State ex rel. Olsen v. Swanberg

299 P.2d 466, 130 Mont. 202, 1956 Mont. LEXIS 33
CourtMontana Supreme Court
DecidedJune 27, 1956
DocketNo. 9566
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 299 P.2d 466 (State ex rel. Olsen v. Swanberg) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Montana 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. Olsen v. Swanberg, 299 P.2d 466, 130 Mont. 202, 1956 Mont. LEXIS 33 (Mo. 1956).

Opinion

MR. JUSTICE ANDERSON:

This is an appeal from a judgment wherein the court below, in a quo warranto proceeding, held that Mr. Swanberg was entitled to the office of chairman of the board of the Industrial Accident Board of Montana.

On April 29, 1955, the Governor appointed the appellant McChesney “Chairman of the Industrial Accident Board for a four year term expiring May 1, 1959” to replace Mr. Robert F. Swanberg who had been appointed on the 29th day of December 1952 to fill the unexpired term of Baxter Larson, such term expiring on May 1, 1955. At the time of the appointment of McChesney the legislature was not in session and had not been since its adjournment sine die on March 3, 1955. Hence Mr. McChesney’s appointment has not been referred to the Senate for confirmation; and that body has not yet given its consent thereto.

The only statute which gives the Governor power or authority to appoint to the Industrial Accident Board is section 92-104 of the Codes as amended by Chapter 161, Laws of 1953. This section is a special statute designed to define the governor’s authority to appoint to this board alone. As such it controls any other statute which relates to the general powers of the chief executive to appoint to public office, or to fill vacancies therein. In re Wilson’s Estate, 102 Mont. 178, 195, 56 Pac. (2d) 733, 105 A.L.R. 367. It follows that if Mr. McChesney’s appointment does not square with section 92-104, as amended, he has no title to the office here in controversy unless that statute conflicts with the Constitution or for any reason is not applicable.

That statute plainly stipulates that the governor’s authority to appoint is conditioned upon the consent of the Senate given thereto. No other meaning may be put upon the words found in Chapter 161, viz., “by and with the consent of the sen[205]*205ate. ’ ’ It must be presumed that by this amendment the legislature intended to effect some change in the law as it read theretofore and in its application particularly to the appointment of the chairman of the Industrial Accident Board. Nichols v. School District No. 3, 87 Mont. 181, 186, 287 Pac. 624.

Before the enactment of Chapter 161 an appointment by the governor to that board under section 92-104 was effective at once by the governor’s act alone and without more. In these circumstances it is clear that the change intended and actually effected by the amendment, which Chapter 161 makes, is to add the condition that an appointment to this board by the governor shall be neither complete nor effective until the consent of the Senate has been given. Otherwise this chapter adds nothing to section 92-104 as it was construed and applied before amendment.

The last three lines of the amendment to R.C.M. 1947, section 92-104, read: “provided, however, the provisions of this act shall not be applicable to the chairman of the board until the expiration of term of the present chairman of said board.” The present chairman referred to in the statute was Mr. Swan-berg. As applied to this case, this paragraph simply means that confirmation of Swanberg was unnecessary but plainly it requires confirmation of his successor.

Counsel for McChesney contend that there was a vacancy in the office occurring during a recess of the Senate authorizing an appointment under section 7 of Article VII of our Constitution without confirmation of the Senate. Section 7 of Article VII contains this paragraph: “If during a recess of the senate a vacancy occurs in any such office, the governor shall appoint some fit person to discharge the duties thereof until the next meeting of the senate, when he shall nominate some person to fill such office. ’ ’ That paragraph of the Constitution has reference only to such vacancies which leave the office without anyone to discharge the duties and does not apply to a case where the incumbent holds until his successor is elected or appointed and qualified and is discharging the duties of his office. This [206]*206court has so held in State ex rel. Nagle v. Stafford, 97 Mont. 275, 291, 34 Pac. (2d) 372. In that case there was before this court for construction what is now R.C.M. 1947, section 3-102, which provides that the commissioner of agriculture shall be ‘1 appointed by the governor, by and with the consent of the senate. ’ ’ The term of the incumbent Stafford ended on April 1,1933. But because the statute also stipulated that not only should he “hold office for a term of four years,” but also “until his successor is appointed and qualified,” Stafford held over after April 1, 1933, claiming his office as against his successor Bruce, to whose appointment by the governor the Senate had not given its consent. The Stafford case is identical with the instant controversy between Mr. Swanberg and Mr. MeChesney. The following language found in the Stafford opinion becomes controlling here, viz., “ 'where a person is appointed to an office under a constitutional or statutory provision that the appointment may be made with the approval of some officer or body, such appointment must be approved before the person is legally entitled to the office, except in the case of such a vacancy in the office that the duties of the office are no longer being discharged.’ Note 17 Ann. Cas. 1011 * * *”. State ex rel. Nagle v. Stafford, supra, 97 Mont. at page 290, 34 Pac. (2d) at page 379. The authorities cited there, including State ex rel. Chenoweth v. Acton, 31 Mont. 37, 77 Pac. 299, support the rule to which the lower court adhered. "We see no reason for departing from this rule.

In State ex rel, Sandquist v. Rogers, 93 Mont. 355, 18 Pac. (2d) 617, 618, the appointments by the mayor of the City of Havre to the office of city engineer failed of confirmation by the council. Under R.C.M. 1947, section 11-802, subd. 1, then in effect as R.C.M. 1921, section 5030, subd. 1, the mayor was empowered to nominate, and, “with the consent of the council, to appoint all non-elective officers.” This court held in the Rogers case: “The nominees of a mayor who fail to be confirmed by a city council do not become effective as officers and cannot assume that status until concurred in by a majority of the city or town [207]*207council.” The statute there construed spoke of the power of a mayor to “nominate” to office whereas section 92-104, as amended by Chapter 161, gives the governor authority to appoint. Under either statute confirmation by authority other than the governor or the mayor is required to complete the nomination or appointment.

In State ex rel. Peterson v. Peck, 91 Mont. 5, 4 Pac. (2d) 1086, the right of a city clerk appointed by the mayor of the town of Sweet Grass to act without confirmation by the city council was drawn in issue. This case is a close parallel to State ex rel. Sandquist v. Rogers, supra. This court said that the power of the mayor “to nominate to fill a non-elective office also includes like authority when a vacancy arises therein; but in either event the appointment is not effective until concurred in by a majority of the city or town council.’’ See 91 Mont. at page 7, 4 Pac. (2d) at page 1087.

These decisions are controlling in the instant cause. We need not look for authority elsewhere. This court said in Holt v. Sather, 81 Mont. 442, 455, 456, 264 Pac. 108, 114, that eases “from another jurisdiction, in direct conflict with a decision of this court, are not persuasive.”

Counsel for Mr.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
299 P.2d 466, 130 Mont. 202, 1956 Mont. LEXIS 33, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-olsen-v-swanberg-mont-1956.