Jackson v. Cravens

235 F. 212, 1916 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1358
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Florida
DecidedMarch 23, 1916
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 235 F. 212 (Jackson v. Cravens) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Jackson v. Cravens, 235 F. 212, 1916 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1358 (S.D. Fla. 1916).

Opinion

SPEER, District Judge.

The theory of this bill is that the legislation of the state of Florida assailed is not a legitimate exercise of the police power of the state, and is not a bona fide law for the inspection of naval stores; also, that it is an arbitrary discrimination between the producers who ship to points outside the state, or who shall sell directly to the consumer. It is insisted that it is the purpose of the statute to interfere with commerce between the state of Florida and other states of the United States and with foreign nations. All of this is alleged to be violative of the Constitution of the United States, as expressed, not only in the commerce clause, but also in the fourteenth amendment. It is also alleged that the system of inspection provided is inoperative, imperfect, burdensome, and costly, and that it is violative of the several clauses of the Constitution of Florida mentioned in the bill. An injunction is sought against the inspection and prosecuting officers of the state, including the Attorney General.

[ 1 ] In so far as the alleged imperfection and ineffectiveness Of the measure may be involved, and particularly in so far as the inspection law of the state is declared to be violative of the Constitution of the state, this court has no proper concern, at this stage of the case. This is not a controversy between citizens of different states, but between citizens of Florida and other citizens of the same state. Our jurisdiction is based upon the question: Is this legislation violative of the relating provisions of the Constitution of the United States ? It is a serious demand upon a court of the United States when it is required that it shall declare an act of a state Legislature unconstitutional. All legislation is presumed to be constitutional, and to hold it unconstitutional, the court must resolve every reasonable doubt in favor of constitutionality. Recent legislation of Congress has, indeed, thrown a stronger contravallation around state than exists around national legislation. One judge of a District Court of the United States, in a proper ca.se, may hold an act of Congress invalid; but three judges must now constitute a court with jurisdiction to hold a state law invalid. One of these must be a Circuit Justice, or a Circuit Judge. See Act March 4, 1914, 37 Stat. at Large 1013. This court was organized under the provisions of this statute.

The general jurisdiction of the appropriate United States court to hold a state law or state action violative of the Constitution of the United States has long been settled. It was restated in a recent carefully considered case. Ex parte Young, 209 U. S. 149, 28 Sup. Ct. 441, 52 L. Ed. 714, 13 L. R. A. (N. S.) 932, 14 Ann. Cas. 764, opinion by Mr. Justice Peckham. There the Attorney General of a state had disregarded the order of the Circuit Court of the United States, and after hearing was held in contempt. His application for habeas cor[214]*214pus was denied, and the denial was affirmed by the Supreme Court. Said the learned Justice, delivering the opinion:

“The various authorities we have referred to furnish ample justification for the assertion that individuals, who, as officers of the state, are clothed with some duty in regard to the enforcement of the laws of the state, and who threaten and are about to commence proceedings, either of civil or criminal nature, to enforce against parties affected an unconstitutional act, violating the federal Constitution, may be enjoined- by a federal court of equity from such action.”

In Western Union Telegraph Co. v. P. R. Andrews, 216 U. S. 165-167, 30 Sup. Ct. 286, 54 L. Ed. 430, the doctrine was reasserted, and a number of prosecuting attorneys were enjoined from enforcing an act of a state in violation of the national Constitution. It will, however, be difficult to cite a case where, on an application for preliminary injunction, a court of the United States devoid of original jurisdiction, save for the federal question involved, will undertake to test the validity or effectiveness of state legislation, in the light of the state Constitution, or review in any way the discretion of the state Legislature as expressed in the enactment. Said Mr. Justice Brewer, for the Court, in Michigan Central R. R. Co. v. Powers, 201 U. S. 291, 26 Sup. Ct. 461, 50 L. Ed. 744:

“If conflict with the state Constitution is the sole ground of attack, the Supreme Court of the state has a final authority”—citing Merchants’ Bank v. Penn., 167 U. S. 461, 17 Sup. Ct. 829, 42 L.' Ed. 236.

The learned justice continues:

“Undoubtedly a federal court has jurisdiction, and when the question is properly presented it may often become its duty to pass upon the alleged conflict between a statute and the state Constitution, even before the question has been considered by the state tribunals. All objections to the validity of the act, whether springing out of the state or of the federal Constitution, may be presented in a single suit and called for consideration and determination. At the same time federal courts will be reluctant to adjudge a state statute to be in conflict with the state Constitution before that question has been considered by the state tribunals.”

In Coulter v. Louisville & Nashville R. R., 196 U. S. 609, 25 Sup. Ct. 344, 49 L. Ed. 615, it is stated by Mr. Justice Holmes, for the court:

‘‘But the supposed infringement of the Fourteenth Amendment is the only ground on which the railroad company could come into the Circuit Court, and if that ground fails, and obviously fails, the court should be very cautious, at least, in interfering with the state’s administration of its taxes upon other considerations which would not have given it jurisdiction.”

In both of these cases it will be observed that interference with the state law was refused, the federal question being negatived.

A different conclusion may have been induced by a line of decisions beginning with Horner v. U. S., 143 U. S. 570, 12 Sup. Ct. 522, 36 L. Ed. 266, where the Supreme Court held:

“Where the constitutionality of an act of Congress was drawn in question, and an appeal lay directly to the Supreme Court from the Circuit Court, under paragraph 5 of the act of March 3, 1891, the Supreme Court acquired jurisdiction of the entire case, and of all questions involved in it, and not merely of the question of constitutionality.”

[215]*215That rule, however, defines the power of the Supreme Court, the court of final jurisdiction in equity. This being, as appears from the act of Congress approved March 4, 1914, supra, a court assembled for a specific duty, it would seem that, ordinarily, our jurisdiction is restricted to that duty. This view will relieve the court, at least on this preliminary application, from passing upon the multitude of averments in the bill as to the alleged ineffectiveness and injurious character of the legislation assailed, and the relating arguments in the elaborate brief for the plaintiffs.

[2] That the production of spirits of turpentine and rosin, commercially termed naval stores, is a vastly important enterprise of the state of Florida, may be gathered as well from the bill, the answer, and the affidavits.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
235 F. 212, 1916 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1358, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jackson-v-cravens-flsd-1916.