Man O' War Racing Ass'n v. State Horse Racing Commission

250 A.2d 172, 433 Pa. 432, 1969 Pa. LEXIS 577
CourtSupreme Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedFebruary 19, 1969
DocketAppeals, Nos. 33 to 36
StatusPublished
Cited by73 cases

This text of 250 A.2d 172 (Man O' War Racing Ass'n v. State Horse Racing Commission) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Man O' War Racing Ass'n v. State Horse Racing Commission, 250 A.2d 172, 433 Pa. 432, 1969 Pa. LEXIS 577 (Pa. 1969).

Opinions

Opinion by

Mr. Justice Roberts,

The Pennsylvania Legislature enacted December 11, 1967, P. L. 707, a bill to authorize the conduct of thoroughbred horse racing with pari-mutuel wagering in the Commonwealth. In addition the legislation provided that an independent State Horse Racing Commission would be established and permitted to grant up to four licenses renewable annually for the conduct of horse race meetings for a maximum of 100 racing days each, Needless to say, the passage of the act provoked more than a little interest among various groups across the length and breadth of the Commonwealth; the Commission soon found itself in a position where it had to choose from among fifteen serious applicants.1 It chose four, namely, The Continental Thoroughbred Racing Association, Inc., Eagle Downs Race Track, Inc., Pennsylvania National Turf Club, Inc. and the Shamrock Racing Association, Inc. It is these awards and the Commission’s decision-making process which are raised as bases for Man O’ War Racing Association’s instant appeals; named as appellees are the four successful applicants, the Racing Commission and the individual members and chairman of the Commission, Member A. Marlyn Moyer, Member Thomas A. Livingston and Chairman Roy Wilkinson, Jr.

Before addressing ourselves to the issues raised by the appellant, since motions to quash have been filed in all of the appeals raising important questions about the relationship between decisions of administrative [437]*437agencies and review by our Court, we shall first pass on the merits of these motions. Basically the issues raised may be grouped into two categories — whether an appeal lies from the decision of the Racing Commission and whether the appellant has standing to challenge the decision even if an appeal lies.

Appealability

The law in this Commonwealth is quite clear on the right to appeal from decisions of administrative bodies when the legislation does not explicitly provide for such a right. If an appeal is prohibited by an act, or the decision of an agency is described as final or conclusive, an appeal may be taken to the courts in the nature of narrow certiorari. In this type of appeal our inquiry is limited to questions of jurisdiction, the regularity of the proceedings, and constitutional issues. Keystone Raceway Corp. v. State Harness Racing Commission, 405 Pa. 1, 173 A. 2d 97 (1961); Delaware County National Bank v. Campbell, 378 Pa. 311, 106 A. 2d 416 (1954). On the other hand, if the legislation is silent as to the right of appeal or does not say that the decision of the administrative agency shall be nonappealable an appeal may be taken in the nature of broad certiorari. In these cases “the court may consider the record, including the testimony, to determine whether the findings are supported by competent evidence and to correct any conclusions of law erroneously made.” Delaware County National Bank v. Campbell, 378 Pa. at 317-18, 106 A. 2d at 419; Keystone Raceway Corp. v. State Harness Racing Commission, 405 Pa. at 6, 173 A. 2d at 99; Ritter Finance Co., Inc. v. Myers, 401 Pa. 467, 165 A. 2d 246 (1960).

In the legislation before us, Act of December 11, 1967, P. L. 707, 15 P.S. §§2651-75, there is no provi[438]*438siou for an appeal nor any section which would prohibit an appeal after the granting of a license.2 Therefore, it follows that an appeal may be taken in the nature of a broad certiorari. The next question is whether this appeal will lie. The precondition to our review by certiorari was only recently reiterated in the Keystone Raceway case: “[F]or an appeal by certiorari to lie the order or action of the agency, board or commission must be judicial in nature.” (Emphasis supplied. ) 405 Pa. at 6, 173 A. 2d at 100; Delaware County National Bank, supra. However the cases have not been either clear or consistent in their determination of what factors should be considered in deciding wheth-' er an action is judicial. Compare Delaware County National Bank v. Campbell, supra, with Ritter Finance Co. v. Myers, supra. See Newport Township School District v. State Tax Equalization Board, 366 Pa. 603, 609, 79 A. 2d 641, 644 (1951).

Without entering into a lengthy and perhaps fruitless discussion over this question, it seems safe to say that regardless of which standard or standards are employed to determine whether an action or order is judicial, the grant by State Horse Racing Commission clearly is. First, the decision making power of the [439]*439Commission and the manner in which it functions indicate judicial characteristics. Section 7 of the Horse Racing Act provides that “If, in the judgment of the State Horse Racing Commission, the public interest, convenience or necessity will be served thereby and a proper case for the issuance of such license is shown consistent with the purposes of this act and the best interests of racing generally, it may grant such a license . . . .” (Emphasis supplied.) Thus the Commission must judge the merits of each applicant in terms of complicated and multi-faceted statutory standards. This determination represents much more of an adjudicative process or judicial decision than that required in issuing, for example, occupational licenses, where the only determination is whether the applicant meets specific minimum standards. Further, the act itself contemplates that the Commission will be making determinations essentially judicial in character in light of the judgment which the Legislature committed to its Commission. In §20 of Act of December 11, 1967, P. L. 707, the Commission is instructed that “it shall have the power to administer oaths and examine witnesses, and may issue subpoenas to compel attendance of witnesses, and the production of all material and relevant reports, books, papers, documents, correspondence and other evidence,” in conjunction with its hearing power.3

Second, the decisions made by the State Horse Racing Commission are so fraught with the public interest that an appeal must lie. See Ritter Finance Co. v. Myers, 401 Pa. at 475, 165 A. 2d at 250. Appellants correctly point to the magnitude of the tax revenues to be raised,4 the enormous amounts of money which [440]*440will be wagered at Pennsylvania tracks, the importance of responsible supervision of legalized gambling and tbe importance of the proper introduction of thoroughbred racing as a sport in the Commonwealth, to demonstrate the public interest implications of a decision by the Commission. Appellees respond to this persuasive argument with the notion that “the prior illegality of the type of business at issue makes it obvious that there can be no strong public policy requiring appellate review.” In our view this is simply a non sequitur; factors other than the prior legality of an enterprise must determine whether the public has an important stake in such an undertaking. In fact, it is just those activities which at one time were illegal and which have been made legal in order to add revenue to the public coffers which tend to be more infected with the public interest.

■ Third, and finally, some courts have considered whether the action “substantially affects property rights” to determine if the action is judicial. See, e.g., Delaware County National Bank v. Campbell, 378 Pa. at 321, 106 A. 2d at 421 (1954).

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Bluebook (online)
250 A.2d 172, 433 Pa. 432, 1969 Pa. LEXIS 577, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/man-o-war-racing-assn-v-state-horse-racing-commission-pa-1969.