Stair v. Lunke
Stair v. Lunke
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of tbe court.
This action was commenced on the twenty-sixth day of March, 1914, by the filing of a complaint in the office of the clerk of the district eourt at Plentywood, Sheridan County, in the Twelfth judicial district. On July 15 the defendant filed his answer to the complaint. On June 28, 1915, after issue joined, the defendant filed a disqualifying affidavit against Hon. Frank N. Utter,
“Comes now the above-named defendant and moves the above-entitled court to make an order transferring the above-entitled cause to Richland County, in the Seventh judicial district in the state of Montana, on the grounds and for the reason that a disqualifying affidavit has been filed in said action disqualifying Hon. Frank N. Utter, judge of the above-named court, and for that reason is disqualified to try said matter, and that the district court of Richland County, Mont., is the nearest district court to the above court in which like objections to the judge of said court does not exist. This motion is made upon all the files and records of said court and the minutes of the court heretofore made therein.
“Dated this 28th day of June, 1915.
“R. O. Lunke,
“Defendant.”
On the 3d of January, 1916, one day preceding the date upon which the cause was regularly set for trial, the defendant, R. O. Lunke, filed a disqualifying affidavit against Hon. C. C. Hurley, the judge of the Seventh judicial district, sitting at the town of Sidney, and before whom the trial was to be had, stating that he (defendant) “had reason to believe and does believe that said defendant, R. O. Lunke, cannot have a fair and impartial trial and hearing in said matter before Hon. C. C. Hurley, judge thereof, by reason of the bias and prejudice of said C. C. Hurley.” Thereupon, under the direction of the court, the following statement and order were entered in the minutes of the court: “This case was transferred here without any invitation on the part of this court, and on motion of the defendant, and I will ignore the disqualifying affidavit and proceed to trial. * * * I don’t believe you have a right to disqualify a judge
Appellant’s contention is that upon the filing of the disqualifying affidavit against Hon. C. C. Hurley his authority ceased,
No reason is suggested by appellant why a statement obviously made to the court in Sheridan County for the purpose of obtaining a transfer to another district should be disregarded in Richland County. If defendant, when he asked Judge Utter to
The right to disqualify a judge accorded by the statute (Rev. Codes, sec. 6315, subd. 4) is wholly a personal privilege which a party may waive and does waive until he sets its machinery in motion in the prescribed mode. “Anyone may waive the advantage of a law intended solely for his benefit.” (Sec. 6181.) The statement of Mr. Lunke found in his motion before Judge Utter, in the light of the reasoning in the opinion of this court in Washoe Copper Co. v. Hickey, 46 Mont. 363, 128 Pac. 584, is proof against his contention that a waiver is not made out against him. In that ease Mr. Justice Holloway, speaking for this court,said: “The situation of a trial judge is somewhat similar to that of a juror. A litigant may exercise his challenge for cause as against the prospective juror, and may likewise disqualify the sitting judge for cause under the first three subdivisions of section 6315 above. But in either instance the particular ground of challenge must appear. To disqualify a judge under subdivision 4, above, the litigant is not required to state any facts upon which his claim of the judge’s bias or prejudice is founded, and in this aspect of the case the proceeding is analogous to that invoked in, the exercise of a peremptory challenge to a juror. It is not the bias or prejudice which works his disqualification, but the mere filing of the affidavit in time, even though the judge against whom it is aimed be entirely free from either charge.
The judgment is affirmed.
’Affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- STAIR v. LUNKE
- Status
- Published