Brown v. People

Michigan Supreme Court
Brown v. People, 39 Mich. 57 (Mich. 1878)
1878 Mich. LEXIS 203
Campbell, Cooley, Graves, Marston

Brown v. People

Opinion of the Court

Cooley, J.

In Nelson v. The People, 38 Mich., 618, disposed of at the last term, I expressed the opinion that where a party is convicted in a court of record of an offense for which he might have been tried in justice’s court, it was not competent for the court to impose upon him a sentence more severe than could have been imposed had he been tried in justice’s court. This case is one of that class; the offense being assault and battery, and the punishment for that offense, when imposed by a justice of the peace, being limited to three months.

The sentence imposed by the Recorder is of imprisonment for one year. By statute — Comp. L., § 7998 — a sentence merely excessive is to be reversed for the excess only, and this should therefore be affirmed as a sentence for three months only, and reversed as to the remainder.

Campbell, C. J., concurred. Graves, J.

Whilst 1 am not clear that the view here taken is correct, I am not prepared to say it is wrong, .and therefore I concur.

Marston, J., concurred.

Reference

Full Case Name
William Brown v. The People
Cited By
4 cases
Status
Published