State ex rel. Wright v. Brown

267 N.W. 466, 131 Neb. 239, 1936 Neb. LEXIS 203
CourtNebraska Supreme Court
DecidedJune 12, 1936
DocketNo. 29850
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 267 N.W. 466 (State ex rel. Wright v. Brown) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nebraska 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. Wright v. Brown, 267 N.W. 466, 131 Neb. 239, 1936 Neb. LEXIS 203 (Neb. 1936).

Opinion

Day, j.

This is an action in quo warranto brought by William H. Wright, attorney general, to oust the defendant from the office of justice of the peace for Lancaster precinct, [240]*240which is located within the tenth justice of the peace district of Nebraska. This action is based upon chapter 59, Laws 1935, effective January 1, 1936, which provides that in each justice of the peace district in which there is located a city of the first class, having a population of not less than 40,000 • nor more than 100,000, municipal courts, as heretofore established, are substituted by law for the justice of the peace courts within such districts. The tenth justice of the peace district of Nebraska is coextensive with Lancaster county, and there is located in the district the city of Lincoln, in which there was established a municipal court, so that the tenth justice of the peace district comes within the contemplation of the law. The answer of the defendant admits this situation, but asserts that the law is invalid because it transgresses several provisions of the state Constitution. This case was tried in the district court for Lancaster county before Judges E. B. Chappell, J. H. Broady, and Lincoln Frost. The district court held that House Roll 166 (Laws 1935, ch. 59) was a valid, constitutional enactment, and allowed the writ of quo ivarranto to issue, ordering the defendant to transfer his dockets and records to the municipal court of the city of Lincoln forthwith.

The statute applies only to the tenth justice of the peace district, the territory of which is coextensive with Lancaster county. Lancaster precinct is a political subdivision of Lancaster county outside of the territorial limits of the city of Lincoln. The municipal court of the city of Lincoln, which was substituted for justice of the peace courts in the tenth district, has a judge elected by the electors of the city of Lincoln. By the act, the municipal court of Lincoln was substituted for all justices of the peace in the district.

■ Section 32-217, Comp. St. 1929, originally provided: “In each justice of the peace district in which there is located a city of the metropolitan class, or a city of the first class having a population of not less than forty thousand (40,000) nor more than one hundred thousand [241]*241(100,000), municipal courts, as heretofore or hereafter established, are hereby substituted by law for the justice of the peace and police judge within such cities. Provided, this act shall not be construed to substitute municipal courts for justices of the peace outside said cities in said justice of the peace district.”

Chapter 59, Laws 1935, amended this section to read as follows: <!In each justice of the peace district in which there is located a city of the metropolitan class, or a city of the first class having a population of not less than forty thousand (40,000) nor more than one hundred thousand (100,000), municipal courts, as heretofore or hereafter established, are hereby substituted by law for the justice of the peace and police judge within such justice of the peace districts. Provided this act shall not take effect until January 1, 1936.”

The situation is unique in that the municipal court of the city of Lincoln is substituted for justices of the peace for territory outside the city limits. The municipal court in the city of Lincoln had jurisdiction coextensive with Lancaster county. Comp. St. 1929, sec. 22-201. The judge of the court is elected by the voters within the city. In order to be eligible for the office, he must have resided within the city for a period of five years.

The power of the legislature to enact chapter 59, Laws 1935, must rest upon section 1, art. V of the Constitution of the state of Nebraska: “The judicial power of the state shall be vested in a supreme court, district courts, county courts, justices of the peace, and such other courts inferior to the supreme court as may be created by law; but other courts may be substituted by law for justices of the peace toithin such districts, and with such additional civil and criminal jurisdiction as may be provided by law.” (Italics ours, to indicate the amendment of 1920.) Prioir to 1920, the legislature did not have the power to substitute another court for a justice court. In State v. Kubat, 110 Neb. 362, 193 N. W. 754, this court stated: “Formerly the Constitution contained no pro[242]*242vision for substituting other courts for justices of the peace, and the legislature had attempted to establish municipal courts with exclusive jurisdiction within the limits of counties over all civil matters up to $1,000. This court held that the legislature had no such authority under the Constitution. State v. Magney, 52 Neb. 508.”

A justice of the peace is a constitutional officer, and legislative action relative thereto is limited by the Constitution. See Conroy v. Hallowell, 94 Neb. 794, 144 N. W. 895, which holds that a county judge is a constitutional officer.. The same reasons apply to a justice of the peace.

The legislative action exercised in this instance must rest upon the constitutional provision above set out “but other courts may be substituted by law for justices of the peace within such districts.” The legislature substituted another court for justice of the peace in the tenth district. They substituted the municipal court of Lincoln. The legislature had already conferred jurisdiction over the entire district upon the municipal court of Lincoln. In State v. Kubat, supra, it was held that the municipal court could be substituted for justice of the peace courts within the district. The situation in that case was different in some respects from this, because there the municipal court of Omaha was substituted for justices of the peace within the sixteenth district, the territory of which was coextensive with the city of Omaha. But it is authority for the rule that a municipal court may be substituted by law for justices of the peace within such districts. Const. art. V, sec. 1.

The legislative action is questioned for the reason that the electors of the justice of the peace district No. 10 residing outside the city of Lincoln are not permitted by law to vote for the judge of the municipal court of the city of Lincoln. It is urged that electors have a constitutional right to vote that is accorded other electors of the territory from or for which such officer is elected.

This argument is based upon section 22, art. I of the Constitution, which is: “All elections shall be free; and [243]*243there shall be no hindrance or impediment to the right of a qualified voter to exercise the elective franchise.” Section 1, art. VI, provides: “Every citizen of the United States, who has attained the age of twenty-one years, and has resided within the state for six months and within the county and voting precinct for the term provided by law, shall be an elector.”

Is the constitutional right of citizens to vote impeded or hindered by this statute? The relator asserts that no right is violated and cites three cases to support his contention. In State v. Hanson, 80 Neb. 724, 115 N. W. 294, the question arose relative to a statute providing for the election of officers of a drainage district. It was provided that only landowners in the district could vote and should have one vote for each acre of land. It was held that the last-cited provision of the Constitution does not apply to an election of officers for a drainage district.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
267 N.W. 466, 131 Neb. 239, 1936 Neb. LEXIS 203, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-wright-v-brown-neb-1936.