State Ex Rel. Reynolds v. Zimmerman

126 N.W.2d 551, 22 Wis. 2d 544, 1964 Wisc. LEXIS 359
CourtWisconsin Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 28, 1964
StatusPublished
Cited by68 cases

This text of 126 N.W.2d 551 (State Ex Rel. Reynolds v. Zimmerman) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Wisconsin 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. Reynolds v. Zimmerman, 126 N.W.2d 551, 22 Wis. 2d 544, 1964 Wisc. LEXIS 359 (Wis. 1964).

Opinion

Wilkie, J.

Five issues are raised in this original action. They are:

1. Does the relator, as governor, have standing to allege that a particular reapportionment plan violates both the *552 state and federal constitutional rights of the citizens of the state of Wisconsin ?

2. May the legislature reapportion the legislative districts of the state of Wisconsin without the concurrence of the executive?

3. Assuming that the reapportionment plan set forth in ch. 4, Stats. 1961, is a violation of art. IV, Wis. Const., may this court grant some form of affirmative relief ?

4. Is the reapportionment scheme set forth in ch. 4, Stats., a violation of the standard of per capita equality of representation set forth in sec. 3, art. IV, Wis. Const. ?

5. Assuming that the “Rosenberry plan” is inconsistent with the standard of per capita equality of representation, what is the most appropriate form of relief that this court can offer?

Issue 1. Does the relator, as governor, have standing to allege that a particular reapportionment plan violates both the state and federal constitutional rights of the citizens of the state of Wisconsint

This court has consistently held that the state, acting either through the governor or the attorney general, may challenge the constitutionality of a state reapportionment plan as a violation of state constitutional rights of the citizens.

“We, therefore, hold that the governor is authorized under sec. 14.12 to direct the attorney general to commence a parens patriae type of action to enforce the constitutional rights of its citizens, . . .
“It is firmly established by the decisions of this court that the state is the proper party plaintiff to test the validity of an apportionment law in order to protect the constitutional right of its citizens to an equitable apportionment.” 3

*553 While it is generally true that a state, as parens patriae, may not assert violations of federal constitutional rights on behalf of its citizens, 4 it is reasonably clear that a claim that a malapportionment denies equal protection of the laws must be treated as an exception to this rule. In Colegrove v. Green 5 the court, addressing itself to the problem of the standing of private plaintiffs, said:

“The basis for the suit is not a private wrong, but a wrong suffered by Illinois as a polity.”

Therefore, the court recognized that a claim of denial of equal protection as the result of malapportionment was not necessarily a claim of an individual injury. In Colegrove, of course, the United States supreme court went on to hold that the substantive claims raised by the plaintiffs were not justiciable because they were “political questions.” In Baker v. Carr, supra, the United States supreme court ruled that an allegation that a malapportionment denied equal protection of laws was a justiciable issue.

We conclude that the state, as the representative of the polity, must be permitted to raise the substantive issues surrounding the constitutionality of an apportionment under the provisions of either the state or federal constitutions.

Issue 2. May the legislature reapportion the legislative districts of the state of Wisconsin without the concurrence of the executive?

The respondent and the intervening respondents maintain that the legislature may effect a valid reapportionment of the state’s legislative districts by joint resolution, i.e., without the concurrence of the executive. Their argument derives from a largely textual analysis of the constitution. Sec. 3, art. IV, Wis. Const., relating to apportionment of state legislative districts, states:

*554 “At their first session after each enumeration made by the authority of the United States, the legislature shall apportion and district anew the members of the senate and assembly, according to the number of inhabitants, excluding Indians not taxed, soldiers, and officers of the United States army and navy.” (Emphasis added.)

Sec. 10, art. XIV, Wis. Const., relating to apportionment of federal congressional districts, provides:

“Two members of congress shall also be elected . . . and until otherwise provided by law the counties of . . . shall constitute the first congressional district, and elect one member; . . .” (Emphasis added.)

In view of the language of sec. 10, art. V, Wis. Const., to wit:

“Every bill which shall have passed the legislature shall, before it becomes a law, be presented to the governor; . . „”

the respondents argue that the deletion of the words “by law” from sec. 3, art. IV, whereas the words “by law” were expressly included under sec. 10, art. XIV, dealing with apportionment of congressional districts, indicates an intention on the part of the framers of the original constitution to permit the legislature an option as to whether to apportion the state legislature by law with the concurrence of the executive, or by joint resolution, requiring no such concurrence.

We can see no reason why the constitutional framers should have intended that the congressional redistricting must be by law but that legislative redistricting might be by action of the legislature alone.

An examination of the entire text of art. IV, Wis. Const., relating to legislative powers, reveals numerous sections providing that “the legislature shall” discharge some sub *555 stantive function of government. 6 Many of these functions are the essence of government and the respondents do not contend that in these areas the absence of the words “by law” means that the legislature may act unilaterally.

Since sec. 3, art. IV, Wis. Const., does not specify that the legislature shall apportion the legislative districts “by law,” and since joint action is required of the legislature and the governor in many of the areas where the words “by law” are omitted, it is clear that there is an ambiguity as to the scope of legislative power to reapportion without concurrence of the chief executive. To resolve this ambiguity we must construe sec. 3, art. IV, in the most-reasonable manner in relation to the fundamental purpose of the constitution as a whole, to wit: To create and define the institutions whereby a representative democratic form of government may effectively function. Sec. 3, art. IV of the constitution, lays down a standard in unambiguous terms for the apportionment of *556 Wisconsin legislative districts.

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Bluebook (online)
126 N.W.2d 551, 22 Wis. 2d 544, 1964 Wisc. LEXIS 359, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-reynolds-v-zimmerman-wis-1964.