State ex rel. Brooks v. First Judicial District Court of Cache County

136 P. 785, 43 Utah 499, 1913 Utah LEXIS 90
CourtUtah Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 13, 1913
DocketNo. 2539
StatusPublished

This text of 136 P. 785 (State ex rel. Brooks v. First Judicial District Court of Cache County) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Utah 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. Brooks v. First Judicial District Court of Cache County, 136 P. 785, 43 Utah 499, 1913 Utah LEXIS 90 (Utah 1913).

Opinion

STBAUP, J.

We, on certiorari, are asked to review proceedings of tbe district court in a case appealed to it from a city justice, and [501]*501to prohibit further threatened proceedings of the case in the district court. In an action before J. H. Meikle, the city justice of Smithfield City, Cache County, wherein Smith-field City was plaintiff, and the relator, Brooks, defendant, a complaint was filed on the 3d day of June, 1913, charging the relator with selling at Smithfield City intoxicating liquors, beer and whisky, to one A. E. Petersen on the 14th day of May, 1913, in violation of an ordinance of Smithfield City. Before trial, Brooks filed an affidavit “that he has reason to believe, and does believe, that he cannot have a fair and impartial trial of this action before the justice of the peace before whom the same is pending and about to try the same by reason of the bias and prejudice of said justice.” Upon that a motion was made “to change the place of trial to another justice” of the county. The justice overruled the motion. Brooks then demanded a jury, who, on the 14th day of June, 1913, convicted him. On that verdict a judgment was rendered, sentencing him to pay a fine of $250, and to be imprisoned in the city jail of Smithfield City for sixty days. Prom that judgment, and the whole thereof, Brooks prosecuted an appeal to the district court. After the record had been transmitted to that court, and on the 15th day of August, 1913, Brooks, on written notice, moved the district court to dismiss the action, on the grounds that the district court had no original jurisdiction to try the case on the merits, and that the justice was ousted of jurisdiction by the filing of the affidavit for a change of venue. The district court denied the motion, ordered Brooks arraigned, took and entered his plea of not guilty, and set the case for trial on the 28th of August. Upon the affidavit of Brooks containing the foregoing matter, a writ was issued requiring a certified copy of the record to be transmitted to this court, and a temporary restraining order was issued. The record so transmitted shows the proceedings as heretofore set forth.

The relator contends that the filing of the affidavit before the city justice ousted that court of jurisdiction, and, as that court was then without jurisdiction to further proceed, except to transmit the papers to another justice of the county, [502]*502tbe district court acquired no jurisdiction by tbe appeal, and, since tba-t court bad no original jurisdiction of tbe action, it was wholly without jurisdiction to try tbe case.

Tbe relator relies on Comp. Laws 1907, section 5132, relating to tbe criminal procedure of justices’ courts. That section provides that a change of place of trial may be bad at any time before tbe trial commences.

“When tbe defendant files an affidavit in writing, stating that he has reason to believe, and, does believe, that be cannot have a fair and impartial trial of tbe action before tbe justice about to try tbe same, by reason of tbe bias or prejudice of such justice, tbe action must be transferred to a justice of tbe county agreed upon by tbe parties, or, if there is no agreement, to tbe nearest justice within tbe county to which such objection does not apply.”

By reason of that section it is contended that, when tbe affidavit was filed, merely in the language of tbe statute, tbe justice was ousted of jurisdiction, except to transfer tbe case to another justice of tbe county. We do not think tbe section applicable. Tbe statute has created city justices of tbe peace. Tbe case was commenced and was pending before tbe ■city justice of Smithfield.

Comp. Laws 1907, section 239, provides:

“Tbe city justice of tbe peace shall have exclusive .original jurisdiction of cases arising under or by reason of tbe violation of any city ordinance, and shall have tbe same powers and jurisdiction as justices of tbe peace in all other actions, civil and criminal.”

Tbe next section provides:

“Tbe rules of practice and mode of procedure in a city justice’s court shall be tbe same as are or may be prescribed by law for justices’ courts in like cases, except as herein’ otherwise expressly provided. From all final judgments of a city justice’s courts an appeal may be taken by either party in a civil case, or by tbe defendant in a criminal case, to tbe district court of tbe county, in tbe manner provided by law for appeals from justices’ courts in similar cases.”

Section 242:

[503]*503“If a vacancy shall occur in the office of a city justice, the mayor, by and with the consent of the city council, shall forthwith fill such vacancy by appointment for the unexpired term. The person so appointed shall qualify in the same manner as a city justice, and shall have and exercise all the powers conferred by law upon such city justice. In case any city justice shall, for any reason, be unable or disqualified to perform the duties of his office, or shall be absent,, the mayor shall appoint some other justice of the peace, residing within the county, to act as city justice of the peace pro tem., and he shall have the powers, and discharge the duties, of such city justice, during the existence of such disability or absence only, in the same manner, and to the same extent, as the city justice might have done.”

1 It therefore appears that the general Code of Criminal Procedure relating to justices’ courts applies to city justices of the peace, except as otherwise provided by the statute creating city justices. Such statute provides that, “in ease any city justice shall, for any reason, be unable or disqualified to perform the duties of his office,” the mayor shall appoint some other justice of the peace residing within the county. Now, is a showing of prejudice and bias of the justice a disqualification within the meaning of the statute? We think it is (23 Cyc. 582; In re Peyton, 12 Kan. 398), and hence the relator, for relief on his alleged ground of bias and prejudice, was required to proceed under section 242 and not 5132.

2 In the next place, the filing of such an affidavit as here-— merely in the language of the statute — does not under either section oust the justice of jurisdiction. The relator to support a contrary contention relies on the case of the State ex rel, Gallagher v. Dist. Court, 36 Utah, 68, 104 Pac. 750. We do not think that case supports his contention. It involved the consideration and application of section 3669, R. S. 1898, and as amended by section 1, ch. 92, Sess. laws 1905, and section 3672. They relate to a change of venue in civil actions before justices’ courts, and provide that, when an affidavit is filed, as by that statute provided, “the [504]*504court must change the place of trial without motion being made therefor, and his jurisdiction over such action shall cease upon the filing of such affidavit, for all purposes” except to transfer the case. We think the statutes are dissimilar. In the one the legislature expressly provided that upon the filing of the affidavit the jurisdiction of the justice “over such action shall cease for all purposes” except to transfer the case, and because of such express declaration was it held in the Gallagher Case that the filing of the affidavit ousted the justice of jurisdiction. In the other the statute contains no such declaration.

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Related

In re Proceedings to Peyton
12 Kan. 398 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1874)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
136 P. 785, 43 Utah 499, 1913 Utah LEXIS 90, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-brooks-v-first-judicial-district-court-of-cache-county-utah-1913.