State ex rel. Brazda v. Marsh

5 N.W.2d 206, 141 Neb. 817, 1942 Neb. LEXIS 194
CourtNebraska Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 20, 1942
DocketNo. 31509
StatusPublished
Cited by31 cases

This text of 5 N.W.2d 206 (State ex rel. Brazda v. Marsh) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nebraska Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State ex rel. Brazda v. Marsh, 5 N.W.2d 206, 141 Neb. 817, 1942 Neb. LEXIS 194 (Neb. 1942).

Opinion

Eberly, J.

This is a summary proceeding before a justice of the supreme court under section 32-1129, Comp.- St. 1929. So far as applicable to the case here presented, this- section reads-:

“All certificates of nomination or nomination statements, which are in apparent conformity with the provisions of this article, shall be deemed to be valid, unless objections thereto shall be duly made in writing within ten days after the filing of the same. In case such objection is made, notice thereof shall forthwith be mailed to all candidates who may be affected thereby, addressed to them at their respective places of residence as given in the certificate of nomination or in the nomination affidavits of such persons, on file in that office: * * * The officer with whom the original certificate was filed, o-r who made an affidavit to the original nominating statement, shall, in the first instance, pass upon the validity of such objection, and! his decision shall be final, unless an order shall be made in the matter by the county court, or [820]*820by a judge of the district court, or by a justice of the supreme court at chambers, on or before the second Wednesday preceding the election. Such order may be made summarily upon application of any party interested, or political party committee as herein provided, and upon such notice as the court or judge may require. The decision of the secretary of state, or the order of the judge or supreme court justice, shall be binding on all other county, municipal or other officers with whom certificates of nomination are filed.”

It appears that on the 18th day of June, 1942, Harry R. Swanson filed his application in writing with the secretary of state of the state of Nebraska purporting to be duly verified, requesting that his name “be placed on the official ballot of the Democratic party for the primary election to be held on the 11th day of August, 1942, as a candidate for nomination to the office of secretary of state of the state of Nebraska.” On the 27th day of June, 1942, objections were filed thereto by two qualified voters of the state of Nebraska, setting forth as grounds thereof:

"1. That the said Harry Swanson was not at the time of his filing and is not now a citizen of the state of Nebraska.
“2. That the said Harry Swanson formerly served as secretary of state and upon his retirement from that office an audit of his accounts showed him to be short in his accounts.”

On the 7th day of July, 1942, it appears that a hearing was had before the secretary of state upon such objections, the answer thereto filed by Harry R. Swanson, and the evidence, “petitioners appearing by G. E. Price, their attorney, and Harry R. Swanson appearing by Charles S. Reed, his attorney,” and a-finding was entered and'made “that there is insufficient evidence to establish the allegations of the petition,” and it was ordered that the same be dismissed.

Thereafter on the 11th day of July, 1942, Rudolph Brazda and Andy Anderson, objectors, heretofore referred to, presented their written petition to a justice of the supreme court of Nebraska, setting forth a history of the proceedings [821]*821had in this cause, alleging in substance that said Swanson, at the time of filing his application to have his- name placed on the primary ballot as a candidate of the Democratic party, etc., was not a resident of the state of Nebraska and had not been a resident of the state of Nebraska for some time prior to June 17, 1942; that for some time prior to said date Swanson was and still is a resident of the state of Oregon; that the oath attached to his application was. not sworn to in the presence of the notary public as. required by law; that Harry R. Swanson formerly served as secretary of state of the state of Nebraska, and upon his retirement from that office an audit of his accounts showed him short in his accounts, the amount of which was not paid by such Swanson but was collected by the state of Nebraska from his bondsmen who were his sureties. Notice was thereupon issued and served upon the secretary of state of the filing of such petition, and he was required to make answer to the petition at a time certain.

The cause coming on to be heard as. per notice given, a motion was presented by the secretary of state to strike paragraphs IX and X relative to the oath appended to the application made by Swanson, and also, all allegations in reference to his shortage. A challenge to the jurisdiction of this court was also made in behalf of Swanson by the secretary of state. In addition, an answer was filed by the respondent Marsh as secretary of state.

As was stated by Sedgwick, C. J., in State v. Hallowell, 77 Neb. 610, 110 N. W. 717, in reference to the powers exercisable under the statute, “We think that the statute is valid, and confers power upon the county court and upon the judges of the district and supreme courts to summarily review the action of the officer with whom the original certificate of nomination is filed, and to make such order therein as the law requires.”

The record discloses that the secretary of state upon the filing of objections by Brazda and another forthwith mailed to Swanson notice thereof by registered mail, addressed to him at his place of residence as given in his nomination af[822]*822fidavit. This notice to Swanson was returned uncalled for, and not received by him. Nevertheless, he appeared at the hearing by the secretary of state, and was. represented by an attorney thereat. It will be noted that the statute requires no notice of the institution of the proceedings to be given any party in interest by the objectors, save the objections which they file with the secretary of state. The statute involved contains no affirmative requirement that notice of the summary review shall be given to the candidate whose nomination papers are under attack. It merely provides that it shall be made upon such notice as the court or judge may require. The only notice required by the judge in the instant case was. service of notice upon the secretary of state whose order was to be reviewed, and which was done. Under the circumstances disclosed by the record, service by mail upon Swanson as contemplated by the statute having failed, and the original notice having been returned undelivered and uncalled for, and in view of the summary character of the proceedings for review, in principle the rule announced in Schuyler v. Hanna, 28 Neb. 601, 44 N. W. 731, as applicable in appellate proceedings, would be controlling: “A notice of appeal is not necessary to. confer jurisdiction.” It follows that the motion of the secretary of state to dismiss the review proceedings was necessarily overruled.

It appears, however, that no transcript of the proceedings before the secretary of state is required to be filed under the terms of section 32-1129, Comp. St. 1929. We are not justified in implying what is hot expressed in this statute. It is obvious that the party seeking the review necessarily carries the burden of setting forth the errors upon which he relies, and in so doing he must set forth the substance of what a transcript, if filed, would ordinarily contain. Any omission is suppliable by the opposing pleading. However, when presented to a judge or court, the proceeding, being in the nature of a summary review, is essentially appellate.

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Bluebook (online)
5 N.W.2d 206, 141 Neb. 817, 1942 Neb. LEXIS 194, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-brazda-v-marsh-neb-1942.