Case Name: The State of Louisiana and the Parish of Jefferson vs. Dan Miller
Court: Louisiana Supreme Court
Jurisdiction: Louisiana
Decision Date: 1889-01
Citations: 41 La. Ann. 53
Docket Number: No. 10,232
Parties: The State of Louisiana and the Parish of Jefferson vs. Dan Miller.
Judges: 
Reporter: Louisiana Annual Reports
Volume: 41
Pages: 53–56

Head Matter:
No. 10,232.
The State of Louisiana and the Parish of Jefferson vs. Dan Miller.
An appeal taken front a judgment rendered in’a proceeding, apparently criminal, will not be dismissed tor want of a citation to (he plaiutiff, who cannot be permitted to change the character of the proceeding and claim that it is civil in its nature, to oust the defendant from an appeal taken by him. as though (lie proceeding was a criminal prosecution, in which no citation is required-.
Police juries can only exorcise such powers as have been ¡¿raided to them in express terms, 01 such as are necessarily implied from, or incidental to powers so expressly «¡ranted.
The Legislature of this State has not made any general grant of police powers to police juries. but has very carefully detailed, defined and limited the powers granted.
The right to regulate the speed at which railroad trains may run through their parishes or through even the thickly settled portions thereof, is not granted, either expressly or by implication, to police juries.
yyPPEAL from the First .Justice’s Court, Parish of Jefferson.
dermis Leche, District Attorney, and //. N. davtier for Plaintiffs and A ppellees.
L. DePoorter and Howe <(■ Prentiss for Defendant and Appellant.

Opinion:
On Motion to Dismiss.
The opinion of the Court ivas delivered by
Bermudez, C. J.
'Hie plaintiffs and appellees complain that they have not been cited to answer tlie appeal and move for its dismissal.
An inspection of the record shows that the defendant ivas arrested, tried and fined, under a prosecution for the violation of a police jury ordinance.
it- is, therefore, apparent that the plaintiffs have impressed upon the proceeding the character of a criminal prosecution.
rt is possible that the defendant should not- have been dealt with in that form; but at this stage we could not so hold.
Surely, after giving to the proceeding the form of a criminal prosecution, the plaintiffs cannot he, heal'd to change its character and claim that, it is a civil proceeding in order to oust the defendant of the appeal which he has taken from the judgment against him, though true it may be, that the defendant has not, asked that the plaintiffs be cited to answer the appeal, and they were not cited to do so.
The appeal could be dismissed for want of citation to the plain-lifts solely if the prosecution was civil in character; but this we cannot presently decide without looking to the pleadings and the merits thereof, which can only be done when the motion to dismiss is overruled.
If the proceeding he, as it is in appearance, criminal in form and character, of course no citation would be required to the. plaintiffs to notify them of the appeal.
The motion to dismiss is denied.