People ex rel. Roosevelt v. Edson

1 How. Pr. (n.s.) 482, 20 Jones & S. 53
CourtThe Superior Court of New York City
DecidedApril 15, 1885
StatusPublished

This text of 1 How. Pr. (n.s.) 482 (People ex rel. Roosevelt v. Edson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering The Superior Court of New York City primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People ex rel. Roosevelt v. Edson, 1 How. Pr. (n.s.) 482, 20 Jones & S. 53 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1885).

Opinion

‘ Per Curiam (Sedgwick, C. J.).—

The judge of the common pleas who made the injunction order in this case had not a legal power to make it. The validity of the exercise of such a power, if it exist, must be found in some section of the Code of Civil Procedure. It will be necessary to examine only sections 277, 606 and 772. It will be expedient to examine section 772 in the first place. It occurs in title 5 with the heading “motions and orders generally.” Section 772 is headed “ what judges may make orders out of court without notice.” It proceeds to declare that where an order in an action may be made by a judge of the court out of court, and without notice, and the particular-judge is not specially designated by law, it (except it be to stay proceedings after verdict, report or decision) may be made by a justice of the supreme court or by a judge of a superior city court within the city where his court is located or by the county judge of the county where the action is triable, or in which the attorney for the applicant resides. If an injunction order is within the meaning of the clause that has been cited, then the order in this case had validity, not because the judge signing the order was a county judge, but because he was a judge of a superior city court. The clause was not meant to embrace an injunction order. It was a provision that respected orders in general, without a specific reference to any class of orders with peculiar characteristics. The general class of orders was those that might be made by a judge out of court without notice.

It is a familiar rule of statutory construction that a statute that provides, in respect of a particular case, is not repealed by a statute that describes a general class, although the par[484]*484ticular case would be verbally within the general terms, unless. an intention to repeal is otherwise manifested (50 N. Y., 493 ; 66 N. Y.,1; 69 N. Y., 605). The principle is applicable a fortiori to different sections of one act, the whole of which becomes a law at one time. And, therefore, if there be elsewhere in the Code a special provision as to injunction orders that special provision controls.

As to orders granting provisional remedies and that may be made by a judge out of court without notice, the Code has made special or particular provisions, which it was unnecessary to make if section 772 was meant to be the enactment as to them. By section 556 an order of arrest, except, &c., must be obtained from a judge of the court in which the action is pending, or from any county judge. By section 638 a warrant of attachment may be made by a judge of the court or by any county judge. By section 606 an injunction order may be granted by the court in which the action is brought, or by a judge thereof, or by any county judge. Ho one can fail to observe that in these several cases the limitation of the powers to grant the orders have been made with some purpose that relates to the character of the remedy. If these special provisions had been placed in section 772, at the end of the general words that have been given, it would at once be seen that there was no inconsistency, and that the special provisions were to be followed according to their own terms. The separation of them by intervening sections does not make them not to be the law, or prevent the application of the rule of construction that has been adverted to. It is argued that a part of section 772, and not yet noticed, shows that the intention was that the general language should refer to injunction orders. Such an order grants a provisional remedy. That part immediately follows what has been quoted and is, “ where such an order grants a provisional remedy it can be vacated only in the manner specially prescribed by law,” &c.

The argument is that the words such an order ” recognize [485]*485that the general words as to orders before used embrace orders granting provisional remedies. It is certainly true that orders for provisional remedies may be made by a- judge out of court, and it must be supposed that the law makers did not lose sight of this when the general words were used. This is not all that needs consideration here. The law makers also knew that the general words did not exclude the operation of special provisions as to the granting of particular kinds of orders. These special provisions were to be combined with the general provision, and it was in reference to all of them together, as being the law, that the part now under consideration proceeds. Therefore the words “ such an order ” must not be held to repeal any provision that had been specially made as to certain classes of orders, or in other words to affect any provision as to the court or judge authorized to make orders. It was an independent provision, as if made in another section, and meant that where an order that may be made by a judge out of court, which is the meaning of “such an order,” grants a provisional remedy, it can be vacated only, &c.

The construction now given to section 606 gains strength from these words in it: “Except where it is otherwise specially prescribed.” There is a special prescription in section 505. There is no special prescription in section 772, which is in general terms. Therefore there is almost an explicit declaration that section 606 furnishes the only rule as to the power to make injunction orders. What is the difference between the respective applications of sections 772 and 606 ? By section 772 other orders than injunction orders may be made by the judge of the supreme court or of the common pleas or of a superior court or by a county judge, with indifference as to the particular court in which the action may be. By section 606 such an order can only be granted by a judge of the court where the action is, or by that court or by a county judge. It is not necessary to state the reasons for these varying limitations. It is enough to perceive that [486]*486the limitations are so marked that theymannot be supposed to be absent from the intention of the legislature.

The inquiry remains whether, within the meaning of section 606, a judge of the common pleas is a county judge. A county judge is a specific title used in the constitution and statutes to identify a certain judicial officer, with peculiar powers and the head of the county court. Section 14, article 6, constitution of 1846, says there shall be elected in each of the counties, except the city and county of New York, one county judge. He shall hold the county court, &c. Section 15 of the same article, as amended December 9,1869, continued county courts and county judges by these titles. The Code of Civil Procedure so classifies these courts and officers as courts of common pleas, superior courts, county judges and county courts in such an exact way that they cannot be confused, and it must be said that the one is not the other. It may be argued that a judge of the common pleas has the power of a county judge. Ho statute to such an effect has been cited. If there were one it would not avail against a statute which, in respect of a particular class of orders, in effect names a judge of the court of common pleas and a county judge, allowing the former to grant the order if the action be in his court, or if it be not, then by a county judge or a judge of the court in which the action is.

This, however, by no means exhausts the discriminations of the statute. The following is significant: There are three classes of authorized makers of injunction orders. The system of classification had some ground which calls for respect as much as does the meaning of words.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Matter of Morgan
56 N.Y. 629 (New York Court of Appeals, 1874)
People Ex Rel. Ross v. . City of Brooklyn
69 N.Y. 605 (New York Court of Appeals, 1877)
Matter of Commissioners of Central Park
50 N.Y. 493 (New York Court of Appeals, 1872)
Wood v. Kelly
2 Hilt. 334 (New York Court of Common Pleas, 1859)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1 How. Pr. (n.s.) 482, 20 Jones & S. 53, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-ex-rel-roosevelt-v-edson-nysuperctnyc-1885.