State Ex Rel. Webb v. Pigg

249 S.W.2d 435, 363 Mo. 133, 1952 Mo. LEXIS 639
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedJune 9, 1952
Docket43005
StatusPublished
Cited by21 cases

This text of 249 S.W.2d 435 (State Ex Rel. Webb v. Pigg) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State Ex Rel. Webb v. Pigg, 249 S.W.2d 435, 363 Mo. 133, 1952 Mo. LEXIS 639 (Mo. 1952).

Opinion

DALTON, J.

This is an original proceeding in mandamus. Relator, the Clerk of the Spring'field Court of Appeals, seeks to compel the Comptroller of the Department of Revenue to approve and certify for payment the unpaid remainder of relator’s monthly salary claims, to wit, the additional sum of $75 per month for each and every month during the period from July 1, 1951 to December 31, 1951, inclusive, which additional sums are alleged to be due3 by reason of an increase in relator’s salary, as ordered by the Judges of the Springfield Court of Appeals and authorized by Laws 1949, p. 236, now Section 483.240 RSMo 1949.

*136 Respondent, acting upon an opinion of the Attorney General, has refused to approve relator’s claims for such increase on the ground that relator is a “state officer” within the meaning of Section 13, Article VII, Constitution of Missouri, 1945; and that his compensation may not be increased during his term of office. The parties agree that the cause turns on whether or not relator is a “state officer” within the meaning of the above constitutional provision.

The facts are not in dispute. On July 1, 1946, relator was reappointed by the Springfield Court of Appeals as its clerk for a term of six years. Section 26, Article V, Constitution of Missouri, 1945; Laws 1945, p. 660. His salary was fixed by the Judges of said court at the sum of $3600 per year, the maximum then permitted by law. Laws 1945, p. 660. Thereafter, the maximum salary payable to relator, as such clerk, was increased to $4500 [437] per year. Laws 1949, p. 236, now Section 483.240 RSMo 1949, effective October 14, 1949. Laws 1949, pp. 647, 648. On August 19,1949, the Judges of the Springfield Court of Appeals fixed relator’s salary, as clerk of said court, at $4500 per year, effective from and after October 14, 1949.

In regular and approved form, from and after October 14, 1949, relator has made claim for salary at the increased rate and said claims have been approved and certified as correct by the Presiding Judge of the Springfield Court of Appeals. Sections 33.100 and 483.240 (all references are to RSMo 1949 unless otherwise specified). Such salary claims submitted at the rate of $375 per month have been rejected and disapproved by respondent, who, without x'elator’s consent, has ehaxxged, reduced and approved said salary claims for $300 per month.

Funds for the payment of relator’s salary at the increased rate, to wit, at $375 per month from and after October 14,1949, have been duly appropriated. (65th General Assembly) Laws 1949>, p. 56, Sec. 4.110; Laws 1949, p. 210, See. 10.690; 66th General Assembly, House Bill No. 5', See. 4.290, pp. 26, 27. Unencumbered funds are presently available for the payment of the balance of relator’s salary claims for the period from July 1, 1951 to December 31, 1951, inclusive. Appropriations for pajunent of the increased salary prior to July 1, 1951 have expired. Section 28, Article IV, Constitution of Missouri, 1945.

Relator’s position is that, “in law and in fact, he is a mere ministerial officer of the Springfield Court of Appeals, the amanuensis of the court, and ‘the arm of the court’, by whom he is appointed, supex’vised, directed and controlled, and to whom he is responsible and accountable; that, as evidenced by the Missouri statutes cited in relator’s petition, relator’"S duties are largely clerical in nature and are altogether subject to the court’s supervision, direction and control; that relator is invested with none of the sovereign power of government, to be exercised by him for the benefit of the public, *137 independently and without control of a superior power other than the law, itself; and that, under this recognized definition and test, relator is not a ‘state officer.’ ”

Section 13, Article YII of the Constitution of Missouri, 1945, provides: “The compensation of state, county and municipal officers shall not be increased during the term of office; nor shall the term of any officer be extended. ’ ’

In Folk v. City of St. Louis, 250 Mo. 116, 135, 157 S.W. 71, this court considered the purpose of this particular constitutional provision and said: “It was to prevent persons while possessed of the prestige and influence of official power from using that power for their own advantage that the framers of our organic law ordained that salaries of public officers should not be increased during the terms of the persons holding such offices.”

This court has questioned the possibility of specifically defining the words, “public office”, “public officer”, or “state officer”, but it has determined each case involving the matter in question in view of the particular facts presented and the applicable statutes and constitutional provisions. Among the matters taken into consideration are the duties to be performed, the method of performance, the end to be attained, the powers granted and, generally,' the surrounding circumstances. These circumstances include tenure, oath, bond, official designation, compensation and the dignity of the position in question, but no particular fact or circumstance is considered to be conclusive. State ex inf. McKittrick v. Bode, 342 Mo. 162, 113 S.W. (2d) 805, 806; State ex rel. Scobee v. Meriwether, 355 Mo. 1217, 200 SW. (2d) 340, 341.

In the case of State ex rel. Walker v. Bus, 135 Mo. 325, 331, 36 S.W. 636, the court said: “A public office is defined to be ‘the right, authority and duty, created and conferred by law, by which for a given period, either fixed by law or enduring at the pleasure of the creating power, an individual is invested with some portion of. the sovereign functions of the government, to be exercised by him for the benefit of the public.’ Mechem, Public Offices, 1. The individual who is invested with the authority and is required to perform [438] the duties is a public officer.” And see State ex rel. Zevely v. Hackmann, 300 Mo. 59, 254 S. W. 53, 55; State ex inf. McKittrick v. Whittle, 333 Mo. 705, 63 S.W. (2d) 100, 102. This definition has been somewhat modified by the subsequent decisions, of this court.

The parties to this action in effect concede that, under the more recent decisions of this court, a different test has been formulated and applied in reaching a conclusion as to whether or not a particular official is a “state officer” within the meaning of the quoted constitutional provision. In order to be considered a “state officer” within the purpose and meaning of said constitutional provision, the official *138 in question must have been delegated a portion of the sovereign power of government to be exercised for the benefit of the public and such delegation of sovereign power must be “substantial and independently exercised with some continuity and without control of a superior power other than the law.” Kirby v. Nolte, 349 Mo. 1015, 164 S.W. (2d) 1, 8; State ex rel. Scobee v. Meriwether, supra (200 S.W. (2d) 340, 341); State ex inf. McKittrick v. Bode, 342 Mo. 162, 113 S.W. (2d) 805, 807; State ex rel. Pickett v. Truman, 333 Mo. 1018, 64 S.W. (2d) 105, 106.

In considering the meaning of the term “sovereign power”, and as illustrative thereof, this court has repeatedly quoted from the ease of State ex rel. Landis v. Board of Commissioners of Butler County, 95 Ohio St. 157, 115 N.E.

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Bluebook (online)
249 S.W.2d 435, 363 Mo. 133, 1952 Mo. LEXIS 639, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-webb-v-pigg-mo-1952.