Buckley v. Holmes
Buckley v. Holmes
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
By the Act of May 19, 1874, P. L. 206, the Orphans’ Courts-of the State are made courts of record. Under-Section,25. of Article V of the Constitution, “any vacancy happening by death, resignation or otherwise, in any court of record, shall be filled by appointment by the Governor,’to continue till the first Monday of January next succeeding the first general election, which shall occur three or more months after the happening of such vacancy.” This provision remains unchanged, and, but for certain amendments' to-others.-in, the .Constitution, it could not be questioned that the successor of Judge Dallett — who died August 23, 1917, — would, be an appointee of the'Governor, to serve until the first Monday-of January after the general election in 1918, when a successor- would be elected by the electors of the county.
Section 2, Article VIII, of the Constitution, as origi
The February election has been abolished, and there is now but one election each year, held on the Tuesday following the first Monday of November. The general election is biennial in each even-numbered year; the municipal, on the same day in odd-numbered years. The first question to be considered is, at which of these elections are Orphans’ Court judges elected?
By the amendments of 1909 it was intended to get rid of the spring election and to continue the constitutional provision for the election of local or municipal officers on a day different from that on which general State of4 ficers are elected. While judges of the several judicial
The second question for determination is, Shall Judge Dallett’s successor be elected this year or in 1919? As already observed, Section 25 of Article V of the Constitution has never been changed. It remains just as it was originally adopted. It is a section of “The Judiciary” article, and specifically provides that any vacancy happening by death in any court of record shall be filled by appointment by the Governor, “to continue till the first Monday of January next succeeding the first general election, which shall occur three or more months after the happening of such vacancy.” This means that if the vacancy happens within three months preceding the next election at which judges are elected, the appointee shall hold his office until the first Monday of January following the second election for judges held after the death which caused the vacancy. By Section 8, Article IV, of the Constitution, known as “The Executive” article, it is provided that the Governor shall fill, by appointment, vacancies in certain offices, including “a judicial office”; and a further provision is that “in any such case of vacancy, in an elective office, a person shall be chosen to sai.d office at the next general election, unless the vacancy shall happen within three calendar months immediately preceding such election, in which case the election for said office shall be held at the second succeeding general election.”. This provision was entirely consistent with Section 25 of Article V. Has that section been made inoperative by the amendment of 1909, amending Section 8 of Article IV ? That section, as amended, declares that, in case of vacancy in an elective office, the person appointed by the Governor
The amendment of Section S, Article IV, of the Constitution, does not purport to be a new provision. It recites the original section, and the meaning now to be given to the words, “in a judicial office,” is the same as if the section had not been amended. This is conceded by learned counsel for appellees, who also frankly admits that “It necessarily follows that when Article IY, Section 8, was amended, and the words in a judicial office remained unchanged, they cannot be given such an enlarged meaning as to render Article V, Section 25, wholly nugatory; and hence now, as before the amendment, Article Y, Section 25, governs and the vacancy caused by the death of Judge Dadlett is not to be filled at the present time.”
And now, October 15, 1917, the decree of the court below is reversed, the bill is reinstated, and it is ordered, adjudged and decreed that the defendants, and each of them, be perpetually enjoined and restrained from printing upon the official ballot for the election to be held November 6,1917, any name or names whatsoever of persons nominated for the office of judge of the Orphans’ Court of Philadelphia County, other than those nominated at the primary held September 19, 1917, to fill the vacancies caused by the expiration of the terms of office of the Honorable Joseph F. Lamorelle and Honorable Edward A. Anderson, the costs below and on this appeal to be paid by the County of Philadelphia.
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- Elections — Judges—Orphans’ Court -judges — Constitutional law —Constitution of Pennsylvania, Art. 7, Sec. SB; Art. 7111, Sec. £ — Constitutional Amendments of 1909, P. L. 91/8 — Time of election. 1. An Orphans’ Court judge is not a judge of a designated judicial district of a state, but of the court of the county-in which he resides. If there be one of two, three or four counties, constituting a single judicial district, such judge is not a judge of that district with jurisdiction extending all over it, as in the case of each of the Common Pleas judges within it. His jurisdiction is limited to the county in which his court exists. 2. The intent of the sixth constitutional amendment of 1909, (P. L. 948), was to eliminate the spring election and to continue the constitutional provisions for the election of local or municipal officers on a day different fronrthat on -which general State officers are-elected; judges of the -several judicial districts are State offleers .but the duties .which they perform are local and under the sixth amendment of 1909 they are in the class of officers to be electee! at the municipal elections. S. It is the- intent of such amendhlQnt that Orphans’ Court judges of the State are to be elected at the same time that elections are held for judges of the courts for the several judicial districts and for county, city, ward, borough and township officers for regular terms of service, and it is not material that they are not judges of the courts for the several judici.al districts or that there are no provisions in the Constitution, other than the sixth amendment of 1909 (P. L. 948), under which they can be elected. 4. Under Section 25 of Article V, and Section 8 of Article IY of the Constitution, where a vacancy happens by reason of death in a court of record within three months prior to the next election for judges, the vacancy is to be filled by appointment by the governor until the first Monday of January next succeeding the second election for judges after the occurrence of such vacancy, and this provision has not been made inoperative by the sixth amendment of 1909, amending Section 8 of Article IV, and providing that in the case of a vacancy in an elective office, the person appointed by the governor to fill it shall be succeeded by someone chosen on the next election day appropriate for such office, unless the vacancy shall happen within two calendar months immediately preceding such election, in which case the election for said office.shall be held on the second succeeding election day appropriate for such office. 5. A judge of the Orphans’ Court died within three months and more than two months prior to the next election for judges. Nomination petitions were prepared nominating certain persons as candidates for the vacancy caused by the death of such judge. In a suit in equity brought by a taxpayer to enjoin the county commissioners from printing the names of the nominees mentioned in such petition upon the ballots, the lower court dismissed the bill. Held, that the vacancy caused by the death of such judge could not be filled at the next election for judges, but must be filled by the governor, the incumbent holding office until the first Monday of January following the second election for judges held after the occurrence of such vacancy, and the decree was reversed with directions to grant the relief prayed for.