Draper v. Phelps

351 F. Supp. 677, 1972 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12094
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Oklahoma
DecidedSeptember 6, 1972
DocketCIV-72-553
StatusPublished
Cited by34 cases

This text of 351 F. Supp. 677 (Draper v. Phelps) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Draper v. Phelps, 351 F. Supp. 677, 1972 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12094 (W.D. Okla. 1972).

Opinions

MEMORANDUM OPINION

EUBANKS, District Judge.

This is an action for declaratory judgment and for injunctive relief brought pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 2201 and 2202 to declare and to define the rights and legal relations of the parties and to secure Plaintiffs’ rights, privileges and immunities under the Constitution of the United States. The action also is brought pursuant to 42 U.S.C. §§ 1981 and 1982 and 28 U.S.C. §§ 1343(3) and 1343(4). The Plaintiffs request that a specially constituted three-judge district court be convened to hear the case. A three-judge district court was constituted by David T. Lewis, Chief Judge, United States Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit, on August 14, 1972.

This case was filed on August 14, 1972, and at the time of filing counsel for both Plaintiffs and Defendants appeared in the office. of the judge to whom the case was assigned and both parties requested that the Court assume jurisdiction and immediately take proper, steps to have a three-judge court convened. In order that the matter could be expedited, both sides agreed to submit the case on a stipulation of facts and both sides specifically agreed to waive arguments, and further agreed [679]*679upon a briefing schedule which has now been complied with. The matter is therefore before the Court for final disposition.

The parties have stipulated that the testimony of their respective witnesses would show as follows:

1. That the Plaintiff, Duane Draper, is an adult citizen and a registered, qualified elector of Precinct 12 of the City of Norman, Cleveland County, State of Oklahoma, which precinct is within the State House of Representatives District No. 44; that Draper filed his Notification and Declaration of Candidacy in the Office of the State Election Board of Oklahoma for the office of State Representative for District No. 44; that on July 13, 1972, Lee Cate, the incumbent office holder of District No. 44 filed, before the State Election Board, a Petition questioning and objecting to the said Notification and Declaration of Candidacy filed by Duane Draper; that in so doing Protestant Cate relied upon 14 Okl.Stat.1971, Sec. 108; that on July 20, 1972, the State Election Board, after hearing, found in favor of the Protestant Cate and against the Plaintiff Duane Draper, disqualifying the Plaintiff as a candidate and ordering that his name not be placed on the ballot for the forthcoming August 22, 1972 Democratic Primary Election, holding that the Plaintiff Draper did not comply with the durational residency requirement mandated by 14 Okl.Stat.1971, See. 108.

2. That Plaintiff, Jack Dilldine, is an adult citizen and a registered qualified elector of Precinct 6, Ward 4, City of Enid, Garfield County, State of Oklahoma, which precinct is within the State House of Representatives District No. 40; that Dilldine. filed his Notification and Declaration of Candidacy for the office of State Representative, District 40; that the incumbent office holder of District No. 40, Tom Rogers, filed a Petition before the State Election Board challenging and objecting to the Notification and Declaration filed by Dilldine; that in so doing the Protestant Rogers relied upon 14 Okl.Stat.1971, Sec. 108; that on July 19, 1972, after hearing, the State Election Board, relying on 14 Okl.Stat.1971, Sec. 108, held in favor of the Protestant and against Dilldine and ordered that Dilldine’s name not be placed on the ballot for the forthcoming November General Election.

3. That there is no dispute that Plaintiffs Dilldine and Draper did not comply with the provisions of 14 Okl. Stat.1971, Sec. 108.

4. That the Defendants are all properly named and designated as to their particular offices and functions.

The Constitution of the State of Oklahoma, Article III, § 1, defines the qualifications of electors and provides in pertinent part as follows:

Qualified electors of this state shall be citizens of the United States, citizens of the state, including persons of Indian descent (native of the United States), who are over the age of twenty-one years and who have resided in the state at least six months, in the county two months, and in the election precinct twenty days next preceding the election at which such elector offers to vote.

The House of Representatives of the Legislature of Oklahoma is composed of 101 members elected from representative districts. 14 O.S. 112. The statutes enumerate the qualifications of candidates and provide in pertinent part as follows:

In order to file as a candidate for the House of Representatives in any of the representative districts, the candidate must have been a qualified registered elector in such district for at least six (6) months immediately preceding the filing period prescribed by law. . . 14 O.S. § 108.

Each Plaintiff herein had not been “a qualified registered elector” in the representative district for which he filed his notification and declaration of candidacy for the office of state representative for a period of “at least six (6) months preceding the filing period.” [680]*680The parties have stipulated that: “There is no dispute that Plaintiffs Dilldine and Draper did not comply with the provisions of 14 O.S.1971 § 108.”

The Plaintiffs contend that the statutory requirement above-quoted deprives them of the equal protection of the laws in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States. Thus the single question here is whether the above-quoted provision of 14 O.S. § 108 violates the equal protection rights of the Plaintiffs. If so, the statute is invalid; if not, the statute is valid.

In the determination of the case at bar it is recalled that there is no express constitutional provision vesting this Court with jurisdiction to adjudge the constitutionality of legislative enactments. In early cases, however, the Supreme Court held that the jurisdiction is impliedly granted by the “supremacy of the law” clause of the Constitution of the United States. Inasmuch as it is an implied grant of judicial powers, the Court approaches the exercise of that power with the greatest possible caution. This is for the further reason that statutes are enactments of co-ordinate, coequal departments of government. Repeatedly the Supreme Court of the United States has declared that the power should be exercised only in clear cases. Other courts have held that the power should not be exercised unless the statute is so clearly violative of constitutional rights of litigants as to leave no reasonable doubt as to the invalidity of the statute. 16 Am.Jur.Const.Law §§ 101-114.

The Supreme Court of the United States rigidly adheres to the rule never to formulate a rule of constitutional law broader than that required by the precise facts to which the rule is to be applied. In Liverpool etc. Steamship Co. v.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
351 F. Supp. 677, 1972 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12094, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/draper-v-phelps-okwd-1972.