Hart v. Burnett
Hart v. Burnett
Opinion of the Court
In this case, the plaintiff presents a writ of error, directed to the Justices of the Supreme Court of this State, issued by the Clerk of the Circuit Court of the United States for the District of California, and applies for a citation to the defendants in error. The twenty-fifth section of the Judiciary Act of 1789 declares : “ That a final judgment or decree in any suit, in the highest Court of law or equity of a State in which a decision in the suit could be bad, where is drawn in question the validity of a treaty, or statute of, or an authority exercised under, the United States, and the decision is against their validity; or where is drawn in- question the validity of a statute of, or an authority exercised under-, any State, on the ground of their being repugnant to the Constitution, treaties or laws of the United States, and the decision is in favor of such their validity; or where is drawn in question the construction of any clause of the Constitution, or of a treaty,, or statute of, or commission held under the United States, and the decision is against the title, right, privilege or exemption specially set up or claimed by either party, under such clause of the said Constitution, treaty, statute or commission, may he reexamined and reversed or affirmed in the Supreme Court of the United States upon a writ of error— the citation being signed by the Chief Justice, or Judge, or Chancellor of the Court rendering or passing the judgment or decree complained of, or by a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, in the same manner and under the same regulations—and the writ shall have the same effect as if the judgment or decree complained of had been rendered or passed in a Circuit Court, and the proceeding upon the reversal shall also be the same, except that the Supreme Court, instead of remanding the cause for a final
In accordance with the views here expressed, I must, when applied to for a citation, judge, in the first instance, whether the case is covered by the Act of Congress. In the present case, there is
Application for citation denied.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- HART v. BURNETT
- Cited By
- 1 case
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- It is only final judgments or decrees of the highest Court of a State which ean be reexamined upon a writ of error by the Supreme Court of the United States. A judgment of this Court on appeal, reversing the judgment of a lower Court in an action of ejectment, and remanding the cause for a new trial—following a decision finally determining certain questions of law arising in the case which will control the Court below in its further action—is not a final judgment within the meaning of the twenty-fifth section of'the Judiciary Act of 1789.- The action of the presiding Judge of a State Court on the application for a citation upon a writ of error, directed to the Justices of that Court, issued by the Clerk of the Circuit Court of the United States, is so far judicial in its nature that he may refuse to issue the citation when in his judgment it is clear that the writ of error will not lie' for want of jurisdiction.