People ex rel. Tallant v. Woods
People ex rel. Tallant v. Woods
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the Court—Burnett, J., concurring.
After a full re-examination of this case, I am satisfied that our former opinion was wrong. The error consisted in assuming
We do not mean to say that the Legislature could not alter or amend the law, in such particular as would serve to carry out the trust more fully, provided such amendment did not destroy the fund, or seriously impair the security which the law had offered to the bond-holders.
In the present case, the effect of the Consolidation Act, if maintained, would be to withdraw from the hands of the commissioners of the funded debt, a large amount of money, which they are authorized to loan for the benefit of bond-holders, and the direct consequence is to diminish the fund out of which they are entitled to be paid. Such legislation is obnoxious to that provision of the State and Federal Constitution which forbids the Legislature from passing laws impairing the obligation of contracts.
Judgment affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- THE PEOPLE ex rel. TALLANT v. WOODS
- Cited By
- 6 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- The act of 1851, creating the board of fund commissioners of San Francisco, was a law authorizing a contract between the city and her creditors, who surrendered the old indebtedness and took a new security, bearing a different rate of interest. This transaction was in the nature of a new contract, and the law authorizing it entered into and became part thereof, and cannot be altered or amended so as to impair or destroy the rights of parties under the contract. The provisions of the Consolidation Act of 1856, requiring that the sinking fund created by the act of 1851 should be first exhausted by the redemption of certificates of stock, before the treasurer should make payment annually of the sum of fifty thousand dollars, set apart by the first act for the paymemfc of interest and for the sinking fund, are unconstitutional.