Kane v. Louisiana Commission on Governmental Ethics

199 So. 2d 900, 250 La. 855, 1967 La. LEXIS 2659
CourtSupreme Court of Louisiana
DecidedJune 5, 1967
Docket48523
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 199 So. 2d 900 (Kane v. Louisiana Commission on Governmental Ethics) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kane v. Louisiana Commission on Governmental Ethics, 199 So. 2d 900, 250 La. 855, 1967 La. LEXIS 2659 (La. 1967).

Opinion

HAMLIN, Justice:

Defendants appeal from a judgment of the trial court which enjoined, restrained, and prohibited the Louisiana Commission on Governmental Ethics from conducting any further proceedings affecting plaintiff, John W. Kane, Jr. (a businessman operating Kane’s Office Supply), and decreed that all actions previously taken by the Louisiana Commission on Governmental Ethics against the plaintiff be vacated and set aside.

The trial court did not state in its judgment that it declared Act 110 of 1964, the Code of Governmental Ethics, unconstitutional in part; but, in its reasons for judgment, it held that the Louisiana Commission on Governmental Ethics had no jurisdiction over persons who were not State employees or officials. It further held that the Legislature, however notable its intent, failed to make provisions in the body of Art. XIX, Sec. 27, La.Const. of 1921, applicable to “other persons,” and that such failure was a fatal omission that deprived the Commission of jurisdiction over plaintiff. We presume that the trial court declared Act 110 of 1964 unconstitutional in part and will handle this appeal in that respect.

On July 22, 1966, the Louisiana Commission on Governmental Ethics addressed the following letter to John W. Kane, Jr., Kane’s Office Supply, Baton Rouge, Louisiana:

“Dear Mr. Kane:
“On July 19, 1966, the Louisiana Commission on Governmental Ethics, on its own initiative, scheduled a public hearing to investigate whether or not you violated the Code of Governmental Ethics by paying the sum of $352.15 to Wallace King, Assistant Director of the State Parks and Recreation Commission, represented by checks dated April 26, 1965 in *859 the amount of $210.00 and July 13, 1965 in the amount of $142.15 made by Kane’s Office Supply, Inc. payable to Wallace King.
"Specifically, you are charged with a violation of Section 1118 1 of Title 42 of the Revised Statutes of 1950 by making these payments to Wallace King either as a gift or as compensation for services performed for you whether such payments were made on account of contracts between Kane’s Office Supply, Inc. and the State Parks and Recreation Commission represented by State Parks and Recreation Commission Purchase Orders Nos. 2424 dated February 24, 1965, 2425 dated February 24, 1965, and 2497 dated June 11, 1965, or for purchases made from Kane’s Office Supply, Inc. by Smith Cabinet Works of Denham Springs, Louisiana represented by your Invoices Nos. 13534 and 13088.
“This public hearing will be held commencing at 9:00 a. m. on August 26, 1966 in the Hearing Room of the Civil Service Building in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Enclosed herewith for your information are the rules of the Louisiana Commission on Governmental Ethics and a pamphlet which contains the Code of Governmental Ethics.”

On August 26, 1966, a hearing was held. The Commission found that plaintiff had violated the Code of Governmental Ethics; his conduct was censured; a written opinion was to follow. The meeting was adjourned at 4:00 P.M.

On the same date, August 26, 1966, at about 4:58 P.M., plaintiff instituted the present proceedings in which he alleged in part:

“9.
“That Act 110 of the Louisiana Legislature of 1964 is unconstitutional and violates the due process clause of the Constitution of the United States, as well as the Constitution of the State of Louisiana, particularly Article I, Sections 9 and 10 and Article XIX, Section 27 in that the constitutional amendment referred to hereinabove vested the Louisiana Commission on Governmental Ethics with jurisdiction only over alleged violations of the Code of Ethics by ‘state employees’ and ‘state officials’ and did not authorize a Code of Ethics dealing with private citizens and businessmen.
“10.
“That Act 110 of the Louisiana Legislature of 1964 provides criminal sanction- and in fact states that a violation of the *861 Act and upon proper finding by the Louisiana Commission on Governmental Ethics constitutes a misdemeanor and subjects the accused to a fine of $2,000 and/ or imprisonment for one year or both.
“11.
“That your petitioner is not a ‘state •employee’ or a 'state official’ within the definition of the constitutional article and the pertinent statutory provisions herein-above referred to and is therefore not subject to the jurisdiction of the Louisiana Commission on Governmental Ethics.”

In his petition, plaintiff prayed for the relief granted by the trial court, supra.

In this Court, plaintiff argues that the .findings of the trial court are eminently correct and that its decision should be .affirmed. He submits that the Louisiana Commission on Governmental Ethics did not have jurisdiction to file any charges, hold .any hearings, prosecute or make any deci.sions with reference to him, a private citizen, and not otherwise classified as a State employee.

Defendants-Appellants contend that since the constitutional amendments, both Civil Service and Governmental Ethics, and the Code of Governmental Ethics adopted by the "Legislature can be reconciled, and there is no prohibition against the Legislature in■cluding “other persons” under the Code of .Ethics, the judgment of the trial court should be reversed and plaintiff’s suit dismissed.

In Womack v. Lousiana Commission on Governmental Ethics et al., 250 La. 833, 199 So.2d 891, decision handed down June 5, 1967, we discussed in detail a contention identical to plaintiff’s contention that Act 110 of 1964 is unconstitutional because of its inclusion of criminal provisions. In the Womack Case, we found that Act 110 of 1964 is not unconstitutional by virtue of its criminal provisions; we also found that such sanctions are not violative of due process. Therefore, plaintiff’s contention herein is without merit and requires no further discussion.

Act 528 of 1964 was a joint resolution of the Legislature proposing an amendment to Article XIX of the Constitution of Louisiana by adding thereto a new section, to be designated as Section 27 thereof, to authorize a code of ethics for governmental affairs in the State of Louisiana for elected officials, members of the Legislature, employees and other persons, to provide for the establishment of the Louisiana Commission on Governmental Ethics to administer the code of ethics for state employees, members of Boards and Commissions and other persons; to provide for establishment of the Louisiana Board of Ethics for State Elected Officials; to fix the powers and duties of each with respect to the Code of Ethics; to provide for appeals from *863 administrative rulings of the commission and board and agency heads; to authorize the staff of the Department of State Civil Service to render all normal investigative and staff services for the commission and board.

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Bluebook (online)
199 So. 2d 900, 250 La. 855, 1967 La. LEXIS 2659, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kane-v-louisiana-commission-on-governmental-ethics-la-1967.