Evans v. Yost

255 F. 726, 167 C.C.A. 72, 1919 U.S. App. LEXIS 1513
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
DecidedJanuary 27, 1919
DocketNo. 5185
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 255 F. 726 (Evans v. Yost) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Evans v. Yost, 255 F. 726, 167 C.C.A. 72, 1919 U.S. App. LEXIS 1513 (8th Cir. 1919).

Opinion

TRIEBER, District Judge

(after stating the facts as above). [1] It is contended that a peremptory writ of mandamus must be served personally, and as the writ in this case was not served on the plaintiff [729]*729in error in person, but only on a member of his family, as authorized by the order of the court, he need not obey it.

There is no statute of the state of Missouri regulating the service of writs of mandamus, hut section 1759, art. 4, c. 21, Mo. Rev. St. 1909, defines the summons as the original writ where not otherwise provided. Section 1760 of that chapter authorizes service of process:

“Third. By leaving a copy of the petition and writ at his usual place of abode, with some person of his family over the age of fifteen years.”

[2, 3] There is no reason why this provision of the statute is not broad enough to authorize service of a writ of mandamus in the manner prescribed. But, even were it otherwise, we are of the opinion that the national courts are not controlled by state statutes, but may prescribe such rules and orders, as may be necessary. Section 918, Rev. St. (Comp. St. § 1544), provides:

“The several Circuit and District Courts may, from time to time, and in any manner not inconsistent with any law of the United States, or with any rule prescribed by the Supreme Court under the preceding section, make rules and orders directing the returning of writs and processes, the filing of pleadings, the taking of rules, the entering and making up of judgments by default, and other matters in vacation, and otherwise regulate their own practice as may be necessary or convenient for the advancement of justice and the prevention of delays in proceedings.”

Section 262, Judicial Code (Act March 3, 1911, c. 231, 36 Stat. 1162 [Comp. St § 1239]), provides:

“The Supreme Court and the District Courts shall have power to issue writs of scire facias. The Supreme Court, the Circuit Courts of Appeals, and tlie District Courts shall have power to issue all writs not specifically provided for by statute, which may be necessary for the exercise of their respective jurisdictions, and agreeable to the usages and principles of law.”

In Collin County National Bank v. Hughes, 152 Fed. 414, 81 C. C. A. 556, and on rehearing 155 Fed. 389, 394, 83 C. C. A. 661, this court passed on the question of the issiiance of a writ of scire facias. After a careful review of the authorities it was held under section 716, Rev. St. (now section 262 of the Judicial Code), the national courts are not restricted by the methods prescribed by the state practice, and may order writs of scire facias to revive judgments to be served outside the state. In Hills & Co. v. Hoover, 220 U. S. 329, 336, 31 Sup. Ct. 402, 405 (55 L. Ed. 485, Ann. Cas. 1912C, 562), it was held:

“It follows that where the state statute, or practice, is not adequate to afford the relief which Congress has provided in a given statute, resort must be had to the power of the federal court to adapt its practice and issue its writs and administer its remedies so as to enforce the federal law.”

As the writ in this case was issued, not in an original action, the national courts having no jurisdiction to issue writs of mandamus, except as ancillary to its judgments rendered by it, the writ cannot be distinguished from a writ of scire facias to revive a judgment. In Memphis v. Brown, 97 U. S. 300, 302 (24 L. Ed. 924), it was held that:

“A mandamus to collect a tax for the payment of a judgment, or a mandamus to pay a judgment, is process in execution, and nobody heretofore has ever questioned the power of a court to control its own final process.”

[730]*730As the court found that, owing to the willful acts of the respondents in the mandamus proceedings, by concealing themselves to evade service of process, the court below, for the purpose of preventing a failure of justice, prescribed for a service which is in effect the same as is authorized by the statutes of Missouri. Equity rule 13 (198 Fed. xxii, 115 C. C. A. xxii) authorizes such'service of subpoenas in equity, even if there is not willful evasion of the service of process. Therefore, even if the state statutes had required a personal service, and none other, it would not be binding on the national courts.

In construing section 918, Rev. St., it has been held that a summons made returnable according to a rule of the federal court, and not in conformity with a changed state statute, is proper. Shepard v. Adams, 168 U. S. 618, 18 Sup. Ct. 214, 42 L. Ed. 602; Boston & Maine R. R. v. Gokey, 210 U. S. 155, 28 Sup. Ct. 657, 52 L. Ed. 1002. In Van Doren v. Pennsylvania R. R., 93 Fed. 260, 269, 35 C. C. A. 282, 290, the court, in reply to a contention that the national courts must, under section 914, Rev. St. (the Conformity. Act, Comp. St. § 1537) follow the practice of the state courts in which it is held, said:

“The Circuit Courts are not bound to conform to state practice or pleadings in subordinate details where such conformity would result in gross or substantial injustice to litigants.”

It is not even claimed that he had no notice of the granting, issuance, and service of the writ in conformity with the order of the court. ’ In view of these facts, we are of the opinion that the order of the District Court for the service of the writs was authorized by the laws of the United States, and the service was sufficient.

[4] It is next claimed that the judgment awarding the peremptory writ is absolutely void, as the general law of the state, in force when the bonds, upon which the relator’s judgment was based, hereinbefore quoted from General Statutes of Mo. 1865, limited the tax, which may be levied for railroad purposes in any one year, to 30 per centum of the subscription made by a county, and the writ, which the plaintiff in error was charged to have disobeyed, commanded a greater levy than 30 per cent, of the subscription.

Although there was no express provision in the act, by authority of which the bonds upon which relator’s judgment is based were issued, to levy a special tax for their payment, it has been conclusively determined by the Supreme Court in actions arising under acts of the state of Missouri, containing the identical provision found in this act, that the power to tax is necessarily an ingredient of such power to contract. Ralls County Court v. United States, 105 U. S. 733, 736, 26 L. Ed. 1220; Scotland County Court v. United States, 140 U. S. 41, 45, 11 Sup. Ct. 697, 35 L. Ed. 351. The fourteenth section of the act provided:

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Bluebook (online)
255 F. 726, 167 C.C.A. 72, 1919 U.S. App. LEXIS 1513, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/evans-v-yost-ca8-1919.