United States ex rel. Mudsill Min. Co. v. Swan

65 F. 647, 13 C.C.A. 77, 1895 U.S. App. LEXIS 2253
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
DecidedFebruary 5, 1895
DocketNo. 269
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 65 F. 647 (United States ex rel. Mudsill Min. Co. v. Swan) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States ex rel. Mudsill Min. Co. v. Swan, 65 F. 647, 13 C.C.A. 77, 1895 U.S. App. LEXIS 2253 (6th Cir. 1895).

Opinion

TAFT, Circuit Judge

(after stating the case as above), delivered the opinion of the court.

Section 12 of the act of congress of March 3, 1891 (26 Stat. 729), establishing circuit courts of appeals, provides that those courts “shall have the powers specified in section 716 of the Revised Statutes of the United States.” • Section 716, Rev. St., provides that:

• “The supreme court and the circuit and district courts shall have power to .issue writs of scire facias. They shall also have power to issue all writs not specifically provided for by statute, which may be necessary for the exercise of their respective jurisdictions, and agreeable to the usages and principles •of law.”

In so far as the writ of mandamus is necessary for the exercise of the jurisdiction of this court as conferred by law, we have no doubt of our power to issue it. Where, therefore, a circuit or disrict court fails to execute a mandate of this court in a cause brought here by appeal or writ of error, it is not to be questioned that we may compel its execution by mandamus. Gaines v. Rugg, [649]*649148 U. S. 228, 13 Sup. Ct. 611. It is to be observed, however, that by the fifth section of the circuit court of appeals act; appeals or writs of error may be taken from the district courts or from the existing circuit courts direct to the supreme court “in any case in which the jurisdiction of the court is in issue. In such cases the question of jurisdiction alone shall be certified to the supreme court from the court below for decision.” By the sixth section1 of the same act the circuit courts of appeal are given power “to exercise appellate jurisdiction to review by appeal or by writ of error final decisions in the district and the cxm"' 'g circuit courts in all cases other than those provided for” in the fifth section. It would seem to be clear, therefore, that where a circuit court or a district court refuses to hear a cause for want of jurisdiction, and the question thus decided may be heard on certificate in the supreme court under section 5, it would not be witbin tbe power of tbis court by mandamus to compel such circuit or district court to take jurisdiction of tbe cause, but that such power is vested in the supreme court whenever remedy by appeal or writ of error on certificate is not adequate. dust what is meant by tbe word “jurisdiction” in the first paragraph of section 5 has not yet been exactly defined by the supreme court. It is a term which is given a varying meaning. Thus a bill which states no ground for equitable relief is often said not to be within the jurisdiction of a court of equity, and yet it would hardly be a reasonable construction of the paragraph referred to that such a question could be carried by certificate of the circuit court direct to the supreme court There is strong ground for thinking that the first paragraph of that section was intended to apply only to the initial questions of the jurisdiction of a United States district or circuit court, whether in law or equity, over the subject-matter and parties, and not to questions whether a court of equity or of law is the proper forum for the working out of rights properly within the particular federal jurisdiction for adjudication. In the case at bar, Judge Swan refused to enforce under the statutes of Michigan the payment of a money decree by the issuance of a writ of garnishment in equity, because be conceived it not to be within the power and jurisdiction of a circuit court of the United States on its equity side to do so, but he did not deny that such a proceeding could be had on the law side of the court. Could such a question, on his certificate, be carried direct to the supreme court, under section 5 of the court of appeals act? We think not, for the reason suggested above; and, if not, then it is the subject-matter of review in this court by proper proceeding.

If an adequate remedy for Judge Swan’s refusal to enforce a writ of garnishment can. he had by appeal, there is no ground for the issuance of a mandamus. Ex parte Baltimore & O. R. Co., 108 U. S. 566, 2 Sup. Ct. 876. This depends in part on the question whether the order quashing the writ of garnishment was a final order. It seems to us that it was, because an execution for costs could issue [650]*650against the complainant in favor of the garnishees, who were, by his order, finally dismissed from the proceeding. A final decree had already been rendered in the case. This was a proceeding to enforce that by bringing in new parties against whom judgment was asked. The proceeding was dismissed, and they were entitled to their costs. In the case of Ex parte Baltimore & O. R. Co., above cited, it was sought to obtain a mandamus to compel a circuit court to take jurisdiction of a proceeding in replevin in which the circuit court had quashed the writ. It was held that error would lie, and furnished an adequate remedy, and therefore mandamus would not lie. Still the fact that appeal or error will lie does not always prevent the issuance of mandamus, because the former, though it exists, is not always an adequate remedy. Such is generally the case where the appellate court is asked by mandamus to compel compliance with its mandate by the lower court, which has failed to comply because of a misconstruction of the meaning of the mandate. Gaines v. Rugg, 148 U. S. 228, 243, 13 Sup. Ct. 611. It is said accordingly in support of the writ that it is here sought to compel the court below to enforce the mandate of this court. But this court never considered the question whether garnishment under the statutes of Michigan was a proper remedy in equity for enforcing a money decree, and there was nothing in the mandate intended to decide that question. The point considered and decided by Judge Swan was one subsequently arising, and, although his decision thereon is of a class usually controllable by mandamus, namely, refusals to take jurisdiction, we are nevertheless inclined to think that appeal would be an adequate remedy. But we do not propose to rest our decision of the case upon this point, for we are clearly of the opinion that, even if mandamus is the proper remedy, Judge Swan was right in quashing the writ.

The proceeding in garnishment is provided for in Michigan by 2 How. Ann. St. c. 277. The first section of that chapter (8058) as amended (3 How. Ann. St. p. 3751), provides that “in all personal actions arising upon contract, express or implied, brought in the several courts or municipal courts of jurisdiction, whether commenced by declaration, writs of capias, summons, or attachment, and in all cases where there remains any sum unpaid upon any judgment or decree rendered in any of the several courts herein before mentioned, * * * if the plaintiff * * * shall file with the clerk of said circuit court at the time of, or after the commencement of said suit, or at any time after rendition of judgment or decree,' an affidavit” that any person has money or property of defendants, and that he is justly apprehensive of loss unless a writ of garnishment issues, “a writ of garnishment shall be issued, sealed and tested in the same manner as writs of summons and directed to the sheriff, reciting the commencement of the suit or the rendition of the judgment or decree against the principal defendant,” and commanding the sheriff to summon such person to appear in court to make disclosure of all property or money of defendant held by him, and thenceforth to pay no money or property to the principal defendant.

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Bluebook (online)
65 F. 647, 13 C.C.A. 77, 1895 U.S. App. LEXIS 2253, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-ex-rel-mudsill-min-co-v-swan-ca6-1895.