People v. Joker

234 N.W.2d 550, 63 Mich. App. 421, 1975 Mich. App. LEXIS 1183
CourtMichigan Court of Appeals
DecidedAugust 14, 1975
DocketDocket 22154
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 234 N.W.2d 550 (People v. Joker) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Joker, 234 N.W.2d 550, 63 Mich. App. 421, 1975 Mich. App. LEXIS 1183 (Mich. Ct. App. 1975).

Opinions

O’Hara, J.

We accept the statement of facts as set forth in Judge Cavanagh’s opinion. We, however, arrive at a different legal conclusion.

The Constitution of 1963, art 6, § 5 provides in relevant part:

"The supreme court shall by general rules establish, modify, amend and simplify the practice and procedure in all courts of this state.”

Amongst the reports of our Supreme Court the cases are cohort if not legion which recognize that this state’s highest court has broad powers to promulgate rules to assist in the efficient administration of justice. For example, see Perin v Peuler, 373 Mich 531; 130 NW2d 4 (1964), and Buscaino v Rhodes, 385 Mich 474; 189 NW2d 202 (1971). That such rules take precedence over and supercede inconsistent legislation in the area of practice and procedure is hardly open to question. Perin v Peuler and Buscaino v Rhodes, supra.

GCR 1963, 927 (1) expressly authorizes certain courts to make local rules of practice with respect to matters not covered by nor in conflict with the Michigan General Court Rules.

Section 1 of Rule 9 of the Recorder’s Court Rules, enacted pursuant to GCR 927, supra, provides:

[424]*424"Sec. 1. Issuance of Warrants. Requests for arrest warrants, and search warrants in cases of alleged felonies and high misdemeanors shall be presented to, and the warrant shall issue in the name of the Examining Magistrate. In his absence such warrants may be issued and signed by any available regular Judge of this Court. Bench warrants and capias writs shall be signed by the Judge who ordered their issuance.” (Emphasis supplied.)

In contradistinction to Recorder’s Court Rule 9 are various statutes such as MCLA 766.2; MSA 28.920 and MCLA 764.1; MSA 28.860 which authorize all Recorder’s Court judges to issue warrants.

What then of this conflict, real or imagined? This necessitates a review of one Supreme Court case and two other cases out of our own Court.

As to the first of these cases, we have no quarrel with the basic proposition as set forth in Krell v Wayne Circuit Judge, 246 Mich 412; 224 NW 392 (1929), which holds that a local court rule cannot govern the same subject matter as that governed by a statute. Krell is simply inapposite since that case involved a iocal court rule as to which the Supreme Court had taken no action. Per contra, the Supreme Court has specifically approved Rule 9 of the Recorder’s Court Rules. See People v Mordell, 55 Mich App 462, 463; 223 NW2d 10 (1974), lv den 393 Mich 771 (1974).

People v Williams #2, 45 Mich App 630; 207 NW2d 180 (1973), presents a closer case to the situation herein. While Williams does state that only the Supreme Court can supercede a legislative enactment pursuant to its broad constitutional prerogatives under the 1963 Constitution, art 6, § 5, at no place does the Williams opinion directly discuss the extremely sticky situation as to whether or not a local court rule approved by the Supreme Court takes precedence over a conflicting [425]*425statutory provision concerned solely with matters of practice and procedure.

In the last of these cases, People v Mordell, supra, the defendant attacked the validity of a search warrant issued by a Recorder’s Court judge other than the examining magistrate. This Court did not resolve the alleged conflict between the Supreme Court-approved local rule, the same Recorder’s Court Rule 9 involved herein, and the statute, but held that even if Rule 9 did take precedence, failure to follow it did not affect defendant’s Fourth Amendment rights. The Court reached this decision by balancing the interests of the defendant against the interests of protecting the public. No claim was made as to the search being unreasonable or improper. In effect the Court applied a harmless error standard and held the trial judge erred in suppressing the evidence and dismissing the case.

Since none of the cited cases .are controlling decisionally we feel free to write to the issue as one of apparent first impression in this state.

In the instant case we have a situation where the Supreme Court has approved a local court rule requiring inter alia all arrest warrants to issue in the name of the examining magistrate, subject to limited exceptions, even though this contravenes specific statutory authority permitting all Recorder’s Court judges to issue warrants. Parenthetically, we further hold that should Judge Cavanagh be correct in his view that the involved court rule was never formally approved by the Supreme Court that it in no manner affects the result which we reach. This because the Supreme Court in effect implicitly placed its stamp of approval on Rule 9 of the Recorder’s Court Rules by its silence or failure to affirmatively reject the rule [426]*426when proposed. Now it is true in the case of GCR 1963, 927 that it merely provides for the method to be followed by the particular court in adopting local rules and specifically states that the Supreme Court shall be notified in writing 10 days in advance of a rule’s adoption.1 Nowhere, we concede, does it expressly state that this procedure constitutes formal approval, or that the local rule is given the dignity of a rule originally promulgated by the Supreme Court or that such a rule takes precedence over a statute. But the irrefutable fact remains that GCR 927 expressly requires proper notice and additionally states that "[t]he adoption or continuance of any local court rules shall be subject to the superintending control of the Supreme Court”. Read in a common sense manner this implies none too subtlely that the purpose of the notice provision is to permit the state’s highest court to make a threshhold determination as to whether a proposed court rule or modification thereof should be promulgated at all. Since the local rule’s adoption or continuance is expressly made subject to the superintending control of the Supreme Court, it is stretching credulity a bit to say that initial promulgation and continued existence of such a rule does not stand as mute testimony to the fact that the Supreme Court has already given its tacit "approval” of the involved rule.

Since the Supreme Court has by its action or inaction raised the local rule to the dignity of a rule initially promulgated by the highest court itself and since the subject matter of the court rule relates to both "practice and procedure”, we are constrained to hold that the statutes authorizing [427]*427all Recorder’s Court judges to issue warrants must give way to the extent that they are inconsistent with Rule 9 of the Recorder’s Court Rules. See generally, Buscaino v Rhodes, and Perm v Peuler, supra.

Because of certain highly unusual circumstances involved in the present case we cannot see applying a "harmless error” or "manifest injustice” standard as did the Court in People v Mordell, supra. The Mordell

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

Related

In Re Burress and Kizer
Michigan Court of Appeals, 2022
People v. Herrick
550 N.W.2d 541 (Michigan Court of Appeals, 1996)
Klein v. Franks
314 N.W.2d 602 (Michigan Court of Appeals, 1981)
People v. Langham
300 N.W.2d 572 (Michigan Court of Appeals, 1980)
People v. Missouri
299 N.W.2d 346 (Michigan Court of Appeals, 1980)
James v. Dixon
291 N.W.2d 106 (Michigan Court of Appeals, 1980)
People v. Roberts
274 N.W.2d 30 (Michigan Court of Appeals, 1978)
People v. Walker
270 N.W.2d 498 (Michigan Court of Appeals, 1978)
People v. Parney
253 N.W.2d 698 (Michigan Court of Appeals, 1977)
People v. Joker
234 N.W.2d 550 (Michigan Court of Appeals, 1975)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
234 N.W.2d 550, 63 Mich. App. 421, 1975 Mich. App. LEXIS 1183, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-joker-michctapp-1975.