Nelms v. Summers
Nelms v. Summers
Opinion of the Court
Summers, the ordinary of the county of Rockdale, suing for the use of certain wards, brought an action against Nelms and his sureties on a guardian’s bond. It appears from the record that Nelms received certain Confederate money on the 7th of March, 1864; that he never had any property or other money of his ward’s in his hands; that on the same day that he received the Confederate notes, he applied, under the acts of the general assembly of 1861 and 1863, to the. judge of the superior court for direction as to the manner in which he should invest, and that said judge directed him to invest in Confederate securities, and that he did so, and produced them on the trial. The court held that he was not protected. We think that he was protected. The acts of 1861 and 1863 fully authorized the application, the direction of the court, and the investment: See acts of 1861, page 32; and acts of 1863 and 1864, page 29. These acts are not in conflict with the constitution of Georgia, for they were affirmed by the ' convention which framed’ that instrument, and the decision and judgment of our courts are protected in the instrument itself, and declared to be valid and binding: Code, section 5147. Are they in conflict with the constitution of the United States? We think not. They were passed, it is true, during the war between the Confederate and the United States, but their passage was in no sense a war measure, nor in aid of it. They were enacted to protect wards and minors in their estates, at a time when everything was uncertain, and all securities were doubtful. They were enacted to relieve trustees from embarrassment, and to throw around them judicial protection. The acts in question were to regulate the intercourse between our own citizens, at a time when the constitution and laws of the United States were without practi
Judgment reversed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Thomas Nelms, in error v. John W. B. Summers, ordinary, for use, etc., in error
- Cited By
- 1 case
- Status
- Published