Ex Parte Coleman

245 S.W.2d 712, 157 Tex. Crim. 37, 1951 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 1839
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Texas
DecidedNovember 28, 1951
Docket25536
StatusPublished
Cited by25 cases

This text of 245 S.W.2d 712 (Ex Parte Coleman) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ex Parte Coleman, 245 S.W.2d 712, 157 Tex. Crim. 37, 1951 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 1839 (Tex. 1951).

Opinions

[38]*38DAVIDSON, Judge.

Relator in the court below, appellant here, sought by writ of habeas corpus before the judge of the district court of Gregg County his discharge from arrest under the executive warrant of the Governor of this state, issued June 28, 1951, upon the requisition of the Governor of the State of California, dated June 21, 1951. After hearing, the relief prayed for was denied and appellant was remanded to the custody of the arresting officer. Hence this appeal.

Appellant stands charged by complaint in the State of California with failure to provide for his five-year-old child, which offense is alleged to have been committed in San Bernardino County on or about the 13th day of January, 1951.

In Ex Parte King, 236 S. W. 2d 806, and authorities there cited, we held that one who was not in the demanding state at the time the offense of failing to support a child was alleged to have been committed could not be extradited therefor.

Appellant insists that the instant facts bring this case within the rule stated. It is the position of the state that such rule has now been abrogated and superseded by acts passed by the 52nd Legislature in 1951 — which are: the “Uniform Reciprocal Enforcement of Support Act,” being Chap. 377, Acts Regular Session of the 52nd Legislature, in 1951, effective June 2, 1951, appearing as Art. 2328b-l-2, Vernon’s Ann. Civ. Statutes, and hereafter referred to as the Support Act; and the “Uniform Criminal Extradition Act,” being Chap. 438, Acts Regular Session 52nd Legislature, in 1951, effective June 15, 1951, appearing as ,Art. 1008a, Vernon’s C. C. P., and hereafter referred to as the Extradition Act.

The applicable provision of Sec. 5 of the Support Act reads as follows:

“The Governor of this State .... may surrender on demand by the Governor of any other state any person found in this State who is charged in such other state with the crime of failing to provide for the support of a person in such other state. The provisions for extradition of criminals not inconsistent herewith shall apply to any such demand although the person whose surrender is demanded was not in the demanding state at the time of the commission of the crime and although he had not fled therefrom. Neither the demand, the oath nor any pro[39]*39ceedings for extradition pursuant to this Section need state or show that the person whose surrender is demanded has fled from justice, or at the time of the commission of the crime was in the demanding or the other state.”

Sec. 3 of the Extradition Act reads as follows:

“No demand for the extradition of a person charged with crime in another state shall be recognized by the Governor unless in writing alleging, except in cases arising under Section 6, that the accused was present in the demanding state at the time of the commission of the alleged crime, and that thereafter he fled from the state, and accompanied by a copy of an indictment found or by information supported by affidavit in the state having jurisdiction of the crime, or by a copy of an affidavit made before a magistrate there, together with a copy of any warrant which was issued thereupon; or by a copy of a judgment of conviction or of a sentence imposed in execution thereof, together with a statement by the Executive Authority of the demanding state that the person claimed has escaped from confinement or has broken the terms of his bail, probation or parole. The indictment, information, or affidavit made before the magistrate must substantially charge the person demanded with having committed a crime under the law of that state; and the copy of indictment, information, affidavit, judgment of conviction or sentence must be authenticated by the Executive Authority making the demand; provided, however, that all such copies of the aforesaid instruments shall be in duplicate, one complete set of such instruments to be delivered to the defendant or to his attorney.”

Each of these acts was in force and effect at the time of the issuance of the requisition in this case. Neither of the acts had been passed by the Legislature at the time the crime was alleged to have been committed. The Extradition Act is junior in point of time of passage as well as effectiveness to that of the Support Act.

The Support Act authorizes the extradition of one charged with non-child-support, although he was not in the demanding state at the time of the alleged offense and had not fled therefrom; the Extradition Act, except in cases arising under the provisions of Sec. 6, requires that the demand allege the accused was present in the demanding state at the time of the crime charged.

[40]*40The instant demand of the Governor of the State of California does not state that appellant was present in the demanding state at the time of the commission of the alleged crime, and to that extent comes within the provisions of the Extradition Act relating thereto. On the other hand, the demand shows that the crime for which appellant was sought to be extradited was the failure to support his child, and therefore comes within the the provision of the Support Act authorizing extradition without reference to presence in the demanding state.

The Extradition Act, which is the junior act, carries a general repealing clause for all inconsistent acts and parts of acts.

The question thus arises as to whether the Extradition Act repealed the provision of the Support Act authorizing extradition in non-support cases regardless of presence in the demanding state.

The two acts are in pari Materia in that each deals with the question of extradition and was enacted by the same legislature, becoming effective only thirteen days apart.

It is not every express repealing clause that has the effect of repealing inconsistent statutes; the intent of the legislature may be so evident as to preclude any such construction. 39 Tex. Jur., Statutes, Sec. 68, p. 132; First National Bank of Giddings v. Lee County Cotton Oil Co., 274 S. W. 127; Berry v. State, 69 Tex. Cr. R. 602, 156 S. W. 626.

By no process of reasoning can we bring ourselves to the conclusion that the legislature intended the Extradition Act to take from the Support Act, which it had enacted a short time prior to the passage of the Extradition Act, the provision relative to extradition in non-child-support cases. To the contrary, the legislative intent is apparent that extradition in non-child-support cases was to be governed by the provisions of the Support Act in so far as presence of the accused in the demanding state was concerned, rather than by the provision of the Extradition Act relative- thereo.

The conclusion expressed renders unnecessary a determination of the question as to whether non-child-support cases are within the exemptions contained in Sec. 6 of the Extradition Act.

The validity of the Support Act as well as that of the Extra[41]*41dition Act, in so far as they authorize the extradition of persons who were not present in the demanding state at the time of the commission of the crime and had not fled from justice of the demanding state, is assailed as being contrary to the Federal Constitution and the acts of Congress regulating interstate extradition.

This question appears to have been settled to the contrary. In 22 Am. Jur., Extradition, Sec. 9, p. 250, the rule is stated as follows:

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

DENSEY v. State
191 S.W.3d 296 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2006)
Vasquez
705 N.E.2d 606 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1999)
Rentz v. State
833 S.W.2d 278 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1992)
Nokomis Williams v. State
Court of Appeals of Texas, 1992
Ex Parte Holmes
754 S.W.2d 676 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1988)
Lowry v. State
671 S.W.2d 601 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1984)
Eroh v. Manistee County Sheriff
272 N.W.2d 720 (Michigan Court of Appeals, 1978)
Robinson v. Bullock
553 S.W.2d 196 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1977)
Robert Earl Miller v. J. E. "Bill" Decker
411 F.2d 302 (Fifth Circuit, 1969)
Martinez v. State
419 S.W.2d 369 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1967)
Miller v. Calvert
418 S.W.2d 869 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1967)
Ex parte Smith
391 S.W.2d 433 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1965)
State ex rel. Anderson v. Weinstein
359 S.W.2d 355 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1962)
Ex Parte Brito
358 S.W.2d 122 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1962)
State Board of Insurance v. Adams
316 S.W.2d 773 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1958)
Ex parte Gilbreath
311 S.W.2d 851 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1958)
State v. Bennett
90 So. 2d 43 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1956)
Harrison v. State
77 So. 2d 384 (Alabama Court of Appeals, 1954)
State ex rel. Bryant v. Fleming
260 S.W.2d 161 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 1953)
Ex parte Borom
252 S.W.2d 158 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1952)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
245 S.W.2d 712, 157 Tex. Crim. 37, 1951 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 1839, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ex-parte-coleman-texcrimapp-1951.