38 Wis. 484 | Wis. | 1875
A motion is made in each of these causes to supersede or quash the common law writs of certiorari which have been issued by this ’court. The writs are directed to the county court of Milwaukee county, and were sued out for the purpose of bringing up to this court for review final judgments of that court. It is claimed that the county court rendered judgments in these causes without having acquired jurisdiction of the defendants in the action, and that a common law writ of certiorari is an appropriate remedy for correcting the error. In support of the motion, it is insisted that the writ will not lie to the county court, and that the matters set forth in the application constitute no ground for issuing the writs, and.that they have been improvidently granted. We think the motions to supersede the writs must prevail. Hauser v. The State, 33 Wis., 678-683.
The county court of Milwaukee county is a court of record, proceeding according to the course of the common law ;• and
In order to show that the writs were properly issued in the cases before us, the counsel have referred to and rely upon the power vested in this court, under the constitution and laws, to issue writs of certiorari and to determine the same. There can be no doubt about the jurisdiction of this court to grant the writ in a proper case. The constitution refers to the writ as it was used and applied in practice when the constitution was adopted, and did not intend to give it a scope or object different from its original and appropriate function. Wherever, when the constitution was adopted, a common law writ of cer-tiorari was an available and appropriate process to bring up for review the proceedings of an inferior court or tribunal, there it can now be resorted to. But we think it would be contrary to all practice and all precedent to make it a substitute for a writ of error or appeal, to bring up for review the final judgments of courts of record proceeding according to the course of the common law.
By the Court. —• The motions to supersede the writs herein are granted.