Courts Commons^™

Equity - Contempt - Duration Of Imprisonment, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

Defendant, a trustee, refused to comply with a court order to turn over certain property to a receiver appointed by the court. She also refused to answer proper questions in a proceeding before a master. She was committed for contempt on January 5, 1934, to be held in jail till she complied with the court order and answered the questions. Her petition for release in July, 1937, was denied. Held, petition properly denied. Tegtmeyer v. Tegtmeyer, (Ill. App. 1937) 11 N. E. (2d) 657.

Jury - False Or Misleading Answers On Voir Dire As Grounds For A New Trial, James H. Kilbourne

Michigan Law Review

Defendant, a striking employee, was convicted of breach of the peace arising out of an assault on non-striking employees. Immediately preceding his trial the jurors had been interrogated on voir dire in a similar case. Counsel for defendant stated he would rely in part on that examination. In it the jurors had been asked whether they had either friends or relatives working at the strike-bound plant. Juror A failed to disclose that his brother was a non-striking employee, though he admitted his niece was. Juror B failed to disclose that a friend who had previously lived with him for a …

Administrative Tribunals-Organization And Reorganization, E. Blythe Stason

Michigan Law Review

No doubt overhauling is needed. However, a consistent and rational theory for the integration of the independent agencies with the remainder of the governmental structure is a condition precedent to an intelligent overhauling. This article constitutes a groping for such a theory. First, I shall discuss some of the more significant attacks which have been made in recent years upon modern administrative organization. Then, the reasons for these attacks will be examined and appraised, for they reveal certain pathological conditions which need excision. Finally, and with all due deference to the other remedies that have been suggested, I shall venture …

Federal Courts - Procedure For Determining Jurisdiction Ab Facto - Burden Of Pleading And Proof, Richard B. Maxwell

Michigan Law Review

Since the beginning of our government it has been recognized that the federal courts are courts of limited jurisdiction. At an early date it was decided that because of this the plaintiff must state in his complaint the facts upon which the jurisdiction depended. The reason given in support of this rule, which is still the unquestioned law, is that there is no presumption of jurisdiction in courts which have only limited jurisdiction, but it is presumed not to exist unless its existence be shown upon the record. When the plaintiff sustained his burden of pleading the jurisdictional facts, his …

Expansion Of Federal Supervision Of Securities Through The Inquisitional And Census Powers Of Congress-A Suggestion, Kenneth Rush

Michigan Law Review

The Securities Act and the Securities Exchange Act, principally through the means of compulsory disclosure of information, are intended to aid the investing public in evaluating securities and to prevent the undue influencing of their value, market price and sale. These ends are undoubtedly worth seeking in their entirety, but such is the nature of our federal system that the acts, being founded upon the powers of Congress over the facilities of interstate commerce and of the mails, purport to relate only to transactions in securities involving use of those facilities.

Judgments - Default Judgments Rendered Without Jurisdiction - Validating Effect Of A Subsequent General Appearance, Richard B. Maxwell

Michigan Law Review

The effect of a general appearance by the defendant following a default judgment rendered without jurisdiction over the person of the defendant has been again raised by the recent Wisconsin case of Schwantz v. Morris. In this case the original judgment was invalid for lack of jurisdiction over the defendants, but the Supreme Court of Wisconsin held, that by joining non-jurisdictional grounds with jurisdictional grounds in a motion to set the judgment aside, the defendants had waived any defects in or objections to the jurisdiction of the court and that this waiver related back to the time of the …

Judgments - Declaratory Judgments - Scope Of The Federal Act, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

After the insured had made formal claims for total disability benefits for four years without bringing action to enforce them, the insurer, having at all times denied the total disability of the insured, brought suit in a federal district court for a declaration that it was not liable for the benefits claimed and that the policies had lapsed for non-payment of premiums. The district court granted a motion to dismiss because the insurer failed to present a "controversy" within the Federal Constitution and the Declaratory Judgments Act and because the insurer had no "rights or other legal relations" to be …

Constitutional Law - Separation Of Powers - Power Of The Courts And Legislature To Regulate The Practice Of Law And Procedure, Peter S. Boter

Michigan Law Review

In theory, the doctrine of separation of powers presents a governmental system with spheres of power for each department, separated by clear lines of demarcation. Yet in practice it does not follow that a complete separation of powers could be effected or would be desirable. The concurrent exercise of a power by two coordinate branches of a government may result in conflicting regulations and also in charges that the exercise of the power by one department is an unconstitutional encroachment on the powers to be exercised by another and coordinate department. This situation is present in the concurrent exercise of …

Constitutional Law- Right To Jury Trial - Petty Statutory Offenses, James H. Roberton

Michigan Law Review

The defendant was tried before the police court of the District of Columbia for selling, as a second-hand dealer, unused return-trip railroad tickets without a license, contrary to an Act of Congress. The act provides for a maximum penalty of $300 fine or ninety days in jail. The defendant was denied a jury trial. The Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia found the defendant entitled to a jury trial. On appeal to the United States Supreme Court, it was held by a majority of the Court, that the Federal Constitution does not guarantee the defendant a jury trial …

Courts Rule - Making Power, Peter S. Boter

Michigan Law Review

A statute of the State of New Mexico delegated to the supreme court of the state the power to promulgate rules regulating pleading, practice, and procedure in judicial proceedings for the purpose of simplifying the same and for the promotion of the speedy determination of litigation upon the merits. The act further provides that all statutes relating to pleading and practice now in force shall have effect only as rules of court and remain in effect as such unless modified or suspended by rules promulgated pursuant to this Act. Held, that the rule-making power can constitutionally be delegated to …

The Doctrine Of Stare Decisis In British Courts Of Last Resort, John A. Fairlie

Michigan Law Review

The House of Lords and the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council are both British courts of last resort. The House of Lords is the final court for the United Kingdom and reviews cases from the English Court of Appeals and equivalent courts of Scotland and Northern Ireland; the Judicial Committee hears appeals of cases from the colonies and dominions and ecclesiastical cases.

Readers of Professor Gray's lectures on The Nature and Sources of the Law are aware of the distinction he notes between the attitude of the British House of Lords, on the one hand, and the Judicial Committee …

Appeal And Error-Appealable Interest Of Bidder At Judicial Sale, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

The receiver of a bank effected a compromise settlement with the maker of a second mortgage note of $2100, agreeing to sell him the note for $500. Notice of hearing to confirm this sale was published. Prior to the confirmation, appellant, who was the holder of the first mortgage, offered to pay the receiver $600 for the note. The court confirmed the sale to the maker over appellant's objection made at the hearing. Held, that the appellant was not an aggrieved party and had no appealable interest. Dean v. Clapp, (Iowa 1936) 268 N. W. 56.

Actions - Stay Of Proceedings To Await Result In "Test Case" Involving Similar Issues, Jack L. White

Michigan Law Review

Suits were instituted by respondents, non-registered holding companies, in the District Court for the District of Columbia to enjoin the enforcement against them of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 on the ground that it was unconstitutional. On the same day that the first of these bills was filed, the Securities and Exchange Commission began suit in a federal district court in New York to compel the Electric Bond & Share Company and others, members of another utility system, to register as required by the act. A cross-bill in that action contested the validity of the act and …

Grand Jury - Power Of Court In Pennsylvania To Direct A General Investigation -Where No Specific Crime Charged, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

In a criminal case the judge of a Pennsylvania trial court was erroneously informed that the committing magistrate had discharged the accused's accomplices. The judge thereupon charged the magistrate with "fixing," but after investigation merely censured the latter for (1) failing to require bail in certain cases, and (2) remanding one defendant to a trial court without jurisdiction. The judge expressly said that he had no reason to believe the magistrate had acted from any corrupt motive. He nevertheless told a grand jury that a magistrate's violation of law had come to his attention and ordered the jury to investigate …

The "Last Clear Chance" Doctrine In The Federal Courts, Nedra Evans

Michigan Law Review

In analyzing the doctrine of "last clear chance," a qualification of the co.μtributory negligence rule, several questions must be considered. Perhaps the most important one is, (1) Does the court apply the doctrine of discovered peril or is it enough that defendant should have known, by the exercise of reasonable care, plaintiff's peril? (2) Is the doctrine of "last clear chance" confined to cases where the negligence of plaintiff has spent itself? (3) If the doctrine of undiscovered peril is followed for a licensee, will the court still apply the rule of discovered peril if plaintiff is a trespasser? (4) …

Federal Courts - Removal Of Causes - Action By State Tax Collector Against National Bank To Recover Taxes - Federal Question, Malcolm L. Denise

Michigan Law Review

The state of Mississippi passed a statute imposing a tax upon national banks, under authority of a federal statute permitting such legislation. The state assessed the tax upon defendant's predecessor, and defendant, in taking over its predecessor's assets, undertook to pay all of its obligations, including taxes due. The state tax collector started suit on the contract in the state court, but upon defendant's application the cause was removed to the federal district court. On appeal it was held the case did not arise under the laws of the United States within the meaning of the removal statute because it …

Constitutional Law - Trial By Jury - Waiver Of Absence Of Part Of Jury And Consent To Continue With Remainder, Malcolm L. Denise

Michigan Law Review

The relator in this quo warranto proceeding attacked his previous conviction in a criminal trial on the ground that the verdict was void because rendered by only eleven persons. During that trial, one of the original jurors had been unable to continue, and the relator and the prosecutor had both consented to proceed before the remaining jurors. It was held that the right to be tried by a jury of twelve given an accused by the constitution of the state is a privilege purely for his own protection, and that he could legally waive this, just like any other similar …

The Proposed United States Administrative Court, Part Ii, Robert M. Cooper

Michigan Law Review

The recent movement for the passage of the Logan bill and the establishment of supervisory tribunals for the control of administrative determinations is the result of several preconceived theories concerning the shortcomings of the present system of administrative justice. These underlying theories, cautiously surrounded by a halo of judicial philosophy, have seldom been analyzed in their relation to the development of a sound policy for the administration of governmental functions. The present installment of this article will be devoted first to an examination of these fundamental theories and a consideration of the question how far the present administrative machinery is …

Trials-Right To "Public Trial"-Power Of Judge To Exclude General Public, Francis T. Goheen

Michigan Law Review

Convinced of the desirability of such action, a judge, conducting the trial of a criminal case, wishes to clear the court room of all or a portion of the spectators. To what extent may he legitimately do so? He is necessarily limited by the provision in the constitution of almost every state and in the Sixth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States that in "all criminal prosecutions the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial." The extent to which the trial court may go in clearing the court room has been most often tested …

The Proposed United States Administrative Court, Robert M. Cooper

Michigan Law Review

The last half century has witnessed a constant, almost relentless, increase of governmental responsibilities and services in both federal and state spheres of control. Due to the changing needs of our economic and social order, the desire for speedy, efficient and inexpensive settlement of controversies and the imperative need of specialized administrators, the task of performing these new functions has not infrequently been delegated to administrative tribunals or commissions. Neither the legislature nor the judiciary was capable of administering the myriad details or countless controversies which inevitably accompanied these new functions of government. As a consequence an administrative branch of …

Jury-Voir Dire-Actions For Negligence-Asking As To Interest In An Insurance Company, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

During the trial for injuries received in an automobile collision the plaintiff's attorney asked each prospective juror as to whether or not he owned stock in a named insurance company, or held a policy with it, or was an agent for it, and other questions as to whether or not the interest of an insurance company in the action would affect his decisions in the case. The company was not in fact a party to the action. The defendant assigned as error that such questions caused the jury to believe that the defendant carried insurance against loss from damages such …

Conflict Of Laws -Enforceability Of Tax Judgment In Courts Of A Sister State - Full Faith And Credit

Michigan Law Review

A court of competent jurisdiction in Wisconsin gave the plaintiff a judgment against the defendants an Illinois corporation, for truces levied by Wisconsin upon income earned in that state. A federal district court in Illinois, relying on a theory that one state should not undertake to enforce the revenue laws of a sister state, dismissed an action on the judgment instituted by the plaintiff. The plaintiff appealed. Held, principles of comity and the "full faith and credit" clause of the Federal Constitution require that the action be entertained. Milwaukee County v. M. E. White Co., 296 U.S. 268, …

Practical Results Of Federal Equity Rule 75 (B) As To Restatement Of Testimony In Narrative Form, Marion L. Severn

Michigan Law Review

During the twenty-four years since the adoption of the narrative form for records on appeal in the federal courts under Equity Rule 75 (b), there have been some printed comments and criticisms of the rule as well as informal and unrecorded discussion by the bench and bar. The more recent comments on the working out of the rule vary little from the prophecies made soon after its adoption. There is not much of value that can be added to the theoretical discussions of the rule either by its proponents or its opponents. But there remain certain highly important practical questions: …

Administrative Tribunals - Distinction In Legal Effect Between Legislative And Quasi-Judicial Orders Of The Interstate Commerce Commission

Michigan Law Review

The legal effect of orders of the Interstate Commerce Commission involves questions upon which there has been much dictum and considerable confusion of the issues. The result has been a body of law which, if not carefully explored, may prove to be a trap for the unwary. In the past few years, however, it is apparent that the courts are making more definite pronouncements which are more clearly pointing the way to distinguishing the various possible issues. The confusion unquestionably results from the heterogeneous nature of the functions performed by the Commission. A typical example is the rate-making function. It …

Federal Practice-Counterclaim By Lntervenors

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiff sued Freeman Company for infringing a patent by selling a certain patented device. The manufacturer of the device, and vendor of Freeman Company, obtained leave to intervene as a defendant under federal equity rule 37, and thereupon filed a counterclaim against the plaintiff for alleged infringement of other patents, claiming the right to do so as a "defendant" under federal equity rule 30. The plaintiff moved to dismiss the counterclaim. The motion was granted by the district court and affirmed on appeal by the circuit court. On certiorari the United States Supreme Court held that "defendant" under equity rule …

Constitutional Law - Power Of State Legislature To Provide For Jury Trial In Proceedings For Contempt Of Court

Michigan Law Review

The defendants, an independent union, and members thereof, were cited for contempt before a court of common pleas for the violation of an in junction restraining them from interfering with the operation of the plaintiff's mines. The alleged contumacious acts took place some ten miles from the court house and consisted of gathering about automobiles containing employees of the plaintiff company, throwing stones at them, breaking windows of the cars, and injuring some of the occupants. The contempt proceedings arose on petition of the company and were before the same judge who granted the injunction. The defendants claimed that under …

Practice And Procedure - Reversal On Confession Of Error By Prosecutor

Michigan Law Review

On appeal accused assigned as error the failure of the trial court to sustain his motion for a directed verdict of not guilty. The prosecutor, convinced by facts dehors the record of the innocence of the accused, confessed error. Held, confession of error does not per se justify reversal; the court must find error in the record. Parlton v. United States, (App. D. C. 1935) 75 F. (2d) 772.

Equity - Rescission Of Contract Induced By Fraud - Money Judgment As An Alternative To Specific Restitution

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiff entered into an agreement for the exchange of interests in real estate with one of the defendants. After payment of part of the boot money agreed upon, the plaintiff defaulted and sued to have the agreement rescinded for fraud. The trial court rendered a money judgment for the amount at which the plaintiff's property had been taken on the trade. Held, that defendant's wife, to whom the property had been conveyed, should have been joined, and that the decree should be modified to order a reconveyance to the plaintiff. Bacon v. Fox, 267 Mich. 589, 255 N. …

Criminal Law And Procedure - Right Of Accused To Be Present At Trial

Michigan Law Review

In a prosecution for bank robbery, testimony of a witness which did not connect the accused with the crime and merely served to qualify the witness was received during the unnoticed and involuntary absence of the accused. No objection was made by the counsel for the accused who was present at the time. When the accused's absence was discovered, the motion of counsel that the cause be withdrawn from the jury was overruled and the court admonished the jury not to consider the testimony. Appellant contended that he had been denied a right and that therefore injury must be presumed. …

Constitutional Law-Exclusion From Juries On Grounds Of Race And Color-Scottsboro Case

Michigan Law Review

A negro convicted of rape in one of the so-called "Scottsboro" cases moved to quash the indictment and the trial venire, alleging systematic exclusion of negroes from the grand and petit juries on the grounds of race and color. The trial court overruled the motions, and the Alabama Supreme Court sustained this decision, holding that the evidence failed to establish such exclusion. On certiorari to the United States Supreme Court, held, that the refusal to quash the indictment and trial venire was a denial of equal protection of the laws contrary to the Fourteenth Amendment, since the evidence on …