STAFFORD ET UX. v. Union Bank of Louisiana

58 U.S. 275, 15 L. Ed. 101, 17 How. 275, 1854 U.S. LEXIS 516
CourtSupreme Court of the United States
DecidedFebruary 18, 1855
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 58 U.S. 275 (STAFFORD ET UX. v. Union Bank of Louisiana) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of the United States primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
STAFFORD ET UX. v. Union Bank of Louisiana, 58 U.S. 275, 15 L. Ed. 101, 17 How. 275, 1854 U.S. LEXIS 516 (1855).

Opinion

Mr. Justice McLEAN

delivered the opinion of the court.

This is an appeal in chancery from the district court of Texas. '

A motion is made by the counsel for the appellees, to dismiss the appeal, because the defendants have filed no sufficient bond.

Also, that a rule on the district judge, to show cause why a peremptory mandamus should not be, issued, granted at the last term, be made absolute.

At the last term, a motion was made to dismiss this cause, and to award a procedendo, on the ground that the appeal bond was insufficient.

On consideration of that motion, the court held, that the bond for $10,000, given on the appeal from a decree for the payment of $65,000, was insufficient, as the act of congress requires a bond in the amount of .a judgment or decree, to prosecute the appeal or writ of error with effect.

But the court overruled the motion to dismiss the appeal and award a procedendo, for the reason that, from the time the appeal' was taken, the appellant was not bound, under the acts of congress and the rules of court, to outer the appeal on the docket of this court, before the present term.

During the same term, on motion, a-rule was ordered on the district judge to show cause, at the present term, why a mandamus should not be issued, commanding him to cause the decree entered by the said district judge, on the 25th February, 1S.54, between the above parties, to bo carried iñto execution according to the terms thereof.

In answer to the rule the judge states, that having taken what he considered- to be good and sufficient security, as the law required, the cause was appealed to the supreme court, which removed it from his jurisdiction, and that he had no power to make an order in the case.

It was the duty of the judge, in allowing the appeal, to take security on the appeal in the sum decreed ; and not having done so, the appellant was not entitled to a supersedeas of any. process necessary to carry the decree into effect; and the judge was *280 bound to issue it, on the application of the plaintiff. The court, therefore, order that a peremptory mandamus issue, commanding the judge forthwith to carry the decree into effect.

. But as the security given was sufficient to bring the cause . before the court by appeal, though not sufficient to suspend the execution of the same, the court overruled the motion to dismiss the appeal.

Order.

The Honorable John C. Watrous, district judge of the United States for the district of Texas, having filed a return to the rule granted at the last term in this case, requiring him to appear and show cause, if any he had, why a mandamus should not be awarded, requiring and commanding him to cause the decree rendered by the said court, on the 25th day of February, A. D. 1854, in a certain cause therein then depending, between the said Union Bank of Louisiana, as complainant, and Josiah S. Stafford and Jeannette Kirkland Stafford, his Avife, as defendants, to be-at once carried into’ execution, according to the terms thereof, notwithstanding the appeal from said decree, taken by the said defendants to this court, and the order of the said court that the appeal bond, filed by the said defendants, on the said appeal, operated as a supersedeas to the said decree of the said court. _

And the cause shown appearing in. the following statement returned by the said district judge, namely: —

TheUnited States of America, in the Supreme Court, December Term, 1854.

Between Josiah S. Stafford and Jeannette K., his wife, appellants, and the Union Bank of Louisiana, appellee.

The answer of John C. Watrous, judge of the district coiirt of the United States for the-district of Texas, at Galveston, to the rule upon him, to show cause why a peremptory mandamus should not issue; commanding him in said court, to discharge' the supersedeas to the enforcement of, and to order execution upon the decree rendered in said court,-in favor of thé said Uniqn Bank of. Louisiana-, and against said Josiah S. Stafford and wife.

. The respondent respectfully answers, and certifies, to the honorable the supreme court of the United States, that on the 6th day of March, 1854, in the district court of the United States for the district of Texas, at Galveston, which was within ten days next after the rendition of the decree mentioned in the caption to this answer, the said Josiah S. Stafford and wife, feel *281 ing themselves aggrieved by the rendition of the samé, in open court, applied for, and prayed an appeal to the next term thereafter, of this court, to be held in the city of Washington on the first Monday in December thereafter: which to them was granted, upon condition that they entered into good and-sufficient bond with good and sufficient security in the sum of J|10,000,'conditioned that they prosecute their appeal with effect, arid answer all damages and costs if they should fail to make their' plea good, and thereafter and on the same day and year aforesaid, the said Josiah S. Stafford and wife, in open court, tendered a bond with L. C. Stanley, Patrick Perry, and William H. Clark, as sureties, in the sum of if10,000; and the court-having inspected the bbnd, and being satisfied that it was in conformity to law and the order of the court, and that the sureties were good and sufficient. “ It was ordered that the bond be approved, and it was ordered to be entered, that the bond of April, taken and filed in this cause, operates as a supersedeas to the decree of the court,” and thereupon' and immediately after the order granting said appeal, and the giving bond as aforesaid, .and while the same remained in full force, unreversed and not set aside, this respondent respectfully submits, that neither in the said district court, or in vacation, had be any longer jurisdiction over the cause between the parties aforesaid,- or any power or authority to make any order in regard to the supersedeas or to enforce the execution of the decree aforesaid for the reason that- thenceforward, by virtue of the appeal so taken and perfected as aforesaid, thé said cause between the parties aforesaid, •had passed into and under the control of this court, and which was the proper forum only in which any such order could or can be rightly made.

This respondent further respectfully submits that though, upon investigation, it should turn out that the bond given for the appeal, as aforesaid, was not taken in all respects in conformity to the requirements of law, but might be irregular and depart from such requirements in regard to the^ amount of the penalty thereof, or in other respects; yet this dicl not render the grant of the appeal merely void, or in any rqanner affect the supersedeas operated bylaw, but that, the said appeal and the said supersedeas was and continued to be in full' force and effect, and thus will remain until this court, in conformity to its practice, shall dismiss said appeal, and thereby discharge said supersedeas, on account of a failure by the said Josiah S.

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Bluebook (online)
58 U.S. 275, 15 L. Ed. 101, 17 How. 275, 1854 U.S. LEXIS 516, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/stafford-et-ux-v-union-bank-of-louisiana-scotus-1855.