11 Utah 378 | Utah | 1895
The relator in this case was a member of the fire depart•ment in Salt Lake City, and his contention is that he was wrongfully removed from his position in that department ‘by the board of police and fire commissioners on the 11th •day of August, 1894. It appears from the record that he leld the position for a period exceeding three years imme
The first question to be considered on this appeal is-whether the board was acting in a judicial capacity; for unless it was exercising judicial functions, and not simply-performing ministerial duties, its action cannot be reviewed-on certiorari. Counsel for the appellant contend that it was not in the exercise of judicial functions, and that, if it was, then, it is insisted, the act of the legislature conferring judicial power upon the board is void, as being in.
These are the several provisions of the law under which the board in this case proceeded to remove the relator. It is clear that the power here conferred is judicial in its nature, because, in order to effect a removal, the board is .required to prefer charges, afford the accused an opportunity to be heard, examine witnesses, and decide the question upon evidence. All such proceedings are of a judicial ■character. The term “judicial,” however, as applied to the actions of boards of this class, is not to be received in the sense ordinarily applied to courts of justice. The words “judicial power,” when applied to such courts, mean the authority vested in the judges. Bouvier. In this sense these words are used in the organic act, and nowhere is there any provision in said act which prohibits the legislature from creating a ministerial board, and requiring of it the performance of judicial acts as incidental to its ministerial capacity. While such boards are essentially ministerial, and may be, to a certain extent, legislative, bodies, still they may be, and frequently are, endowed with quasi judicial power to proceed in a summary way, .and out of the course of the common law. A city council is such a body, and so likewise is a board of county commissioners, or county court, as denominated in this territory; and yet no one has pretended to question the power of such a body in such a proceeding, as being inconsistent with the organic act. Courts of justice may authoritatively ■declare what the law is. Such a board or body has no ¡such power. Its judicial authority extends no further than .is necessary to an orderly and proper management of the .affairs over which it has control. We think the law is well .settled that the legislature may authorize boards of this «character to perform judicial acts, and that such acts may
The most important question raised in this record is ■whether, on a writ of certiorari, the court may extend its inquiry beyond the mere question of jurisdiction of an inferior tribunal, board., or officer, and determine whether ¡such inferior tribunal, board or officer proceeded in accordance with law. If, in a case like the one at bar, as is ■contended by counsel for the appellant, the court has no jpower on certiorari to examine the evidence or proceedings for any purpose, then the court cannot inquire into the evidence to ascertain whether errors of law were committed during the progress of the trial. Nor can it con■sider whether the facts presented by the record warrant the judgment pronounced by the board, not even though ■such judgment, when tested by the law applicable to such facts, was found to be erroneous and unjust. Under this contention the sole question to be determined would be whether the judgment of the board was within its jurisdiction, and, if so, then such judgment would be
This doctrine is stated in a number of New York cases. In Ex parte, etc., Mayor of Albany, 23 Wend. 277, Mr. Justice Cowen, after discussing the office of the writ, and’ referring to numerous decisions in that state relating to-the limit of review on common-law certiorari, says: “The-amount of these is that we will not, in any case, on a. common-law certiorari, go beyond the question of power, which is another word for jurisdiction; and in searching-for power we will confine ourselves to matters properly introduced into the return/’’ And further on, and in the same opinion, he says: “We cannot look into testimony on the merits, even when the return comes from a tribunal bound to act upon the general law of evidence/” In People v. Mayor, etc., of New York, 2 Hill, 9, Mr. Justice-Bronson, delivering the opinion of the court, said: “The-writ of certiorari, when issued for the purpose of enabling-this court to exercise its supervisory power over inferior-tribunals, removes nothing but the record' — or other entry in the nature of a record — of the proceedings in the court, below; and, if the return contains anything more, it can
The office of the common-law writ has been much enlarged by statute and decision in cases where there is no ■other proper remedy, and, in addition to determining ■ questions of jurisdiction, errors in law affecting the substantial rights of the parties may now be corrected, and the testimony may be included in the return, and •examined to determine whether there is competent evidence to warrant and justify the judgment of the inferior tribunal. Such enlargement of the writ, how■ever, does not warrant the setting aside of a judgment when it is based on conflicting evidence, nor when there .are errors in the proceedings in matters not material as .affecting the substantial rights of the party, and not violating any rule of law or affecting the jurisdiction; but where there is an entire absence of proof to support the judgment or decision or order, or where the adjudication made is entirely unauthorized by the proof, it will be set .aside and reversed, even though the inferior tribunal Jiad jurisdiction of the person or subject-matter, and so
In the time of Sir Wiliam Blackstone, in criminal causes, the writ was used “to certify and remove the indictment, with all the proceedings thereon, from any inferior court of criminal jurisdiction into the court of king’s bench; ” and the writ of certiorari, when issued and delivered to the inferior court for removing any record or other proceeding, as well upon indictment as otherwise, superseded the jurisdiction of such 'inferior courts, and made all subsequent proceedings therein entirely erroneous, unless the court of king’s bepch remanded the record to the court below, to be there tried and determined. 4 Bl. Comm. 320, 321; 1 Bac. Abr. (6th ed.) p. 559; 1 Tidd. Prac. (1st Am. ed.) p. 397; King v. Daman, 2 Barn. & Ald. 378; King v. Glossop, 4 Barn. & Ald. 616. The power has been maintained with much zeal, as being founded in necessity as well as justice, for it is manifest
In People v. Board of Police & Excise, 69 N. Y. 408, Mr. Chief Justice Church said: “The offic.e of a common-law certiorari has been very much enlarged by the-later decisions in this state, but there is no authority holding that questions of fact from conflicting evidence or conflicting inferences which may be drawn from facts, or matter of judgment or discretion in a case justifying their exercise, can be reviewed. Only errors in law affecting materially the rights of the parties may be corrected, and the evidence may be examined in order to determine whether there is any competent proof to justify the adjudication made.” So in People v. Board of Police Depart
In State v. Dodge Co. 56 Wis. 79, 13 N. W. 680, Mr. dhief Justice Cole, delivering the opinion of the court said: “ On this common-law certiorari, which brings up for review the proceedings of an officer or board which acts in a summary manner out of the course of the common law in the exercise of quasi judicial powers, this court will look into the proceedings, not only for the pur
From an examination of the authorities, it is quite clear that the contention of counsel that in a case like the one at bar, where there is no other remedy provided by law, the review is limited to questions of jurisdiction, and that the court cannot look into the evidence for any purpose rests on no sufficient foundation, and, if such were the law, then the board of commissioners could arbitrarily exercise the power of removal, however groundless might, be the charges preferred against the officer, or erroneous the judgment. If the board had jurisdiction of the sub
Nor are the views herein expressed regarding the office-of a common-law certiorari, and the power of the court on such a writ, in contravention of the statute of this-territory in relation to this subject. Section 3718, Comp. Laws TJtah 1888, reads as follows: “The writ of certiorari may be denominated the writ of review.” It is apparent, that the writ here designated is the common-law certiorari, and hence the power of the court under it is the same as at commotL law, except as narrowed or enlarged by statute. Section 3719, Id., reads: “A writ of review may be granted by any court, except a probate or justice's court, when an inferior tribunal, board or officer exercising judicial functions, has exceeded the jurisdiction of such tribunal, board or officer, and there is no appeal, nor in the judgment of the court, any plain, speedy, and adequate
Construing the'se two sections together, it is evident-
Having thus determined that the record and proceedings •of the board are properly before this court on appeal, the
The remaining question is whether the appellant regularly pursued its authority in the proceedings had to remove the relator. The statute law applicable to this branch of the case is found in sections 7 and 20, herein-before referred to and quoted. These sections provide that no officer or member, either of the fire or police department, shall be dismissed or removed, except for cause, nor unless charges have been previously preferred against such ■officer or member in writing, and the accused given an opportunity to be heard. This is a salutary law founded in justice, is mandatory, and must have been strictly pursued ■or else the judgment of the hoard is nugatory. A similar provision of a statute was construed by this court in the ■case of People v. McAllister, 10 Utah, 357, to which we refer, on this question of the removal of officers for cause, for our views on the question in this case. An examination of the record before this court on appeal shows that the relator, while in actual service in the fire department, was suspended; that submission to examination was made a condition precedent to reinstatement; that thereafter charges were preferred against him, as hereinbefore stated, but at the hearing the board introduced no evidence to ■sustain the charges; and the record shows that, according to the evidence of the relator, he was in every way an ■efficient officer, and that the onus prolandi was cast upon him to show that there was not sufficient grounds for his removal. An examination of the evidence in detail is unnecessary. Nor is further reference to the record neces