Case Name: STATE of Louisiana ex rel. Albert BALLETT, Jr., Plaintiff-Appellant, v. Lionel GREMILLION, Administrator, etc., Defendant-Appellee
Court: Louisiana Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Louisiana
Decision Date: 1964-10-27
Citations: 168 So. 2d 270
Docket Number: No. 1292
Parties: STATE of Louisiana ex rel. Albert BALLETT, Jr., Plaintiff-Appellant, v. Lionel GREMILLION, Administrator, etc., Defendant-Appellee.
Judges: TATE, J., concurs additionally and assigns written reasons.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 168
Pages: 270–274

Head Matter:
STATE of Louisiana ex rel. Albert BALLETT, Jr., Plaintiff-Appellant, v. Lionel GREMILLION, Administrator, etc., Defendant-Appellee.
No. 1292.
Court of Appeal of Louisiana. Third Circuit.
Oct. 27, 1964.
Rehearing Denied Oct. 29, 1964.
Writ Refused Dec. 17, 1964.
Bass & Lawes, by Eugene H. Lawes, Lake Charles, and Porter, Scofield & Cox, by James J. Cox, Lake Charles, for plaintiff-appellant.
Lionel Gremillion, in pro. per., Frank T. Salter, Jr., Lake Charles, for defendant-appellee.

Opinion:
PER CURIAM.
This is an appeal from the District Court's denial of a writ of habeas corpus. The facts that give rise to this appeal are as follows:
Albert Ballett, Jr., was charged with the murder of his common-law wife. After trial, on January 17, 1964, the jury returned the verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity. Pursuant to LSA-R.S. 15:27Q {Code of Criminal Procedure), which states:
"Any person charged with an offense for which the penalty is or may be capital punishment who, upon trial, is found not guilty by reason of insanity or mental defect shall be committed by the judge to a state mental institution. No person so committed shall be released from the state mental institution except upon the order of the same court which ordered his commitment based upon determination that such person is no longer criminally insane or a menace to society",
the District Judge ordered Ballett confined to the Louisiana Plospital for the Criminally Insane at Jackson, Louisiana.
Approximately four and one-half months later, Ballett filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus on the ground that he was no longer insane. The District Court denied the writ. Ballett appeals to this court.
The threshold question to be decided is whether this court has appellate jurisdiction to review the denial of the writ of ha-beas corpus under these circumstances.
The appellate jurisdiction of the courts of appeal is expressly limited by the constitution to civil and probate matters. Article 7, Section 29, Louisiana Constitution of 1921, LSA.
On the other hand, the Supreme Court has appellate jurisdiction of criminal cases "in which the penalty of death or imprisonment at hard labor may be imposed, or in which a fine exceeding three hundred dollars or imprisonment exceeding six months has been actually imposed." Article 7, Section 10(5), Louisiana Constitution. Because of this limitation as to criminal appeals, the Supreme Court does not have appellate jurisdiction of the denial of writs of habeas corpus questioning commitment because of a crime, State ex rel. McIsaac v. Sigler, 236 La. 773, 109 So.2d 89, the only remedy being by supervisory writs, State ex rel. Cox v. Clemmons, 243 La. 264, 142 So.2d 794.
Counsel argues that the relator Ballett has been acquitted of being guilty of any crime and that his commitment should therefore be regarded as a civil matter reviewable by the intermediate appellate courts, as are other civil habeas corpus decisions.
As a civil matter, habeas corpus is one of the "extraordinary" remedies regulated by Title III of Book 7 of the Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure, LSA-C.C.P. Arts. 3781 et seq. In the Official Reporter's "Introduction" to the Title, it is noted that "R.S. 15:113 through 15:141, which govern the issuance of habeas corpus in criminal matters, are not affected by the provisions in this Title." In the Official Reporter's "Preliminary Statement" to Chapter 2 of the Title, which chapter regulates the civil habeas corpus action, LSA-C.C.P. Arts. 3821 et seq., it is noted that the civil procedure articles regulate the use of the writ of habeas corpus in civil proceedings only, and that "The articles in the Code of Criminal Procedure regulate the use of the writ •where the applicant is confined as a restilt of a criminal proceeding against him." (Italics ours.) It is appropriate and proper for the courts to use these official Law Institute comments in the interpretation and construction of the provisions of the Code of Civil Procedure. Emmons v. Agricultural Ins. Co., 245 La. 411, 158 So.2d 594.
In the present instance, the relator Ballett was confined as a result of a criminal proceeding brought against him, such confinement being by virtue of LSA-R.S. 15:270 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. Criminal proceedings are regulated by the Code of Criminal Procedure, which is contained as Title 15 of the LSA-Revised Statutes. This title includes regulation of the issuance of writs of habeas corpus to secure the release of those imprisoned by virtue of criminal proceedings. LSA-R.S. 15:113-15:141.
Thus, although the present is denoted as a civil proceeding, it seeks habeas corpus review where the relator has been committed through criminal process. The only habeas corpus provisions available, therefore, are those contained in the Code of Criminal Procedure, LSA-R.S. 15:0.1 et seq.
As previously noted, the courts of appeal such as the present do not have appellate jurisdiction of criminal cases, nor of proceedings under criminal law. Similarly their supervisory jurisdiction is limited to "cases in which an appeal would lie to the court of appeal", Article 7, Section 29, Louisiana Constitution; which are civil cases only. Consequently, in our view, the trial court's dismissal of these habeas corpus proceedings can be reviewed only by the supervisory jurisdiction of the Supreme Court. State ex rel. Cox v. Clemmons, cited above.
In the case of In re Ingram, La.App. 1 Cir., 82 So.2d 788, it was recognized that in a commitment under criminal jurisdiction a court of appeal does not have original jurisdiction to issue writs of habeas corpus, since the appellate jurisdiction of the court of appeal does not extend to criminal cases. 82 So.2d at 790, Footnote 1. Although appellant relies upon language in the Ingram case indicating that the courts of appeal do have appellate jurisdiction over habeas corpus proceedings, the Ingram case actually concerned only a habeas corpus proceeding pursuant to a civil commitment order under LSA-R.S. 28:53, and the language therein must be understood in that context.
In summary, therefore, since Bal-lett's confinement under LSA-R.S. 15:270' was automatic upon his acquittal by reason of insanity, his incarceration was a result of a criminal proceeding over which the court of appeal has no jurisdiction. His. appeal to this court must be dismissed rather than transferred, since likewise the Supreme Court does not have appellate jurisdiction.
This appeal from the District Court's denial of the writ of habeas corpus is therefore dismissed, without prejudice to Ballett's. right to apply to the Supreme Court for supervisory or other writs within 30 days after this judgment becomes final in this court.
Appeal dismissed.
TATE, J., concurs additionally and assigns written reasons.
. "Any provision of tliis Constitution or law to the contrary notwithstanding, the courts of appeal have appellate jurisdiction of the following cases of which the Supreme Court is not given appellate jurisdiction under' Article VII, Section 10 of this Constitution; all matters appealed from tlie family and juvenile courts, except criminal prosecutions against persons other than juveniles; all civil and probate matters of which the district courts throughout the state have exclusive original jurisdiction; and all civil matters involving more than one hundred dollars, exclusive of interest, of which the district courts throughout the state have concurrent jurisdiction. "