State Ex Rel. O'Connell v. Dubuque

413 P.2d 972, 68 Wash. 2d 553, 1966 Wash. LEXIS 772
CourtWashington Supreme Court
DecidedMay 5, 1966
Docket38557
StatusPublished
Cited by63 cases

This text of 413 P.2d 972 (State Ex Rel. O'Connell v. Dubuque) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Washington 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. O'Connell v. Dubuque, 413 P.2d 972, 68 Wash. 2d 553, 1966 Wash. LEXIS 772 (Wash. 1966).

Opinions

Hale, J.

A curious fact of life in our democratic country is the heavy quantum of criticism and derision reserved by the people for their most representative institution, the legislature. Small wonder, then, that, when the 39th Session of the Washington State Legislature, having finished the monumental task of redistricting the state for the next general election, increased salaries for all representatives and new senators of the 40th Session from $100 to $300 per month, the enactment drew caustic comment from numerous sources and led to this suit to ascertain whether members of the 39th Legislature thereby forfeited their right to stand for re-election under the state constitution.

The 39th Session of the Legislature of the State of Washington, in Extraordinary Session, enacted Laws of 1965, Ex. Ses., ch. 127, § 4, increasing the annual salaries of all [555]*555legislators effective at the beginning of the term of office next following re-election. Section 5, noting possible constitutional ramifications, specifically refers to art. 2, §§ 13, 25; art. 4, § 13; and art. 28 of the state constitution and makes the act effective at the earliest time allowable under the constitution.1 The enactment was signed into law by the Governor on April 8, 1965.

May 4,1965, to initiate a constitutional test of this statute, the House and Senate adopted Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 26, reciting therein a number of declarations of fact which, in paraphrase, include inter alia:

1. A substantial number of members of the present legislature have a firm intention of filing for re-election to the legislature in July, 1966, for new terms commencing in January, 1967.
2. A majority of members of each house are in doubt whether the salary increase renders the entire membership ineligible for (a) the increased salary, or (b) re-election, or (c) both.
3. Unless these issues of eligibility for re-election and the amount of salary for the newly re-elected legislators are definitively adjudicated in advance of the July, 1966, period for filing declarations of candidacy for the September primary election, great confusion and uncertainty, will to the detriment of all the people, frustrate and thwart the orderly process of election.

The resolution concluded by requesting the Attorney General to take such action on behalf of the legislature as he deemed advisable for the purpose of obtaining answers to and resolution of the constitutional issues raised by the foregoing facts and events.

[556]*556Thereupon, the Attorney General of the State of Washington, pursuant to Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 26, brought this suit for a declaratory judgment in the Superior Court for Thurston County, naming as parties defendant 14 county auditors and their respective prosecuting attorneys, the Secretary of State, and Mr. Robert I. Tenney as an elector and taxpayer of this state, who all gave notice of appearance and designated counsel of record. Further, Reid Hale, a citizen, elector and taxpayer residing in King County, appeared by counsel and filed his answer in intervention; and Edward J. Lehan, a citizen, elector and taxpayer and a member of the bar residing in Spokane County, was, on his application, named as an additional party defendant and subsequently allowed to change his status to that of intervenor.

In addition to the legislative declarations of fact set forth in the resolution, the Attorney General alleged further basis for jurisdiction: to determine in what amount the fee for filing declarations of candidacy for nomination to the legislature shall be collected by county auditors and the Secretary of State for the primary elections of September, 1966, and primary elections thereafter.2 Filing fees are fixed at 1 per cent of the annual salary of the office to which the candidate seeks nomination.

From a summary judgment declaring in effect that (a) no member of the 39th Legislature is disqualified from seeking re-election by reason of the salary increase; (b) the increased compensation to $3,600 per annum shall take effect January 9, 1967, for all legislators whose terms commence on that date and on the second Monday in January, [557]*5571969, for re-elected holdover Senators of the 40th Session whose new terms commence on this latter date; and (c) the filing fee to be paid by all candidates for the legislature and collected by the county auditors or Secretary of State for nomination to any term of office commencing on or after January 9, 1967, shall be $36, defendants and intervenors bring this appeal.

Appellants attack the judgment on a wide front, first urging a fatal jurisdictional deficiency in subject matter, contending that neither the pleadings nor facts create a justiciable controversy cognizable under the Declaratory Judgments Act (RCW 7.24) but rather call for a mere advisory opinion. They contend next that the courts are without jurisdiction to consider and rule upon the eligibility of members of the House and Senate because art. 2, § 8, of the Washington State Constitution, makes each house the “judge of the election, returns and qualifications of its own members.” And, finally, if it be established that the courts do have jurisdiction of the cause and parties, appellants advocate, as a bar to the re-election of members of the 39th Legislature, art. 2, § 13, of the state constitution, which says that no member of the legislature shall be elected to any civil office in the state the emoluments of which have been increased during the legislator’s term.

Do the pleadings and facts initiate a justiciable controversy under the Declaratory Judgments Act, RCW 7.24.020? The statute reads, in pertinent part:

A person . . . whose rights, status or other legal relations are affected by a statute ... . may have determined any question of construction or validity arising under the . . . statute . . . and obtain a declaration of rights, status or other legal relations thereunder.

Although neither the constitution, nor RCW 7.24, et seq., nor the court’s inherent duty require the Supreme Court to render advisory opinions to the legislature, even on a direct request therefor, all courts should carefully consider legislative declarations of facts upon which a claimed controversy exists. The courts, without being bound thereby, should and do accord great respect to the official dec[558]*558larations of thát constitutional body, possessed as it is of the sovereign legislative power, that circumstances exist so genuinely affecting the rights of citizens and members of the legislature as to require in the public interest a decision of the Supreme Court of the state. Although we are not bound by the recitals set forth in the legislative request, we will not ignore the legislature’s assertions of fact upon which the controversy is said to depend.

What are the principal elements of a justiciable controversy as contemplated by the Uniform Declaratory Judgments Act, RCW 7.24

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Bluebook (online)
413 P.2d 972, 68 Wash. 2d 553, 1966 Wash. LEXIS 772, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-oconnell-v-dubuque-wash-1966.