Scott v. Commonwealth Ex Rel. Joyner

60 S.E.2d 14, 191 Va. 73, 1950 Va. LEXIS 200
CourtSupreme Court of Virginia
DecidedJune 19, 1950
DocketRecord 3691
StatusPublished
Cited by26 cases

This text of 60 S.E.2d 14 (Scott v. Commonwealth Ex Rel. Joyner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Virginia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Scott v. Commonwealth Ex Rel. Joyner, 60 S.E.2d 14, 191 Va. 73, 1950 Va. LEXIS 200 (Va. 1950).

Opinion

Gregory, J.,

delivered the opinion of the court.

The petitioner was convicted by a Maryland court of drunken driving of an automobile, and in accordance with the mandatory provisions of the Virginia statutes (sections 46-416 and 46-454 of the Code of 1950), the Virginia Commissioner of the Division of Motor Vehicles, upon receipt of the record of that conviction, revoked his license to operate an automobile. The petitioner filed in the Circuit Court of Fairfax county a petition for a review of the act of the commissioner. Afterward the commissioner filed a *76 motion to dismiss the proceedings. After due consideration the motion was sustained by the circuit court and the proceedings were dismissed. The court, in its order, gave the following as a reason for dismissing the proceedings: “The same, being considered by the court, the court is of the opinion that the revocation of the driving privileges of the petitioner herein was mandatory and therefore the court had no authority under, the provisions of section 2154(a21) of the Code (now section 46-424 of the Code of 1950), to consider the petition and grant the relief prayed for therein.”

The limited right of one whose permit has been revoked to a review of the act of the commissioner is found in section 46-424 of the Code of 1950. So far as is pertinent,, that section is as follows: “Any person aggrieved by an order or act of the commissioner requiring a suspension or revocation of his license * * * may, within thirty days from the date of such order or act, file a petition in any court-having criminal jurisdiction * * * for a review * * *.

“No review shall lie in any case in which the revocation of the license or registration was mandatory except to determine the identity of the person concerned when the question of identity is in dispute * * *.”

Section 46-454 of the Code of 1950 provides the essential requisites to the exercise of the mandatory duty of the commissioner to revoke a permit. It is, in part, as follows: “The commissioner shall suspend or revoke the license # * of any resident of this State upon receiving notice of his. conviction, in a court of competent jurisdiction of this State, any other State of the United States * * * of an offense therein which, if committed in this State, would be grounds-for the suspension or revocation of the license granted to him * * *.”

Section 46-416 of the Code of 1950 requires the commissioner to revoke the license of any person under certain, conditions. It provides, “The commissioner shall forthwith revoke * * * the license of any person # # # upon receiving a record of his conviction of any of the following- *77 crimes committed in violation of either a State law or of a valid town, city or county ordinance * * *. (2) Violation of the provisions of sec. 18-75 or sec. 18-78 * *

Code, section 18-75 just referred to provides that, “No person shall drive or operate any automobile or other vehicle * * * while under the influence of alcohol * *

It is thus seen from the statutes that when the commissioner receives a record of conviction from the courts of Virginia or of a sister State against an operator for operating a car while under- the influence of intoxicants, he must revoke the operator’s license.

Under section 46-424 above referred to there is a right preserved to the operator-for a review of the act of the commissioner, provided the revocation of the license is not mandatory. In the case at bar the revocation by the commissioner was mandatory, therefore the petitioner was not entitled to a review of his case.

The record of the proceedings in the Circuit Court of Fairfax county are very meager and incomplete. It consists of (1) The application for an appeal from the order of the commissioner revoking the operator’s license of the petitioner; (2) The order of the court staying any action of the commissioner and ordering the matter to be heard; (3) A motion of the commissioner to dismiss the proceedings because section 46-424 of the Code of 1950 prohibits any review of the commissioner’s act where the revocation is mandatory (which was the case here); (4) An order of' the court sustaining the motion to dismiss because the revocation was mandatory.

The petitioner then sought to have the court sign certificates of exception in which were incorporated certain exhibits, namely, the order of revocation of the commissioner, and a certified copy of the judgment of the Maryland court. The order of revocation was based upon the conviction of petitioner of driving a motor vehicle while intoxicated, a third offense. The certified copy of the judgment and conviction of the Maryland court discloses it to have been *78 regular upon its face. It shows that the petitioner was arrested for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated and brought before a Justice of the Peace in Laurel, Maryland. He, or someone for him, placed with the officer collateral security of $ 101.70 for his appearance for the trial, and, at the request of the petitioner, the case was continued until May 13, 1949, at which later date the record shows he failed to appear and the collateral security was forfeited. Attached to the certified copy of the judgment of conviction is a photostatic copy of a report of the arrest and conviction from the Department of Motor Vehicles of Maryland. At the trial in the Circuit Court of Fairfax county no other evidence was introduced. A conviction is defined in Code, section 46-387, and includes a. forfeiture of bail or collateral deposited to secure appearance in court.

It is true that in the certificate of exceptions is found this statément: * * the argument and objection and contention of counsel for petitioner was that petitioner was held for thirty-nine hours without arraignment or the opportunity for petitioner to obtain a medical examination in order to present medical evidence in his behalf, or legal counsel, said Maryland court thereby failing to have jurisdiction in the matter, and such judgment or conviction thereby being invalid and not entitled to full faith and credit.”

There was no evidence in the record that tended to support the foregoing contention. If the statement were ‘true then counsel for petitioner should have offered the evidence, and if the court had rejected it he should have made up the record properly by inserting therein the evidence he would rely upon to show that the Maryland judgment was void, but he proffered no such evidence and he failed to avouch his evidence in the record or to press his case. Owens v. Commonwealth, 147 Va. 624, 136 S. E. 765. So far as this record discloses no harm was done the petitioner. We do not know from the record the type of evidence he had, if any, and what he intended to use, or that it was legal and admissible.

*79 We are of opinion that the petitioner had the right, if he could, to show that the Maryland judgment was void, but he has entirely failed in that respect. He proffered no evidence on the subject, and we are forbidden to consider the question.

The petitioner has made statements in his petition which are not substantiated from the record.

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Bluebook (online)
60 S.E.2d 14, 191 Va. 73, 1950 Va. LEXIS 200, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/scott-v-commonwealth-ex-rel-joyner-va-1950.