale, in the words -and figures, in part, as follows:

“The judges of said court shall be allowed and receive as an annual salary in lieu of all other fees, perquisites or benefits whatsoever, in cities or towns having a population not exceeding five thousand (5,000) inhabitants, the sum of one thousand dollars ($1,000); and in cities or towns having more than five thousand (5,000) and not exceeding eight thousand (8,000) inhabitants, the sum of twenty-five hundred dollars ($2,500);” (Chapter 37, Par. 355, Ill. Rev. Stat., 1947.)

Provision was also made to determine the population, as follows:

"The number of inhabitants shall be determined by reference to the Federal census, or a census taken by the city, village or town authorities.” (Chap. 37, Par. 353, Ill. Rev. Stat., 1947).

It is clear that the salary of a city judge cannot be increased or decreased by any action after his election. (Wolf vs. Holt, 210 Ill. 50.) However, where a statute provides a graduated scale at the time of the election to office, the salary may vary during the term according to the population or property values. This rule was stated by the Supreme Court of Indiana in Crowe vs. Board of Com’rs., 210 Ind. 404, 3 N.E. (2d.) 76, at page 78, as follows:

“There is no merit in the contention that an increase in the salary of an officer during his term is involved. The salary was fixed before he was elected. The amount he was to receive from time to time was made to depend upon the population of the county. It is as though the statute in existence when the officer was elected had provided that he should receive $1,000 the first year, and $2,000 the second year of his term. In the statute under consideration the Legislature chose to make the amount of salary dependent upon population shown by the United States census. It might continue during the latter part of the term the same as before the census. It might be more if the population increased. It might be less if it decreased.”

It is held in many jurisdictions that a variation in compensation of an officer automatically brought about by a change in population or valuation of property does not violate a constitutional provision prohibiting an increase or decrease in compensation during the officer’s term. Additional authorities following this view are:

Yuma County vs. Sturgess, 15 Ariz. 538, 140 P. 504;
Puterbaugh vs. Wadham, 152 Cal. 611, 123 P. 804;
State ex rel Moss vs. Hamilton, 303 Mo. 302, 260 S.W. 466;
State ex rel Harvey vs. Linville, 318 Mo. 698, 300 S.W. 1066;
State ex rel Jaumotte vs. Zimmerman, 106 Mont. 464, 73 P. (2d) 548;
Board of County Com’rs. vs. Mathews, 147 Okla. 296, 296 P. 481;
Drolte vs. Board of County Com’rs., 176 Okla. 622, 56 P (2d) 800;
State ex rel Mack vs. Guckenberger, 139 Ohio St. 273, 39 N.E. (2d) 840;
Derhammer vs. Board of County Com’rs., 83 N.E. (2d) 400.

The Supreme Court of Ohio in State ex rel Mack vs. Guckenberger, 39 N.E. (2d) 840, held that a statute effective before the term of a judge commenced could automatically increase or decrease his compensation by reason of a fluctuation of population as shown by the Federal census without conflicting with a constitutional limitation, which provided that the compensation could not be increased or diminished during his term of office. In this case the Court said at page 843:

“The purpose of the constitutional inhibition now under consideration is to make sure that the judge and the electorate are advised before he is appointed or elected what his compensation will be, with the assurance that it cannot be changed by the Legislature during the term; that the judge is precluded from using his personal influence or official action to have the Legislature increase his salary; and that at the same time he is protected against the Legislature and the people from decreasing his compensation after his term .begins. These same salutary purposes are fully and effectually preserved by the terms of the present statute, albeit the compensation of the judge is made variable, from and after the last Federal census becoming effective during his term.”

The provisions of the Illinois Constitution prohibiting the increase or decrease in salary during the term of office are based upon similar reasons, as appears from the opinion of the Illinois Supreme Court in the case of People vs. Sweitzer, 280 Ill. 436, wherein the Court said at page 442:

“The Constitution expressly prohibits the Legislature from increasing the salaries of circuit judges, and, in fact, of all State officers, during the terms for which they are elected. The theory of the framers of the Constitution was to make the three branches of government, the legislative, executive and judicial, separate and independent of each other, as far as possible. The power to fix the salaries of State officers is in the legislative branch of the government, the duty to enforce acts of the legislature is in the executive branch, and the power to construe the acts of the legislature is in the judiciary.

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Related

Shepherd v. Compensation Review Board
44 Ill. Ct. Cl. 337 (Court of Claims of Illinois, 1992)
Christian v. State
33 Ill. Ct. Cl. 219 (Court of Claims of Illinois, 1979)
Futrell v. State
35 Ill. Ct. Cl. 62 (Court of Claims of Illinois, 1979)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
21 Ill. Ct. Cl. 321, 1952 Ill. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 44, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/clayton-v-state-ilclaimsct-1952.