King v. Jones

319 F. Supp. 653, 25 Ohio Misc. 255, 54 Ohio Op. 2d 411, 1970 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9646
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Ohio
DecidedNovember 3, 1970
DocketC70-974
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 319 F. Supp. 653 (King v. Jones) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Ohio primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
King v. Jones, 319 F. Supp. 653, 25 Ohio Misc. 255, 54 Ohio Op. 2d 411, 1970 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9646 (N.D. Ohio 1970).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM

BEN C. GREEN, District Judge:

This matter is before the Court on plaintiffs’ motion for a preliminary in/junction, oral hearings having been had thereon on October 29, 1970, a motion for temporary restraining order having previously been denied. There is also presented for decision a motion by defendants to dismiss the complaint.

The plaintiffs’ complaint is filed in the form of an alleged class action. It purports to represent two classes of aggrieved individuals. It is alleged that the individual plaintiffs, and the class each is alleged to represent, have had protected constitutional rights infringed by certain injunctions issued by judges of the Common Pleas Court of Portage County, Ohio. The injunctions were issued in conjunction with the proceedings of a Special Grand Jury convened on September 14, 1970. The function of the said Grand Jury was to investigate the events which occurred at Kent State University in May, 1970, which culminated in the tragic deaths of four young people.

Plaintiff, Bruce King, who testified under subpoena before the Grand Jury, alleges that his claim is brought on his own behalf and on behalf of all other persons who were witnesses before the aforementioned Grand Jury. He that an injunction issued September 5, 1970 which, in pertinent part, prohibits all witnesses before the Grand Jury from participating in interviews and from making statements for publication violates his rights under the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution. Although this injunction was issued ex parte by Judges Edwin W. Jones and Albert L. Caris of the Portage County Common Pleas Court, a copy thereof was served on plaintiff King with his subpoena to testify.

Plaintiff, Wayne Fisher, alleges that he wishes to participate in a peaceful, non-violent and non-obstructive demonstration in and about the Portage County Court House, Ravenna, Ohio, and that his claim is brought individually and on behalf of all other persons intending to demonstrate and participate in demonstrations in a similar nature. Plaintiff Fisher alleges that his rights under the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution, and the rights of those he purports to represent, are violated by an injunction issued on October 14, 1970 by the judges of the Portage County Common Pleas Court enjoining persons from engaging in picketing, parading, demonstrating, confronting of lawful authority or the passing out of any handbills or the displaying of any placards pertaining in any way to the proceedings of the Special Grand Jury. That order applied to the Portage County Court House and its environs, and originally encompassed the hours between 8:00 a. m. and 5:00 p. m. It has been amended to prohibit such actions at any hour of the day or night.

The motion for preliminary injunction seeks an order restraining and enjoining the defendants from enforcing the provisions of the injunctions of September 5, 1970 and October 14, 1970 referred to above.

Defendants’ motion for dismissal is based on the contention that this Court lacks jurisdiction over the subject mat-in that 28 U.S.C. § 2283 precludes the granting of injunctive relief against state court proceedings. It has been held that § 2283 is not a bar to relief in all cases, Honey v. Goodman, 432 F.2d 333, Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, 1970, and cases cited therein; Machesky v. Bizzell, 414 F.2d 283 (CA 5, 1969). It is this Court’s opinion that the instant case falls within the exceptions to *655 § 2283, and, accordingly, the motion to dismiss will be denied.

Before reaching the merits of the controversy herein, there are certain preliminary matters which must be considered.

A threshold question is the applicability of the abstention doctrine to this case. See Dombrowski v. Pfister, 380 U.S. 479, 85 S.Ct. 1116, 14 L.Ed.2d 22 (1965); cf. Appalachian Volunteers, Inc. v. Clark, 432 F.2d 530 (CA 6, 1970). The abstention doctrine calls upon the federal courts to refrain from the exercise of jurisdiction in cases where an adequate remedy is available in the state courts.

Although there are potential abstract problems with regard to the abstention doctrine herein, in that differing considerations may apply to the opportunity of those persons actually served with the restraining order pertaining to grand jury witnesses and the completely ex parte order regarding demonstrations, and the procedures available under Ohio law to challenge either of said orders, this Court does not believe that those issues need be explored.

Since the institution of this action, the state court has had the opportunity, ex parte, to review both orders and make any modifications thereof which the law demands. The injunction on Grand Jury witnesses has been presented to the state court in an action instituted on behalf of the President of Kent State University to void the same and two proceedings in contempt for violation thereof. Although guilty pleas have been accepted in the contempt cases, Judge Jones testified that he has withheld sentencing therein, and action on the other suit instituted in his court, in deference to this proceeding.

It thus appearing that having had the direct opportunity to make a prior determination of the scope and validity of one of the orders, and time to make a similar determination as to the other, the state court has declined to exercise its jurisdiction in favor of the ruling herein. Under these circumstances, this Court finds that application of the abstention doctrine is not called for.

A second issue which must be considered before reaching the merits of this controversy is whether the state court’s ex parte issuance of the orders in question renders them procedurally defective, so as to require this Court to set Them aside. Plaintiffs rely on the Supreme Court ruling in Carroll v. President and Commissioners of Princess Anne, 393 U.S. 175, 89 S.Ct. 347, 21 L.Ed.2d 325 (1968), in support of the contention that the ex parte nature of these orders renders them unconstitutional.

This Court considers the factual context of the Carroll ruling sufficiently distinguishable from this case so as not to be controlling authority herein.

In the Carroll case an ex parte order was issued restraining an organization known as the National States Rights Party from holding rallies or meetings “which will tend to disturb and endanger the citizens of the County.” The Supreme Court struck down the action of the state court, stating:

We need not decide the thorny problem of whether, on the facts- of this case, an injunction against the announced rally could be justified. The 10-day order here must be set aside because of a basic infirmity in the procedure by which it was obtained.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
319 F. Supp. 653, 25 Ohio Misc. 255, 54 Ohio Op. 2d 411, 1970 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9646, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/king-v-jones-ohnd-1970.