City of Akron v. Roth
City of Akron v. Roth
Opinion of the Court
The two cases entitled, and numerous others of which they are types, are submitted on motions to dismiss the petition in error. In the case firstly entitled, the judgment of the court of appeals, whose' reversal is sought, was rendered in a case that was pending in the circuit court of Summit county on the first day of January, 1913.
In the case secondly entitled the judgment of the court of appeals, whose reversal is sought here, was rendered in a cause not pending in the circuit court at that day but taken to the court of appeals on the 18th of February, 1913.
The petitions in error in both of these cases have been filed here with copies of the record in accordance with the practice which had grown up under the provision of the constitution of. 1851 relating to the appellate jurisdiction of this court
. The questions chiefly arise out of the amendment to the fourth article of the constitution then adopted which relates to the vesting and the exercise of the judicial power of the- state. The article, as is admitted, became effective January 1, 1913. The second section of the article contains a formal grant of jurisdiction to this court as follows: The supreme court “shall have original jurisdiction in quo warranto, mandamus, habeas corpus, prohibition and procedendo and appellate jurisdiction in all cases involving questions arising under the constitution of the United States or of this state, in cases of felony on leave first obtained, and in cases which originated in the courts of appeals, and such revisory jurisdiction of the' proceedings of administrative officers as may be conferred by law.” Then follow in the same section provisions relative to the election of the judges and the manner in which the jurisdiction of the court shall be exercised. Later in the' same section there is the following provision: “In cases of public or great general interest the supreme court may, within such limitation of time as may be prescribed by law, direct any court of appeals to.
It seems to be quite clear that the judgments of the court of appeals in proceedings in error which were begun in that court after January 1, 1913, may be reviewed here only upon the condition and in the manner prescribed in the fourth article as amended, and the entire sentence quoted from that article denotes an evident purpose to make some distinction in that particular between error proceedings instituted in the circuit court before and those instituted in the court of appeals after January 1, 1913, if they are entitled to consideration here for no other reason than that they are cases of public or great general interest. The condition expressly prescribed' is that they shall be cases of that character and the manner in which our jurisdiction is to be invoked and-exercised is indicated only by the following provision: “The supreme court may, within such limitation of time as may be prescribed by law, direct any court of appeals to certify its record to the supreme court, and may review, and affirm, modify or reverse the judgment of the court of appeals.”
Careful consideration is due the view that the jurisdiction of this court to review the judgments of the court of appeals in cases of public or great general interest may be invoked by a petition in error filed on leave, such leave to be granted on an application showing that the case is of public interest and so Avithin our jurisdiction and that substantial error has probably intervened. All else of our jurisdiction in error is conferred in the general and formal grant found in the earlier portion of the section of the amendment quoted. It is conferred under the designation of “appellate jurisdiction” in the same terms that were used in the constitution of 1851, laying the foundation of
The authority to review cases of this character is conferred by the terms of the amendment, apparently leaving the court to determine the manner in which its exercise shall be invoked. The legislature is authorized to prescribe the limb tation of time within which the order shall be made, which should be taken to mean the time within which it may be applied for: The authority so conferred upon the legislature not having been exercised, the entire subject seems to be within our authority to prescribe such rules as are consistent with law for the proper institution of cases here and their conduct before us. No limitation having yet been prescribed for invoking our authority with respect to cases of this character, a limitation of seventy days is now prescribed in analogy to the statute applicable to other cases in error but not to so .operate as to prevent a review of judgments of the court of appeals in cases which were brought into that court after the first of January, if they are cases of public or great general interest. Opportunity should now be granted for a resort to this court in accordance with the mode required by the amendment for cases of this character and with the rule herewith
Having thus stated our views of the provisions affecting the questions before us, we refer counsel and the bar of the state to the syllabus prefixed to this report for a definite statement of the rules prescribed.
The motion in the case first entitled will be overruled and in the other case it will be sustained.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- The City of Akron v. Roth The Central National Fire Insurance Company v. J. R. Roberts & Son
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- Supreme court jurisdiction—To review judgments of cases in lower c our ts~Cases pending in the circuit courts on January I, 1913, subject to appeal, to and review by supreme court, when—All cases pending in the courts of common pleas on January 1, 1913, subject to review only by court of appeals except, when—Limitation of seventy days from date of judgments of court of appeals— For tiling of application for hearing in supreme court except, when—Court procedure—Rules for advancement from lower to upper courts. 1. In determining the manner in which the exercise of the authority of this court to review judgments of the court of appeals in “cases of public or great general interest” under the constitutional amendments of 1912 shall be invoked conclusive effect should be given to the following provisions of the fourth article which relate especially to that subject: “In cases of public or great general interest the supreme court may, within such limitation of time as may be prescribed by law, direct any court of appeals to certify its record to the supreme court, and may review, and affirm, modify or reverse the judgment of the court of appeals;” and “All pending cases and proceedings in the circuit courts shall proceed to judgment and be determined by the respective courts of appeals, -and the supreme court, as now provided by law, and cases brought into said court of appeals after the taking effect hereof shall be subject to the provisions hereof.” In order that such effect may be given them, the provision of the final schedule that “all cases pending in the courts on the first day of January, 1913, shall be heard and tried in the same manner and by the same procedure as is now authorized by law” must be regarded as meaning that all cases pending in the several courts of the state shall proceed in such courts according to existing procedure. 2. In the procedure prescribed by the provisions of the fourth article all judgments which the court of appeals may render in cases involving questions arising under the constitution of the United States or of this state, in cases of felony (on leave first obtained) and in cases which originated in the court of appeals, ■without regard to the time when the cases may be brought into that court, there may be a review by this court by proceedings in error instituted in accordance with the laws in force January 1, 1913; and the same course may be taken for the review of judgments, of the court of appeals in cases of public or great general interest, if the cases were pending in the circuit court on said first day of January. 3. As to cases brought into the court of appeals after said first day of January, a proceeding to obtain a review by this court of a judgment of the court of appeals in a case of public or great general interest, and not within our jurisdiction for any other reason, must be instituted by an application for an order of this court directing the court of appeals to certify its. record in the case to this court, such application to be made by motion showing from the record (a) that the case is of public or great general interest, and (b) that error has probably intervened; notice of such motion to be given in accordance with the general rule. 4. No limitation as to the time of making such application having been prescribed by law, a limitation of seventy days from the date of such judgments in cases of public or great general interest as the court of appeals may hereafter render is hereby prescribed, and in cases of that character in which the court of appeals has already rendered final judgment since said first day of January, including the cases in which the motions now under consideration are filed, applications may be made at any time before the first day of January, 1914. 5. All proceedings in error instituted here for the review of judgments of the court of appeals in cases not within our jurisdiction, except as they may be cases of public or great general interest, and instituted without obtaining an order of this court to the court of appeals to certify its record, will be dismissed, but without prejudice to the right of the aggrieved party to apply here for such an order in accordance with propositions 3 and 4 of this syllabus. All motions to dismiss proceedings in error instituted here in accordance with the practice prescribed for proceedings in error by the law in force on the first day of January, 1913, in cases which at that date were pending in the circuit court will be overruled.