Robertson v. Bozarth

1922 OK 288, 209 P. 742, 87 Okla. 102, 1922 Okla. LEXIS 241
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedSeptember 26, 1922
Docket13713
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 1922 OK 288 (Robertson v. Bozarth) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Robertson v. Bozarth, 1922 OK 288, 209 P. 742, 87 Okla. 102, 1922 Okla. LEXIS 241 (Okla. 1922).

Opinions

HARRISON, C. J.

This is an original proceeding in this court by J. B. A. Robertson, petitioner, against Mark L. Bozarth, as judge of the district court of the Twenty-Second judicial district, including Okmulgee county, for a writ of mandamus, requiring the said Judge Bozarth to certify his disqualification 'to slit as judge in the trial of a criminal cause pending in Okmulgee county, wherein said J. B. A. Robertson stands charged with the crime of accepting a bribe from a defunct bank. The petition and return of the alternative writ form the issues to be passed upon by this court.

*103 As we view the case there are but two determinative propositions involved: Firát, the question of law, whether this court has jurisdiction to grant a writ. Second, the question of fact as to whether the evidence shows Judge Bozarth to be disqualified to try the case.

As to the first proposition, the question of jurisdiction, the Constitution itself lis clear, adequate, and of sufficient authority. Article 7, section 2, provides:

“The appellate jurisdiction of the iSupreme Court shall be co-extensive with the átate, and shall extend to all civil eases at law and in equity, and to all criminal cases until a Criminal Court of Appeals with exclusive appellate jurisdiction in criminal cases shall be established by law. The original jurisdiction of 'the Supreme Court shall extend to a general superintending control over all inferior courts and all commissions and boards created by law. The Supreme Court shall have power to issue writs of habeas corpus, mandamus, quo warranto, certiorari, prohibition, and such other remedial writs as may be provided by law, and to hear and determine the same; and the Supreme Court may exercise such other and further jurisdiction as may be conferred upon it by law. Bach of the justices shall have power to issue writs of habeas corpus to any part of the state upon petition by or on behalf of any person held in actual custody, and make such writs returnable' before himself, or before the Supreme Court, or before any district court, or judge thereof. in the state.”

The bearing which this- section has upon the question of the. jurisdiction of this court may possibly be made clearer by considering the question under two heads, viz.: First, Appellate Jurisdiction. Second, Original Jurisdiction.

With reference to the first head, said article 7, section 2, supra, reads:

“The appellate jurisdiction of the Supreme Court shall be co-extensive with the átate, and shall extend to all.civil oases at law and in equity, and to all criminal oases until ’ a Criminal Court of Appeals with exclusive appellate jurisdiction in criminal cases shall be eátablished by law.”

It is clear from this language that the appellate jurisdiction of this court extends exclusively to all civil cases, and that the Legislature has no power to limit or take away such jurisdiction. This conclusion, however, may be strengthened and made clearer ’ by the following statutory definitions :

Section 4644, Rev. Laws 1910, defines an action as follows:

“An action is an ordinary proceeding in a court of justice by which a party prosecutes another party for the enforcement or protection of a right, the redress or prevention of a wrong, or the punishment of a public offense.” '

Section 4646, Id., says:

“Actions are of two kinds, first, civil: second, criminal.”

Section 4647, Id., says:

“A criminal action is one prosecuted by the state as a party, against a person charged with a public offense, for the punishment thereof.”

Section 4648, Id., says:

“Every other is a civil action.”

That 'is, every other action except “one prosecuted by the state as a party, against a person charged with ia public offense for the punishment thereof,” is a civil action.

'Section 4650, Id., says:

“The distinction between actions at law and suits in equity, and 'the forms of all such actions and suits, heretofore existing, are abolished; and in their place there shall be, hereafter, but one form of action, which shall be called a civil action.”

Thus, as above said, every action except one prosecuted by the átate as a party, against a person charged with a public offense, for the punishment thereof, is a civil action; hence, we must conclude from the above constitutional provisions and statutory definitions that the appellate jurisdiction of this court extends to every action “except one prosecuted' by the state as a party, ■against a person charged with a public offense, for the punishment thereof.”

Second, as to the original jurisdiction of this court, said article 7, section 2, reads:

“The original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court shall extend to a general superintending control over all inferior courts and all commissions 'and boards created by law. The Supreme Court shall have power to issue writs of habeas corpus, mandamus, quo war-ranto, certiorari, prohibition, and such other remedial writs, as may be provided by law, and to hear and determine the same. * * *”

The above language needs no interpretation nor authorities to define • its meaning. It means simply wha't it says — that “the original jurisdiction of the ¡Supreme Court shall extend to a general superintending control over all inferior courts and all com-, missions and boards created by law. The Supreme Court shall have power to issue writs of habeas corpus, mandamus, quo warranto, certiorari, prohibition, and such other remedial writs as may be provided by law, and to hear and determine the same.' *104 And it must be conceded that the district court is an' inferior court to the Supreme Court, and also conceded that the Legislature can neither limit nor take away this original power conferred by the Constitution upon the Supreme Court.

Hence, bearing in mind that this is an original action in 'this court and that said article 7, section 2, supra, so defines and denominates it, and, inasmuch as section 4647, Rev. Laws 1910, supra, expressly says that a criminal action “is one prosecuted by the state as a party, against a person charged with a public offense, for 'the punishment thereof,” and section 4648, Rev. Laws 1910, supra, says that, “every other is a civil, action” ; and, inasmuch as section 4650, Id., provides that “the distinction between actions at law and suits in equity, and the forms of all such actions and suits, heretofore existing, are abolished, and in their place there shall be, hereafter, but one form of action, which shall be called a civil action” — .we are forced to the conclusion that the case at bar is a civil adtion, and that this court has jurisdiction to hear and determine same.

This conclusio.n may be strengthened by the following authorities, to wit: Section 1769, Rev. Laws 1910, and section 1770, Id. ; also Homesteaders v. McCombs, 24 Okla. 201, 103 Pac. 691 ; State ex rel. Pinny v. Williams, 69 Ala. 315 ; Ex parte City Council of Montgomery, 64 Ala. 463 ; State v. Cranny (Wash.) 71 Pac. 50 ; Seymore Water Co. v. Seymore, 163 Ind. 120, 70 N. E. 514 ; State v. Gracey, 11 Nev.

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Bluebook (online)
1922 OK 288, 209 P. 742, 87 Okla. 102, 1922 Okla. LEXIS 241, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/robertson-v-bozarth-okla-1922.