Miner v. Justice's Court of Berkeley

HARRISON, J. Application for a writ of mandate. The petitioner seeks by this writ a direction to the respondents commanding the said Gentry to issue an execution upon a judgT ment alleged to have been recovered by the petitioner against A. M. Niver in the justice’s court for the town of Berkeley, July 20, 1897, on an action commenced therein July 9, 1897. The ques; tion presented for determination is whether the justice’s court for the town of Berkeley was in existence at the time the plaintiff commenced the action against Niver, or subsequent thereto, and this involves a consideration of the effect of the adoption of a freeholders’ charter upon the previous charter of the town.

The town of Berkeley was incorporated by an act of the legislature passed April 1, 1878. (Stats. 1878, p. 888.) Section 3 [265]of this act declares: “The government of said town shall he vested in a board of trustees, to consist of five members, an assessor, a marshal, who shall be ex officio tax collector, a clerk, a treasurer, two justices of the peace, and two constables.” Provision is made in other sections for the election and duties of justices of the peace and defining their jurisdiction.

February 26, 1895, the electors of the town of Berkeley adopted a charter, which had been prepared by a board of freeholders chosen therefor under the provisions of section 8, article XI, of the constitution, and a resolution approving this charter was passed by the legislature March 5, 1895. (Stats. 1895, p. 409.) Section 76 of this charter declares: “The judicial power of the town shall be vested in two justice’s courts, and such other' courts as may be provided by law.” The election and jurisdiction of justices of the peace is provided for in other sections.

March 27, 1895, the legislature passed an act entitled, “An act to create a court in and for the town of Berkeley, state of California.” (Stats. 1895, p. 205.) Section 1 of this act is as follows: “There is hereby created and established in and for the town of Berkeley, state of California, a court to be known as the justice’s court of the town of Berkeley, which court shall consist of two justices of the peace, and the judicial power of the town shall be vested in said justice’s court and such other courts as may be provided by law.”

Under the decision of this court in the case of People v. Toal, 85 Cal. 333, the provision in the freeholders’ charter for the creation of a justice’s court in the town of Berkeley, and the election of justices therefor, was ineffective. By virtue of the provision in section 8 of article XI of the constitution that, upon the approval by the legislature of a freeholders’ charter “it shall become the charter of such city, and shall become the organic law thereof, and supersede any existing charter, and all amendments thereof, and all laws inconsistent with such charter,” the charter of the town of Berkeley which was granted by the act of April 1, 1878, was superseded. Hence the provision in that charter for justices of the peace and a justice’s court ceased to exist or have any force after the freeholders’ charter was adopted. The contention of the petitioner that, inasmuch as the freeholders’ charter coidd not create a court, it could not have the effect to