State ex rel. Main v. Crounse
State ex rel. Main v. Crounse
Opinion of the Court
This is an action to compel the governor to appoint an additional judge in the twelfth district, notwithstanding his veto of the bill providing for such additional judge, and failure of the legislature to pass the bill over the veto. It is alleged in the petition that “The relator, L. P. Main
To this petition the governor filed an answer as follows:
“Comes now Lorenzo Crounse and answering the petitition for mandamus filed in the above entitled cause, says:
“2. That Lorenzo Crounse is the duly elected, qualified, and acting governor of the state of Nebraska.
“3. That the twelfth judicial district in the state of Nebraska comprises the counties of Buffalo, Custer, Dawson, and Sherman. That on or about January 21, 1893, a bill know» as house roll No. 172, for an act to amend section 226 of chapter 3 of the Consolidated Statutes of Nebraska, by providing for an additional judge in the twelfth judicial district of said state, was duly introduced in the lower house of the twenty-third legislative assembly of Nebraska, which twenty-third legislative assembly was then in regular session; that on February 28, 1893, said bill entitled house roll No. 172 passed the lower house of the said twenty-third legislative assembly of Nebraska; that thereafter and on or about March 9, 1893, the said bill known as house roll No. 172 passed the upper house or the senate of the twenty-third legislative assembly; that said bill was duly presented to the governor of the state of Nebraska on or about the 10th day of March, 1893, and that after careful consideration, this respondent, as the said governor of the said state, did, for good and sufficient reasons, veto said bill, known as house roll No. 172, and that on said 13th day of March, 1893, said bill known as house roll No. 172, together with the veto message containing the objections of this respondent to the said bill, was duly returned to the lower house of the twenty-third legislative assembly of said state; that thereupon and in the manner provided by law the said bill known as house roll No. 172 was duly considered by said lower house of the twenty-third legislative assembly of Nebraska and the said veto of the said governor was by said body sustained; and thereupon and for said reasons said bill failed to become a law, and failed to jpass the legislature, in the manner and as provided by the
The relator demurred to the answer on the ground that the facts stated therein did not constitute a defense to the action.
Section 15, article 5, of the constitution provides: “Every bill passed by the legislature, before it becomes a law, and every order, resolution, or vote to which the concurrence of both houses may be necessary (except on questions of adjournment) shall be presented to the governor. If he approve, he shall sign it, and thereupon it shall becotiie a law; but if he do not approve, he shall return it, with his objections, to the house in which it shall have originated, which house shall enter the objections at large upon its journal, and proceed to reconsider the bill. If then three-fifths of the members elected agree to pass the same, it shall be sent, together with the objections, to the other house, by which it sháll likewise be reconsidered; and if approved by three-fifths of the members elected to that house it shall become a law, notwithstanding the objections of the governor. In all such cases the vote of each house shall be determined by yeas and nays, to be entered upon the journal.”
Section 11, article 6, provides: “The legislature, whenever two-thirds of the members elected to each house shall concur therein, may, in or after the year one thousand eight hundred and eighty, and not oftener than once in every four years, increase the number of judges of the district courts, and the judicial districts of the state. Such districts shall be formed of compact territory, and bounded by county lines; and such increase, or any change in the
The relator’s position is that the language of the section providing that the legislature may do that which in this case they have sought to do whenever two-thirds of the members elected to each house concur therein, is inconsistent with the provision requiring the executive approval of all laws, and that therefore a law of this kind can become operative upon its passage by both houses by a two-thirds majority. It is contended by him that not only would this seem to be in accordance with the constitution, but it is supported by reason, and whenever a reason for a rule ceases the rule also ceases, and certainly there can be no reason for submitting to the governor for his approval an act which to secure its original passage requires a larger number of votes than are required to pass any bill over the executive veto, and that there is authority for this position.
In Hall v. City of Racine, 50 N. W. Rep., 1094, the supreme court of Wisconsin discussed this question. The case arose over a municipal ordinance, which, from its peculiar nature, required a three-fourths vote of all the members elected to the council, and the court held that inasmuch as two-thirds of the members elected to the council were sufficient to pass the ordinance over the veto of the mayor, the ordinance having necessarily received a larger number of votes than were necessary to pass it over the veto of the mayor, became operative without submission to the mayor, and in discussing the question the court held that a similar provision in the state constitution will be similarly construed, saying the approved rules, both of statutory and constitutional construction, require that the special provision should be given full force whenever it is inconsistent with the general provision, and that the law would not require a useless thing, namely, the submission of a bill of this kind to the governor of a state or the
Writ denied.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- State of Nebraska, ex rel. L. P. Main v. Lorenzo Crounse, Governor
- Cited By
- 2 cases
- Status
- Published