State v. Drury

139 P. 1129, 25 Idaho 787, 1914 Ida. LEXIS 31
CourtIdaho Supreme Court
DecidedApril 22, 1914
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 139 P. 1129 (State v. Drury) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Idaho Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Drury, 139 P. 1129, 25 Idaho 787, 1914 Ida. LEXIS 31 (Idaho 1914).

Opinion

SULLIVAN, J.

This is an appeal from the district court of the second judicial district in and for Latah county, affirming the judgment of the probate court of that county, wherein and whereby the defendant was found guilty of the crime of contributing to the delinauency of a juvenile person, to wit, [789]*789one Delia Feeney, and upon such conviction was sentenced to a term of sixty days’ imprisonment in the county jail of said county. An appeal was taken from the judgment of said probate court to said district court by the defendant. When the matter came on for hearing in the district court, the county attorney filed a motion or request that the defendant be allowed to present all questions of law pertaining to said case on said appeal and that he be not given a trial de novo, which request or motion was granted by the court, and the defendant was denied a trial de novo in the district court.

The case was then presented upon questions of law to the district court and thereafter a judgment was entered affirming the judgment and sentence of the probate court. This appeal is from that judgment.

The errors assigned go to the sufficiency of the complaint and the action of the court in denying the defendant a trial de novo.

The action against the appellant was instituted under the provisions of sec. 159 of chap. 159 (Laws 1911, p. 545), by a complaint filed by the county attorney. Said section is as follows:

“In all cases where any child shall be a delinquent child, a juvenile delinquent person, or a juvenile disorderly person, as defined by this act, the parent or parents, legal guardian, or person having the custody of such child, or any other person responsible for, or by any act encouraging, causing or contributing to the delinquency of such child, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon trial and conviction thereof shall be fined in a sum not to exceed three hundred dollars ($300), or imprisonment in the county jail for a period of not exceeding six months, or shall suffer both fine and imprisonment. The court may impose conditions upon any person found guilty under this act, and so long as such person shall comply therewith to the satisfaction of the court, the sentence imposed may be suspended.”

The charging part of the information is as follows:

“That the said John Drury, on or about the 15th or 16th day of February, A. D. 1913, in the county of Latah, state of [790]*790Idaho, then and there being, did then and there wilfully and unlawfully contribute to and encourage the delinquency of one Delia Feeney, by then and there permitting and encouraging the said Delia Feeney to use and occupy, for the -purpose of having other persons to have sexual intercourse with her, a certain building in the village of Deary, Latah county, state of Idaho, known as ‘G-rannis & Drury’s Pool Hall,’ and which said building was then and there in his charge and was then and there a public place, and the said Delia Feeney being then and there a juvenile delinquent person and delinquent child.”

It is contended by counsel for appellant that defendant was prosecuted and found guilty of the crime of a misdemeanor and that such crime is clearly within the criminal jurisdiction of the courts of justices of the peace and the probate courts. It is declared in said sec. 159 that one guilty of the acts charged therein “shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and upon trial and conviction thereof shall be fined in a sum not to exceed three hundred dollars ($300), or imprisonment in the county jail for a period of not exceeding six months, or shall suffer both fine and imprisonment. ’ ’

Under the provisions of sec. 21, art. 5, of the state constitution, probate courts are given concurrent jurisdiction with justices of the peace in criminal cases, and by the provisions of sec. 385-4, Rev. Codes, justices’ courts are given jurisdiction of all misdemeanors punishable by fine not exceeding $300 or imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding six months or by both such fine and imprisonment.

It will be observed that by the provisions of said sec. 159, the same penalty is provided for the misdemeanor therein mentioned as for misdemeanors of which the justices’ courts have jurisdiction and of which the probate court is given concurrent jurisdiction by the provisions of sec. 3841, Rev. Codes. See. 4320, Rev. Codes, provides that a defendant may appeal to the district court of the county from any judgment of conviction rendered in a criminal action by a probate or justice’s court, and sec. 8325, Rev. Codes, provides that the clerk of the district court must file the papers in such appealed cases and enter the action on the calendar in its order with other crim[791]*791inal eases, “and the same mnst be tried anew in the district court at the next term thereof unless for good cause the same be continued.”

It is clear that if the misdemeanor of which the defendant was convicted is included within the misdemeanors over which justices’ courts have jurisdiction, then on an appeal from a judgment of conviction the defendant has a right to a new trial, or a trial de novo, unless the legislature had the power and authority to prohibit in such cases a trial de novo on such appeals.

It is contended on behalf of the state that the legislature had such power and exercised that power by the adoption of sec. 165 of said act, which provides that “All orders or final judgments made by any probate court or judge thereof under this chapter may be reviewed upon questions of law only. ’ ’ It was evidently under the provisions of that section that the district court denied the appellant a trial do novo and confined his appeal to questions of law.

Sec. 178 of said act provides, among other things, as follows: “All offenses under this act shaE be prosecuted in the probate court,” and it is contended by counsel for appellant that if said section 165 prohibits the trial of a misdemeanor anew on appeal, said provisions are unconstitutional and void. It is clear to us that the provisions of sec. 165 relate only to orders or final judgments made by a probate court sitting as a juvenile court and affect only juvenile delinquent persons or juvenile disorderly persons, and do not affect adults where such adults are prosecuted for the misdemeanors referred to in sec. 159 of said act.

The defendant was found guilty by the court of contributing to the delinquency of said minor, which act is declared to be a misdemeanor, and on appeal the district court held, under the provisions of said sec. 165, that the defendant was not entitled to a trial de novo but was only entitled to be heard upon questions of law arising in the case. Under the provisions of said sec. 21, art. 5, of the constitution, and said sec. 3841, Rev. Codes, the probate court is given concurrent criminal jurisdiction with justices of the peace, and the legislature by subd. [792]*7923 of sec. 3854, Rev. Codes, gives justices’ courts jurisdiction over “all misdemeanors punishable by a fine not exceeding three hundred dollars or imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding six months, or by both such fine and imprisonment. ”

The offense defined by said sec. 159 comes clearly within the criminal jurisdiction of justices of the peace and of probate courts. The question then is presented whether the legislature had authority to give the probate court exclusive jurisdiction in such misdemeanor cases.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
139 P. 1129, 25 Idaho 787, 1914 Ida. LEXIS 31, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-drury-idaho-1914.