Morrison v. Superior Court of Coconino County

461 P.2d 170, 10 Ariz. App. 601, 1969 Ariz. App. LEXIS 651
CourtCourt of Appeals of Arizona
DecidedNovember 24, 1969
Docket1 CA-CIV 1206
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 461 P.2d 170 (Morrison v. Superior Court of Coconino County) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Arizona primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Morrison v. Superior Court of Coconino County, 461 P.2d 170, 10 Ariz. App. 601, 1969 Ariz. App. LEXIS 651 (Ark. Ct. App. 1969).

Opinion

EUBANK, Presiding Judge.

The petitioners in this original writ proceeding have asked this court to grant extraordinary relief to review and prohibit the enforcement of an order entered in a juvenile proceeding in the Superior Court of Coconino County involving their son, a minor under the age of 18 years. This court granted a hearing on the matter, but in the course of considering the cause it became apparent that a serious question existed concerning our jurisdiction to grant, upon original application, relief by extraordinary writ in a matter which could not be brought before us by direct appeal. Our sua sponte investigation into this question has led us to the conclusion that this court is without jurisdiction to grant relief in such a matter. We issued an order to this effect on November 7, 1969, and we are now issuing this opinion in view of the importance of the question to the bar of this state, and in further view of the fact that prior to the creation of a second department of Division One of the Court of Appeals, *602 the two divisions of this court have expressed conflicting viewpoints on the subject. 1

The order complained of by petitioners adjudicated their son a delinquent. Petitioners assert that the proceedings resulting in the order were irregular and deficient, and that the respondent judge did not have the power under A.R.S. Sec. 8-231, as amended, to place the juvenile “on probation” on condition that he submit himself to a juvenile detention home for thirteen consecutive weekends.

The courts of this state have held that there is no appeal in a juvenile proceeding. The first case so holding is Ginn v. Superior Court, 1 Ariz.App. 455, 404 P.2d 721 (1965). Referring to the Ginn case, our Supreme Court stated, in Application of Gault, 99 Ariz. 181, at 186, 407 P.2d 760, at 764 (1965):

We agree with the scholarly opinion of our appellate tribunal and hold that there is no right of appeal from a juvenile court order, nor does the general appeal statute apply, § 12-2101 A.R.S.; * * *. We note that our Constitution gives to the superior court exclusive original jurisdiction in all proceedings and matters affecting delinquent children, Article 6, § 15. (Emphasis in original)

While the overall decision of our Supreme Court in the Gault case was overruled by the United States Supreme Court In re Gault, 387 U.S. 1, 87 S.Ct. 1428, 18 L.Ed.2d 527 (1967), the determination of nonappealability continues to stand as authority on that state procedural subject. In the final Gault decision, the United States Supreme Court declined to rule upon the appellants’ contention that the Arizona statutes relating to juveniles were constitutionally deficient in failing to provide an appeal. In thus disposing of the contention, the court noted that a state is not required “ 'to provide appellate courts or a right to appellate review at all.’ ” 387 U.S. 58, 87 S.Ct. 1459-1460, 18 L.Ed.2d 563, quoting from Griffin v. Illinois, 351 U.S. 12, 18, 76 S.Ct. 585, 590, 100 L.Ed. 891, 898 (1956).

This court is a court of statutory creation. Article 6, section 1 of the Arizona Constitution as adopted in 1960, A.R.S., provides that:

Section 1. The judicial power shall be vested in an integrated judicial department consisting of a Supreme Court, such intermediate appellate courts as may be provided by law, a superior court, such courts inferior to the superior court as-may be provided by law, and justice courts.

Article 6, section 9 of the present constitution provides that “The jurisdiction, powers, duties and composition of any intermediate appellate court shall be as provided by law.”'

The Court of Appeals was created by Chapter 102 of the Laws of 1964. That portion of the act which spells out the jurisdiction of the court is A.R.S. Sec. 12-120.21, subsec. A. As enacted in 1964, this-subsection read in its entirety as follows r

§ 12-120.21. Jurisdiction and venue
A. The court of appeals shall have:
1. Original jurisdiction of habeas-corpus.
2. Appellate jurisdiction in all actions and proceedings originating in or permitted by law to be appealed from the superior court, except criminal actions involving crimes punishable by death or' life imprisonment.
3. Jurisdiction to issue writs of cer-tiorari to review the lawfulness of awards-of the industrial commission and to enter judgment affirming or setting aside the awards.
4. Jurisdiction to issue injunctions, writs of mandamus, review, prohibition, habeas corpus, certiorari and other writs necessary and proper to the complete exercise of its appellate jurisdiction. (Emphasis added)

*603 This statute was amended by Chapter 48, Sec. 6 of the Laws of 1969. The amendment deleted the “Original” habeas corpus jurisdiction and the jurisdiction to issue writs of habeas corpus set forth in what was formerly subsection 12-120.21, subsec. A(4). As amended in 1969, the entire subsection now reads:

§ 12-120.21. Jurisdiction and venue
A. The court of appeals shall have:
1. Appellate jurisdiction in. all actions and proceedings originating in or permitted by law to be appealed from the superior court, except criminal actions involving crimes punishable by death or life imprisonment.
2. Jurisdiction to issue writs of cer-tiorari to review the lawfulness of awards of the industrial commission and to enter judgment affirming or setting aside the awards.
3. Jurisdiction to issue injunctions, ■writs of mandamus, review, prohibition, certiorari and other writs necessary and proper to the complete exercise of its appellate jurisdiction. (Emphasis added)

The italicized subpart 12-120.21, subsec. A, par. 3 (as amended in 1969) is the one under consideration here. This statutory subpart obviously parallels subsection (4) ■of Article 6, section 5 of the present Arizona Constitution, adopted in 1960, which section delineates the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court. Subsection (4) has been given emphasis of italicizing in the section as set forth below:

§ 5. Supreme Court; jurisdiction; writs; rules; habeas corpus
Section 5. The Supreme Court shall have:
1. Original jurisdiction of habeas corpus, and quo warranto, mandamus, injunction and other extraordinary writs to state officers.
2. Original and exclusive jurisdiction to hear and determine causes between counties * * *.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
461 P.2d 170, 10 Ariz. App. 601, 1969 Ariz. App. LEXIS 651, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/morrison-v-superior-court-of-coconino-county-arizctapp-1969.