Pardo v. Barrett
Pardo v. Barrett
Opinion of the Court
delivered the following opinion:
On January 12, 1924, the undersigned judge rendered an order and opinion in this case, one paragraph of which reads as follows: “I therefore feel obliged to reverse myself and to direct the defendant, John T. Barrett, as Federal prohibition director of Porto Rico, to issue to Lorenzo A. Pardo, the com
The attention of the court has been called by counsel for Pardo to the failure on the part of the defendant John T. Barrett to perform any act whatever in connection with this proceeding. After argument by counsel for Mr. John T. Barrett, the Federal prohibition director, in which my attention is called to the fact that the, permit is not issued by the Federal prohibition director, but that it is issued by the Federal Prohibition ’ Commissioner at Washington, the question arose as to whether or not this bill was defective by reason of the fact that the Federal Prohibition Commissioner at Washington is not a party to this proceeding.
I have carefully read the decision of District Judge Bud-kin, sitting in the northern district of California, rendered December 29, 1921, in the case of Lacks v. Mitchell, as Federal Prohibition Director, which opinion is reported in 278 Fed. 393. This was a proceeding in equity brought against the Federal prohibition director alone to review a decision of the Commissioner of Internal Eevenue at Washington, which decision refused an application for a permit to withdraw intoxicating liquor from a government bonded warehouse for beverage purposes. The'petition was denied because Judge Bud-kin held that-the National Prohibition Act limited such withdrawal for beverage purposes to private warehouses; but in connection with this case the point was also raised that the bill was defective because brought against the Federal prohibition director only. Judge Budkin in his opinion distinctly says that the Prohibition Act is silent on the question of venue and • .jurisdiction, and then he quotes subdivision 1 of § 1 of title 2,
Then there is a decision rendered by Mr. Circuit Judge Anderson of the first circuit, sitting in the district court of Massachusetts in the case of O’Sullivan v. Potter as Federal Prohibition Director, the opinion rendered about a year ago and reported in 290 Fed. 844. This was a proceeding in equity to review an order which revoked a drug store permit held by O’Sullivan. Judge Anderson decided that this permit had been properly revoked, because the proof was clear that the plaintiff had made a sale of synthetic gin to the husband of one of the ■witnesses. It is also to be observed that this was not a proceeding in equity to require the issuance of a permit, but it was an equity proceeding seeking to revoke the cancellation of a permit.
The interesting feature of this case, however, is that the government contended, that, inasmuch as the prohibition director of Massachusetts, Mr. Potter, had no authority to revoke the permit, and did not in fact revoke it, but this revocation took place in the city of Washington; that the Commissioner of Internal Revenue and the Prohibition Commissioner, both in Washington were necessary parties, and therefore there was a
It seems to me that the true construction of the act must be as stated by Judge Pudkin and Judge Anderson. In spite of that fact, however, I find the language of one paragraph of my order of January 12, 1924, unfortunately framed. Instead of directing the defendant, John T. Barrett as Federal prohibition director of Porto Pico, to issue to the complainant Pardo the permit which the latter requested, I should have stated that the defendant was directed to approve the issuance to said complainant of such permit, within five days from this date.
And therefore I now modify my previous order and opinion of January 12, 1924, so that the same will read as above set forth.
To this modified order and opinion the defendant John T. Barrett, as Federal prohibition director of Porto Rico, excepts.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- LORENZO A. PARDO v. JOHN T. BARRETT, as Federal Prohibition Director, Dft.
- Status
- Published