State v. Shepard

300 N.W. 905, 239 Wis. 345, 1941 Wisc. LEXIS 154
CourtWisconsin Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 7, 1941
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 300 N.W. 905 (State v. Shepard) 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 v. Shepard, 300 N.W. 905, 239 Wis. 345, 1941 Wisc. LEXIS 154 (Wis. 1941).

Opinion

Fowler, J.

The defendant was convicted before a justice of the peace of an offense under the state game laws. He appealed to the circuit court where he waived a jury. On trial to the court the facts were stipulated to be as follows:

“One Nelson Shepard, an Indian, killed a deer on or about the 2d day of May, 1938, on land occupied by his father, Frank Shepard, an Indian duly enrolled in the band of the Potawatomi Indian tribe. Nelson Shepard gave half the deer to- Frank Shepard his father.
“On the 7th day of June, a conservation warden arrested Nelson Shepard, who admitted killing the deer, and was fined. Frank Shepard was also arrested, admitting having received half of the deer, but defended his rights to the possession thereof by virtue of he being an Indian residing upon land held in trust by the United States government, for the benefit of the Potawatomi Indians. His defense is, and was, that the state conservation warden had no authority or jurisdiction to arrest him for the possession of venison killed upon government land and possessed by Indians thereon.
*347 “The land upon which the Indians reside was deeded to the government of the United States of America, to have and to hold the same forever, and particularly for the purpose of allotments to individual members of the Wisconsin band of Potawatomi Indians residing in the states of Wisconsin and Michigan, as provided in the act of congress of June 30, 1913.
“The status of the Indian, by virtue of the act of congress of 1924, makes all Indians born within the territory of the United States, citizens thereof, and the said act in no way limits or abridges the guardianship of the United States of America with reference to the control of their property.
“The justice court found that Frank Shepard was guilty of illegal possession of venison in closed season, contrary to and in violation of section 29.39 of the Wisconsin statutes, and thereupon sentenced said defendant, Frank Shepard, to thirty (30) days in the Forest county jail, from which sentence Frank Shepard appeals.”

On the stipulated facts the circuit court found the defendant guilty. Being in doubt whether the defendant should be sentenced on this finding the court certified the following questions to this court for answer, pursuant to sec. 358.08, Stats.:

“1. Does the state of Wisconsin lose its sovereignty and criminal jurisdiction over lands acquired by the United States government in the state of Wisconsin where such lands are not acquired pursuant to an enabling act duly enacted by the legislature, but in a proprietary manner ?
“2. May a state conservation warden lawfully arrest a tribal Indian, residing on lands acquired by the United States in a proprietary manner, for a violation of state fish and game laws committed on such lands?”

The case turns on whether in criminal matters the land on which the defendant was in possession of the venison is under the jurisdiction of the United States or the state.

The defendant bases his claim that the jurisdiction stated is in the United States primarily on par. 17, sec. 8, art. I, of the United States constitution which provides that—

*348 “The congress shall have power ... To exercise exclusive Iegislation'in all cases whatsoever, . . . over all places purchased by the consent of the legislature of the state in which the same shall be, for the erection of forts, magazines, arsenals, dockyards, and other needful buildings; — And
“To make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by this constitution in the government of the United States, or .in any department or officer thereof.”

There is no question that had the defendant possessed the venison on land needful for any purpose purchased by the United States with the consent of the state, the state would have no jurisdiction to prosecute him for the offense charged. United States v. Unzeuta (1930), 281 U. S. 138, 50 Sup. Ct. 284, 74 L. Ed. 761. Sec. 1.01, Stats., declares that—

“The sovereignty and jurisdiction of this state extend to all places within the boundaries thereof . . . subject only to such rights of jurisdiction as have been or shall be acquired by the United States over any places therein. . . .”

Sec. 1.02, Stats., originally enacted in 1867, declares that—

“Subject to the conditions mentioned in section 1.03 the legislature hereby consents to the acquisitions heretofore effected and hereafter to be effected by the United States, by gift, purchase or condemnation proceedings, of the title to places or tracts of land within the state; and, subject to said conditions, the state hereby grants, cedes and confirms to the United States exclusive jurisdiction over all such places and tracts. Such acquisitions are limited to the following purposes:
“(1) To sites for . . . any purpose whatsoever contemplated by” par. 17, above quoted.

Subs. (2) and (3) of sec. 1.02, Stats., cover a forty-thousand-acre tract described to be used for military purposes and to structures on land acquired in improving navigation of *349 waters within or on the borders of the state. Sec. 1.03 establishes conditions precedent to the vesting of jurisdiction of the United States granted by sec. 1.02. It is not claimed or suggested that these conditions precedent required for the vesting of jurisdiction to the United States over the tract here involved have been performed, so that the state has not given the consent indicated by the phrase italicized in the above quotation of par. 17 of the United States constitution.

It is stated in Surplus Trading Co. v. Cook (1930), 281 U. S. 647, 650, 50 Sup. Ct. 455, 74 L. Ed. 1091, that:

“It is not unusual for the United States to own within a state lands which are set apart and used for public purposes. Such ownership and use without more do not withdraw the lands from the jurisdiction of the state. On the contrary, the lands remain part of her territory and within the operation.of her laws, save that the latter cannot affect the title of the United States or embarrass it in using the lands or interfere with its right of disposal.”

When the United States acquires land without the consent of the state for purposes other than stated in said par. 17 of sec. 8, art. I, of the United States constitution, and it is stipulated the land occupied by the defendant was acquired without the state’s'consent, the federal government does not exercise exclusive jurisdiction. The acquiring of land for federal purposes does not oust state jurisdiction in matters pertaining to state authority.

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Bluebook (online)
300 N.W. 905, 239 Wis. 345, 1941 Wisc. LEXIS 154, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-shepard-wis-1941.