Shannon Luminous Material Co. v. United States

69 Cust. Ct. 317, 349 F. Supp. 1000, 30 A.L.R. Fed. 772, 69 Ct. Cust. 317, 1972 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 2474
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedOctober 20, 1972
DocketC.R.D. 72-21
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 69 Cust. Ct. 317 (Shannon Luminous Material Co. v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Customs Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Shannon Luminous Material Co. v. United States, 69 Cust. Ct. 317, 349 F. Supp. 1000, 30 A.L.R. Fed. 772, 69 Ct. Cust. 317, 1972 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 2474 (cusc 1972).

Opinion

Boe, Chief Judge:

In the instant case defendant has filed a Notice of Trial pursuant to rule 9.1(a) of the rules of this court requesting that trial of said action be held in New York City. The plaintiff, in its response thereto, has requested that trial foe held at Los Angeles, California, the port of entry of the merchandise in question. In support of its contention the plaintiff asserts that it has a “constitutional right” to a trial at the port of importation and urges that to require the plaintiff to try this action elsewhere would make a “mockery” of the right and guarantee with which it has been invested.

In view of the fact that this question has not been considered nor decided since the enactment of the Customs Courts Act of 1970 (Public Law 91 — 271), nor since the adoption of the Rules of the United States Customs Court, effective October 1,1970, it is deemed appropriate that a definitive determination be made as to the rights of the parties in connection with contested venue requests of the character here presented.

It would be without purpose to indulge in further discussion other than to unequivocally state that no guarantee is contained in nor implied by any provision of the Constitution of the United States, granting to a party litigant, in an action of this character, the inherent right to the venue as sought by the plaintiff. In so stating this court is not unaware of the dictum contained in the case of Manuel Ubach v. United States, 3514 Reap. Circ. 12, Reap. No. 34927 (1924).

On the contrary, by virtue of the long-established doctrine of sovereign immunity, it is well established that suit may be instituted against the United States only by a waiver of such immunity and a consent by specific congressional authority. United States v. Shaw, 309 U.S. 495 (1940). When so authorized, such suits against the Government must be brought in the forum and upon such terms and conditions as may be prescribed by statute. Nichols v. United States, 74 [318]*318U.S. (7 Wall.) 122 (1869); Magnus v. United States, 234 F.2d 673 (1956).

In the exercise of its power to provide for the collection of revenue, as well as to provide for specific remedies for acts of injustice that may have resulted to the payer of customs duties, the Congress of the United States enacted the Customs Administrative Act of 1890 (26 Stat. 131). No statutory right to a trial at a port of entry was given by this initial act to a party litigant. Discretionary authority to make venue determinations, instead, was granted to the Secretary of the Treasury. Such discretionary authority continued to be vested in the Secretary of the Treasury by subsequent modifying legislation enacted by the Congress in 1903 and 1908.

In the tariff act enacted in 1909 the Congress created the United States Court of Customs Appeals and gave to this judicial body exclusive jurisdiction to review final decisions of the Board of General Appraisers (36 Stat. 106), which had been designated by previous legislative enactments, afore-cited, to determine the respective rights of the parties in the appraisement and collection of duty upon imports to this country. It will be noted, however, that section 12 of said act (36 Stat. 98) removed the authority of the Secretary of the Treasury to designate the port at which cases might be tried and invested such discretionary authority in the President of the Board of General Appraisers. Similar provisions granting to the President of the Board of General Appraisers the discretionary authority to assign cases for hearing and to designate the port at which a trial of a case should be heard were retained in the subsequent tariff acts enacted in 1913 and 1922.

By legislative act in 1926 (44 Stat. 669), the Congress created the United States Customs Court and designated the members thereof as chief justice (chief judge) and associate justices. It was specifically provided, however, that the jurisdictional powers and duties with which the Board of General Appraisers had been empowered under prior legislative enactments were vested in the newly created United States Customs Court and the members thereof.

The tariff act enacted by the Congress in 1930 empowered the Chief Judge of the United States Customs Court with discretionary authority to assign and reassign cases, promulgate dockets and to designate judges to proceed and hear cases at any port (46 Stat. 737 — 738). The rules adopted by the court in 1930, pursuant to the provisions of the Tariff Act of 1930, described, with particularity, the statutory authority of the “presiding judge” with respect to the trial of cases other than in New York City. Eule 8 provided in part as follows:

“Calendars for the trial of issues at places other than New York shall be called at such ports as may be designated by the presiding [319]*319judge. The presiding judge shall have prepared and promulgated for each calendar year a list of the ports and the dates on which such hearings will be held.”

The provisions of the Tariff Act of 1930, afore-referred to, were substantially reenacted as a part of title 28 of the United States Code (1948 revision). Section 253 thereof authorized the chief judge to:

“* * * assign or reassign, before trial and under rules of the court, any case for hearing, determination, or both: and promulgate dockets.”

Section 254 thereof authorized the chief judge to:

* * designate a judge or a division and necessary clerical assistance to proceed to any port within the jurisdiction of the United States to hear or to hear and determine cases assigned for hearing at such port.”

The statutory provisions, hereinbefore referred to, were further implemented by the United States Customs Court by the adoption of additional rules of the court in 1949. Rule 3 (m) thereof provided as follows:

“Trial terms at places other than New York shall be held at such ports as may be designated by the chief judge. The chief judge shall have prepared and promulgated for each calendar year a list of the ports and the dates on which such hearings will be held, together with the names of the judges assigned to conduct such hearings.”

This rule remained in effect until the enactment of the Customs Courts Act of 1970 (84 Stat. 274) and the present rules of the court adopted in compliance therewith, which became effective October 1,1970.

Although the historical references, afore-referred to, may be more exhaustive and time-consuming than might be required for a determination of the question at issue, it has been the intention of this court in making such a review to correct the apparent misinterpretations and misconceptions which have been prevalent with respect to the construction of the statutes and rules which existed prior to the present United States Customs Courts Act of 1970. It is patently evident and clear, from an examination and consideration of the legislative history of the present United States Customs Court, that the determination of the venue of an action was not vested in a party litigant as a constitutional right, and that it was not the intent of the Congress to confer upon any party litigant a statutory right to make such a venue determination.

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69 Cust. Ct. 317, 349 F. Supp. 1000, 30 A.L.R. Fed. 772, 69 Ct. Cust. 317, 1972 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 2474, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/shannon-luminous-material-co-v-united-states-cusc-1972.