TINDER, PROS. ATTY. v. Clarke Auto Co., Inc.

149 N.E.2d 808, 238 Ind. 302, 1958 Ind. LEXIS 234
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedApril 30, 1958
Docket29,611
StatusPublished
Cited by24 cases

This text of 149 N.E.2d 808 (TINDER, PROS. ATTY. v. Clarke Auto Co., Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
TINDER, PROS. ATTY. v. Clarke Auto Co., Inc., 149 N.E.2d 808, 238 Ind. 302, 1958 Ind. LEXIS 234 (Ind. 1958).

Opinions

Achor, J.

This action was brought by appellee oh behalf of himself and all other motor vehicle dealers similarly situated to enjoin the appellants from enforcing the provisions of Chapter 222, §2, p. 490, Acts 1957 (being §10-4305, Burns’ 1957 Supp.). The law subjects motor vehicle dealers who engage in the business of buying, selling and/or exchanging motor vehicles at retail on Sunday to fines and/or imprisonment1 *3 greater than that imposed upon this and other busi[306]*306nesses which are made unlawful by the general Sunday closing law.* 2

The injunction was asked for on the ground that the classification of the act which imposed a greater penalty on the class was “wholly arbitrary and unreasonable,” and therefore unconstitutional, in violation of Article 1, §23, and Article 4, §§22 and 23 of the Indiana Constitution.3 The injunction was granted, as prayed. The error assigned is that the court erred in granting the temporary injunction and the only issue presented thereunder is whether the act violates the above referred to provisions of the Indiana Constitution.4 We will therefore consider only these issues as presented by the litigants in the record before us.

[307]*307It is not- disputed that each of the foregoing provisions permit reasonable classification. The legal principles which govern the validity of classifications within the limitation of the above constitutional provisions have long- been settled. In the case of State v. Griffin (1948), 226 Ind. 279, at pages 285, 287, 288, 289, 290-291, 79 N. E. 2d 537, this court considered and upheld the validity of a statute making it a crime for males, but not females, to visit gambling houses. In that case, as in this, it was contended that the statute violated each of the three constitutional provisions referred to above. In sustaining the statute this court considered said three constitutional provisions as related to the particular classification.

This court first considered Article 1, §23, supra:

“ ‘The General Assembly shall not grant to any citizen, or class of citizens, privileges, or immunities which, upon the same terms, shall not equally belong to all citizens.’ ” (P. 285.)

With respect to this provision the court reasoned as follows:

“In the matter of the classification of objects for the purpose of legislation, the rules have been well stated thus:
‘. . . It is, of course, competent for the legislature to classify objects of legislation. It has a large discretion in this regard, and if the classification is reasonable, not artificial or arbitrary, and rests upon some substantial difference of situation or circumstances indicating the necessity or propriety. of legislation restricted to the class created, it will be upheld. It must have regard to the character of the legislation and the distinctions must bear a proper relation to the classification. . . . However, if these fundamental requirements are present, it has been said that classification need not be scientific, consistent, logical or exact. It is not necessary that the reason for the classification [308]*308should appear on the face of the legislation. In determining the propriety of the classification the court may resort to facts that are within its judicial knowledge, contemporaneous conditions and situations of peoples, existing state policies, and matters of common knowledge.’ 59 C. J., Statutes, §319, pp. 732, 733.
“See also Fountain Park Co. v. Hensler (1927), 199 Ind. 95, 101, 155 N. E. 465; Sarlls, City Clerk v. State ex rel. (1929), 201 Ind. 88, 104, 166 N. E. 270; Long v. State (1910), 175 Ind. 17, 92 N. E. 653. (P. 287.)
“Any classification that may be made, necessarily is arbitrary. The most that can be said is that some may be more arbitrary than others. Horack’s Sutherland Statutory Construction (2d Ed.) §2106—quoted in Perry Twp. v. Indianapolis Power & Light Co., supra, at page 68 (224 Ind. 59, 64 N. E. 2d 296). (Our italics.)
“The desirability, or need for legislation is entirely for the legislature to determine. The question of its wisdom in adopting a classification is a matter of no concern to the courts. The courts may determine only whether the classification is founded on substantial distinctions in the subject matter, or is so manifestly unjust and unreasonable as to destroy the lawful use of property. Koplovitz v. Jensen (1926), 197 Ind. 475, 487, 151 N. E. 390; Bedford Quarries Co. v. Bough (1907), 168 Ind. 671, 80 N. E. 529, 14 L. R. A. (N. S.) 418. (Our italics.) (P. 288.)
“ . . . The section complained of is but an implementation of the police power of the state, to guard the morals of the citizens, and to forbid any one from visiting such places of iniquity. In such matters the legislature has a large discretion. It may determine when such legislation is needed and the means necessary to accomplish the intended purpose. . . . The exercise of a purely police power, when applied alike to all who may be affected in its exercise cannot violate §23, Art. 1 of the Indiana Constitution. . . .” (P. 289.)
[309]*309"'... The General Assembly shall not pass local or special laws, in any of the following enumerated cases, that is to say: . . . (2) for the punishment of crimes or misdemeanors. . . .’” (P. 290.)

This court next considered Article 4, §22, supra:

With regard to that provision this court stated:

“This section of the Constitution is not violated by the involved act, because it applies to all who come within its provisions, generally and without exceptions, and it rests upon an inherent and substantial basis of classification. ‘A law which applies generally to a particular class of cases is not local or special. The Constitution does not require that the operation of a law shall be uniform, other than that its operation shall be the same in all parts of the state under the same circumstances.’ Sarlls, City Clerk v. State ex rel., supra, page 104; Saraceno v. State (1931), 202 Ind. 663, 666, 177 N. E. 436.” (Our italics.) (PP. 290-291.)

Finally the court considered Article 4, §23, supra:

“ Tn all the cases enumerated in the preceding Section, and in all other cases where a general law can be made applicable, all laws shall be general and of uniform operation throughout the State.

With regard to this provision the court merely stated:

“What we have said above applies to the contention that the statute involved violates §23, of Art. 4 of the Constitution of Indiana, . . .” (P. 291.)

Furthermore, it is a matter of common knowledge that, with regard to other offenses, the legislature has enacted many “special laws” which have imposed greatly varied penalties “for the punishment of crimes and misdemeanors” (Art. 4, §22, supra) within certain other general classifications of crime, depending upon the type of each particular offense.

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TINDER, PROS. ATTY. v. Clarke Auto Co., Inc.
149 N.E.2d 808 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1958)

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Bluebook (online)
149 N.E.2d 808, 238 Ind. 302, 1958 Ind. LEXIS 234, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/tinder-pros-atty-v-clarke-auto-co-inc-ind-1958.