State v. Guest
State v. Guest
Opinion of the Court
The third section of the twelfth chapter of the Penal Code, authorises the judge of the county court to issue a writ of habeas corpus, to cause to be brought before him, any person “confined in the county jail, on any cause whatever, other than a commitment for, or a conviction of felony, or by the sentence or decree of the circuit court, or court of chancery, &c;” and if the prisoner’s detention is illegal, “he shall be discharged; if otherwise, he shall be committed by wan-ant to the pj’oper custody, or admitted to bail, as may be in accordance with law.”— Clay’s Dig. 462.] The eighth section of the eighth chapter of the Penal Code, enacts that “the term felony, when used in any statute, shall be construed to mean an offence, for which the offender on conviction, shall be liable by law, to be punished by death, or for which, imprisonment in the penitentiary is made the appropriate punishment.” [Clay’s Dig. 439.] The offence for which the defendant was indicted, is punishable with “imprisonment in the penitentiary, not less than two, and not exceeding ten years.” [Clay’s Dig, 429.]
Taking these several enactments together, and it is perfectly clear, that the proceedings of the county judge upon the habeas corpus were coram non judice, and he had no authority to discharge Hampton from confinement. But, it by no means follows,
Reference
- Full Case Name
- State v. GUEST
- Status
- Published