Mirin v. Justices of the Supreme Court of Nevada

415 F. Supp. 1178
CourtDistrict Court, D. Nevada
DecidedMay 11, 1976
DocketLV 75-149-RDF
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 415 F. Supp. 1178 (Mirin v. Justices of the Supreme Court of Nevada) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Nevada primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Mirin v. Justices of the Supreme Court of Nevada, 415 F. Supp. 1178 (D. Nev. 1976).

Opinion

DECISION

HAUK, District Judge.

BACKGROUND FACTS

This matter comes before the undersigned A. Andrew Hauk, sitting as District Judge of the District of Nevada by designation on December 18,1975, of Ninth Circuit Chief Judge Richard H. Chambers. Plaintiff commenced this action on August 18, 1975, seeking both injunctive and declaratory relief pursuant to 28 U.S.C. 1331 (“Federal Question” jurisdiction), 1343 (“Civil Rights” jurisdiction), 1651 (“All Writs” jurisdiction), 2201 (“Declaratory Judgment” jurisdiction), and 2202 (“Declaratory Judgment” — other relief) 1 ; 42 U.S.C. 1983 *1181 (“Civil Rights” action), 1985 (“Civil Rights Conspiracy” — jurisdiction), and 1986 (“Civil Rights Conspiracy” — action for neglect to prevent) 2 ; and the First, Fifth, Sixth and *1182 Fourteenth Amendments 3 to the Constitution of the United States. There are two groups of Defendants: one group consists of the five justices of the Nevada Supreme Court being sued in both their individual and their official capacities (“Judicial Defendants”); the second group is composed of the members of the Administrator of the Clark County State Taxicab Authority (“Authority Defendants”).

Plaintiff seeks (1) empanelment of a 3-judge court to determine the issues raised; (2) declaratory relief to the effect that actions of Defendants' violate Plaintiff’s rights under the First, Fifth, Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution; (3) that this Court preliminarily and permanently enjoin Defendants from enforcing the order staying Nevada District Judge Hays’ partial summary judgment for Plaintiff in a pending Nevada State case involving Plaintiff; (4) that this court preliminarily and permanently enjoin Defendants from interfering with the Plaintiff’s taxicab operation; (5) that this court preliminary and permanent *1183 ly enjoin Defendants, from enforcing Rule 44 of the Nevada Supreme Court Rules, and Rule 46(b) of the Nevada Rules of Appellate Procedure and declare them both unconstitutional; (6) that the Court require the Defendants to disclose the source and amount of their past campaign contributions and of any future contributions; and (7) that the Court issue a preliminary and permanent injunction prohibiting the Defendants from ruling in Nevada State proceedings in which the Plaintiff is a party.

Plaintiff has been operating taxicabs in Las Vegas, Nevada since 1962. For several years the Plaintiff did not have a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity, claiming that under the wording of the pertinent Nevada statute it was not required. Plaintiff has been arrested on numerous occasions for his failure to obtain or possess such a Certificate and became somewhat well known in the Las Vegas area for his episodic appearances in litigation. Finally, after gaining considerable public notoriety, Plaintiff in 1965 was able to lobby through the Nevada Legislature a bill allowing him a cab operation in Las Vegas, but apparently limited to one taxicab.

In the same year, as a result of a cab strike against major Las Vegas cab companies not affecting Plaintiff’s cab company, a joint agreement was signed by the major cab companies limiting their number of taxis in the Las Vegas area to 200. This agreement ending the strike was approved by the then District Court Judge (now Supreme Court Justice) John Mowbray, February 28, 1966. Then the Board of Clark County Commissioners, the legislative body of Clark County, Nevada, which includes the city of Las Vegas, enacted an ordinance limiting the number of cabs which the various cab companies were allowed to have on the street, and Plaintiff at this time was allocated one taxi by the Board. The Nevada State Public Service Commission reviewed and revised the allocations in December of 1966 enlarging the numbers allocated to the major companies, but continued to limit Plaintiff and two other small companies to one cab each. Shortly thereafter, when Plaintiff was prosecuted' for putting two taxis on the Las Vegas Streets, a lower State court held the allocation ordinance to be jurisdictionally illegal and wiped it off the County statute books. Thereupon Plaintiff continued to put more and more taxis on the street until on October 8, 1968, he claimed to have 72 taxis operating in the County and in Las Vegas. On this date, however, the Nevada Supreme Court reversed the lower State court ruling and reinstated the County allocation ordinance. But since the Public Service Commission had scheduled a hearing on a revised allocation at the time of this reversal, the Supreme Court of Nevada issued a Peremptory Writ of Mandate requiring the Public Service Commission to reinstate its December, 1966, allocation order, at least until new hearings could be held and a new allocation plan be determined. The new hearings were held from January through May of 1969. In the meantime, and in April of 1969, the Internal Revenue Service seized and sold Plaintiff’s cabs for an outstanding tax debt owed to the Federal Government. And when the sale of the cabs was not enough to completely pay off the debt, in May of 1969 the IRS seized and sold the Plaintiff’s cab operating rights under the State and County allocation orders and ordinance.

Plaintiff has continued to operate one taxi claiming that he has always been a Certificate holder of some sort under the applicable legislative enactment which he lobbied through the Nevada Legislature in 1965. The State Taxicab Authority, which by the Nevada Legislature was given the regulation of taxicabs, taken away from the Public Service Commission in July of 1969, set up a program of having Plaintiff’s drivers arrested and his cabs impounded, claiming that Plaintiff had no certificated operating rights. This conflict between the Nevada State Taxicab Authority and Plaintiff has resulted in numerous Nevada State court actions and finally the State of Nevada instituted a State court action to enjoin and restrain Plaintiff from operating any taxicab. Plaintiff counterclaimed seeking, *1184 inter alia, a review of a new application of Plaintiff for certificated operating rights that had been denied by the Authority. Upon Plaintiff’s motion for partial summary judgment on the first twelve counts of the counterclaim, the lower State court on September 3, 1974, granted the relief sought and in the partial summary judgment awarded Plaintiff a new Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity for operation of sixty-four cabs.

The lower court denied the State’s application for a Stay Order but an ex parte Stay Order was granted on September 6, 1974, by Defendant Nevada Supreme Court Justice Zenoff, who set a hearing date before the entire Supreme Court en banc for three days later. This en banc hearing was held on September 9, 1974, in camera, with Justice Gunderson recusing himself and withdrawing voluntarily.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
415 F. Supp. 1178, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mirin-v-justices-of-the-supreme-court-of-nevada-nvd-1976.