In re Restoration of Civil Rights and Issuance of Firearm Owner's Identification Card to Bailey v. The Department of State Police

2016 IL App (5th) 140586
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedMarch 4, 2016
Docket5-14-0586
StatusUnpublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 2016 IL App (5th) 140586 (In re Restoration of Civil Rights and Issuance of Firearm Owner's Identification Card to Bailey v. The Department of State Police) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re Restoration of Civil Rights and Issuance of Firearm Owner's Identification Card to Bailey v. The Department of State Police, 2016 IL App (5th) 140586 (Ill. Ct. App. 2016).

Opinion

NOTICE 2016 IL App (5th) 140586 Decision filed 03/03/16. The text of this decision may be NO. 5-14-0586 changed or corrected prior to the filing of a Peti ion for Rehearing or the disposition of IN THE the same.

APPELLATE COURT OF ILLINOIS

FIFTH DISTRICT ________________________________________________________________________

In re RESTORATION OF CIVIL RIGHTS AND ) Appeal from the ISSUANCE OF A FIREARM OWNER'S ) Circuit Court of IDENTIFICATION CARD TO MARSHALL ) Shelby County. BAILEY ) ) (Marshall Bailey, ) ) Petitioner-Appellee, ) ) v. ) No. 14-MR-31 ) The Department of State Police, ) Honorable ) Allen F. Bennett, Intervenor-Appellant). ) Judge, presiding. ________________________________________________________________________

JUSTICE CATES delivered the judgment of the court, with opinion. Justices Welch and Goldenhersh concurred in the judgment and opinion.

OPINION

¶1 The Illinois Department of State Police (Department), intervenor-appellant,

appeals the denial of its petition to intervene as of right pursuant to section 2-408(a)(2) of

the Illinois Code of Civil Procedure (Code) (735 ILCS 5/2-408(a)(2) (West 2012)). For

the following reasons, we reverse the judgment of the circuit court of Shelby County and

remand, with directions, for further proceedings.

1 ¶2 In April of 2012, Marshall Bailey (Bailey) applied to the Department requesting a

firearm owners identification card (FOID card). His application was denied because of a

prior misdemeanor conviction for a crime involving domestic violence. On July 1, 2014,

Bailey petitioned the circuit court pursuant to section 10 of the Firearm Owners

Identification Card Act (FOID Act or Act) (430 ILCS 65/10 (West 2012)) to remove his

legal disability to possess a firearm, restore his civil rights to possess a firearm, and direct

the Department to issue him a FOID card. The petition was served only on the Shelby

County State's Attorney (State's Attorney), as required by section 10(b) of the FOID Act

(430 ILCS 65/10(b) (West 2012)).

¶3 On August 7, 2014, Bailey, his counsel, and the State's Attorney appeared before

Judge James L. Roberts for a hearing on Bailey's petition. On that date, Bailey's attorney

was not prepared to go forward, and moved for a continuance. The State's Attorney did

not object, and the continuance was granted. The circuit court directed Bailey's counsel

to coordinate a new hearing date with the State's Attorney.

¶4 The next day, August 8, 2014, the Honorable Allen F. Bennett entered an order

granting Bailey's petition. The introductory language in the order indicated that it was

issued after the circuit court had considered the common law record, the comments and

arguments of counsel, and all of the evidence. The record, however, does not support this

preliminary language, as there is no indication that a hearing was actually held. There

also is no transcript or docket entry that reflects the appearance of counsel or any type of

bystander's report. Therefore, we are left with little insight regarding the proceedings that

occurred before the court. Nevertheless, the judgment issued on August 8 removed 2 Bailey's legal disability from owning and possessing a firearm, restored his civil rights to

own and possess a firearm, and directed the Department to issue Bailey a FOID card.

The circuit court found that the circumstances regarding Bailey's criminal conviction and

his criminal history, as well as his reputation, were such that he was not likely to act in a

manner dangerous to public safety, and that granting the relief sought would not be

contrary to the public interest.

¶5 On Monday, September 8, 2014, the Department, which had not been named as a

party in the circuit court proceedings, filed a petition to intervene as of right pursuant to

section 2-408(a)(2) of the Code. The Department claimed that it should be allowed to

intervene, having satisfied all the requirements set forth in the statute (735 ILCS 5/2-

408(a)(2) (West 2012)). 1 More specifically, the Department first claimed that its interests

had not been adequately represented, given that the State's Attorney had not objected to

Bailey's petition. Second, because the Department was the entity bound by the judgment

requiring it to issue a FOID card to Bailey, the Department argued that it had a direct

interest in the proceedings.

¶6 In addition to the petition to intervene as of right, the Department concurrently

filed a motion to vacate the circuit court's judgment pursuant to section 2-1301(e) of the

Code (735 ILCS 5/2-1301(e) (West 2012)). In both the petition to intervene as of right

1 The Department also based its petition to intervene as of right on section 2-

1301(e) of the Code (735 ILCS 5/2-1301(e) (West 2012)).

3 and the motion to vacate, the Department contended that federal law, namely the Gun

Control Act of 1968 (18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(9) (2012)), prohibited Bailey from owning,

possessing, or transporting a firearm because of his prior domestic violence conviction,

even though it was a misdemeanor. The Department alleged that the court had exceeded

its lawful authority under sections 10(b) and 10(c)(4) of the FOID Act (430 ILCS

65/10(b), (c)(4) (West 2012)), which were in effect at the time Bailey filed his petition.

Therefore, the Department argued that the circuit court was forbidden from entering the

judgment overriding the federal disqualification that prohibited Bailey from receiving a

FOID card.

¶7 On October 28, 2014, the circuit court held a hearing regarding the Department's

petition to intervene as of right. During that hearing, the Department reiterated the

arguments raised in its petition. Bailey argued that the Department's petition should be

denied because the Department lacked standing to intervene under Braglia v. McHenry

County State's Attorney's Office, 371 Ill. App. 3d 790 (2007). Bailey also contended that

the Department was not a necessary party to Bailey's petition, as section 10 of the FOID

Act (430 ILCS 65/10 (West 2012)) did not require that the Department be notified of

Bailey's petition. In particular, Bailey asserted that under Williams v. Tazewell County

State's Attorney's Office, 348 Ill. App. 3d 655 (2004), it was the State's Attorney, not the

Department, that was the proper party to make an objection to Bailey's petition. Finally,

Bailey argued that the Department's petition should be denied because it was filed 31

days after the circuit court's judgment was entered, and was, therefore, untimely.

4 ¶8 After considering the arguments of counsel, the court found that the Department's

petition was untimely, as it had been filed 31 days after the final judgment had been

entered. The court also found, based upon its "personal position," that it was the State's

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