Title: Thomas v. State Ex Rel. Cobb
Citation: 58 So. 2d 173
Docket Number: N/A
State: Florida
Issuer: Florida Supreme Court
Date: March 28, 1952

58 So. 2d 173 (1952)
THOMAS
v.
STATE ex rel. COBB et al.

Supreme Court of Florida, en Banc.
March 28, 1952.
Rehearing Denied April 30, 1952.
Keen, O'Kelley &amp; Spitz, J. Velma Keen and Chas. H. Spitz, Tallahassee, for appellant.
Bedell &amp; Bedell and Chester Bedell, Jacksonville, for appellees.
MATHEWS, Justice.
The relator is a citizen and resident of Duval County, Florida, and is now and has been for many years a qualified elector of Duval County. He is not illiterate, but graduated from the University of Georgia in 1929 with a degree of Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, and holds a degree of Master of Arts from the University of Florida awarded to him in 1941.
On February 1, 1952, the relator attempted to qualify as a candidate for the office of Superintendent of Public Instruction of Duval County and complied with all of the requirements of law to that end, except the payment of a filing fee which was refused by the respondent on the ground that relator did not also file a valid Florida Graduate Certificate as required by Section 230.25, F.S.A., which is a part of the School Code.
This appeal is from a final judgment in a mandamus proceeding holding invalid and ineffective the provisions of Section 230.25, F.S.A., and related sections which require candidates for this office to hold a valid Florida Graduate Teacher's Certificate.
The relator in the Court below urged that the provisions of Section 230.25, F.S.A., *174 upon which the Clerk's refusal was based and related sections are invalid and ineffective because:
Other questions were raised which, from the conclusion we have reached, it will be unnecessary to consider.
The Circuit Judge in his order overruling the motion to quash said:
The respondents declined to answer and thereupon a final judgment awarding peremptory writ of mandamus was entered. This appeal is prosecuted from that final judgment.
We are confronted with important Constitutional questions. The Constitution is the charter of our liberties. It cannot be changed, modified or amended by legislative or judicial fiat. It provides within itself the only method for its amendment. It requires the affirmative vote of a prescribed percentage of the membership of each branch of the Legislature, and then a submission to the qualified electors of the state before an amendement can be effected.
We have presented to us another example where particular constitutional provisions have not been amended in the manner provided by the Constitution to keep pace with changing conditions in a progressive and growing state. We can only construe the Constitution as it is and not as we might like it to be. Every provision of it was inserted with a definite purpose and all sections and provisions of it must be construed together, that is, in pari materia, in order to determine its meaning, effect, restraints, and prohibitions. In the case of Amos v. Mathews, 99 Fla. 1, 126 So. 308, 316, the Court said:
*175 This case involves one important question and that is: Has the Legislature under our present Constitution the power to prescribe the qualifications for the constitutional office of County Superintendent of Public Instruction? This office is provided for by Section 6 of Article VIII and is not provided for in Article XII of the Constitution, F.S.A., which declares the public policy of the State with reference to the free public school system. Section 1 of Article XII provides: "The Legislature shall provide for a uniform system of public free schools and shall provide for the liberal maintenance of the same."
By no stretch of the imagination can it be said that Section 1 of Article XII above quoted authorizes the Legislature to prescribe the qualifications for the office of County Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Prior to the amendment of Section 9 of Article XII at the general election in 1926, Section 1 could not be given full force and effect as to the liberal maintenance of this "uniform system of public free schools". Prior to that time the Legislature was limited by the Constitution in making appropriations for the public schools to the one mill ad valorem tax levy, interest upon the sacred state school fund, and the proceeds from the capitation tax. In 1926 Section 9 was amended so as to authorize the Legislature in addition to the funds above mentioned to make other appropriations without limit or restriction. Prior to the adoption of this amendment the total appropriation by the state for the support of the uniform system of free public schools amounted to approximately one-half million dollars per year. Since that time rapid strides have been made in carrying out the constitutional mandate to provide for the liberal maintenance of this system. At the last session of the Legislature more than fifty million dollars per annum was appropriated from state funds to provide for free public schools and the liberal maintenance of the same. In addition to this state appropriation, more than fifty million dollars per annum is being provided by the counties and districts of the state from local taxes.
The free public school system required by the Constitution of Florida and the Constitutions of other states is the "cornerstone of our civilization" and the very future of our form of government may well depend upon wholehearted support and liberal maintenance for that system.
It may be desirable to have certain educational, physical, mental, and moral qualifications definitely prescribed for those persons who desire to hold the office of County Superintendent of Public Instruction. Such qualifications very likely would increase the efficiency of the system. We must bear in mind, however, that County Superintendent of Public Instruction is not merely an employee. He is an officer, holding a constitutional office and if the qualifications for this office prescribed by the Legislature, or by some Board, as attempted to be authorized by the Legislature, conflict with the State Constitution, the Statutes, rules or regulations prescribing such qualifications must be declared to be invalid and ineffective as to such constitutional office.
Under our system and form of Government the Constitution makes ample provision for free elections and the qualifications of electors. Section 1 of Article VI, as limited by Section 4 of Article VI, prescribes the qualifications of electors, and this court, in State ex rel. Landis v. County Board of Public Instruction of Hillsborough County, 137 Fla. 244, 188 So. 88, and Riley v. Holmer, 100 Fla. 938, 131 So. 330, has held that the Legislature cannot place restrictions on the qualifications of electors that will prohibit those qualified under constitutional provisions to vote in elections authorized by the Constitution. The Legislature is powerless to enact legislation modifying qualifications for suffrage prescribed in the Constitution. As will be demonstrated hereafter, since our Constitution has declared for free elections each elector is entitled to cast his vote for any eligible person for any office provided by the Constitution free from any restraint not authorized by the Constitution itself. This is the very *176 essence of our system and form of government and of free elections.
Section 2 of the Bill of Rights provides "All political power is inherent in the people."
The 10th amendment to the Constitution of the United States provides that all powers not delegated to the United States by this Constitution nor prohibited to it by this State, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
Section 26 of Article III of the Constitution provides as follows:
Section 6 of Article VI of the Constitution provides:
Section 9 of Article VI of the Constitution provides:
Section 6 of Article VIII of the Florida Constitution provides for the election by the qualified electors in each county of county officers, including that of "a Superintendent of Public Instruction". Said section, among other things, provides as follows:
Section 230.25, Florida Statutes, provides as follows:
"Qualifications of county superintendent.
In order to ascertain the meaning of a "valid Florida Graduate Certificate based upon graduation from any four-year course in a standard institution of higher learning" we must first examine other sections of the School Code and particularly Sections 231.17, 231.20 and 231.24, which attempt to delegate to the State Board of Education, or the State Board of Health, unlimited and discretionary power to prescribe academic, professional, physical and mental requirements as prerequisites to eligibility to obtain the certificate required by Section 230.25, F.S.A.
In order to ascertain the meaning and purpose of Sec. 6, Article VIII of the Constitution as it relates to the power of the Legislature to prescribe qualifications for the office of County Superintendent of Public Instruction, it is necessary that we consider other important provisions of the Constitution.
Section 4 of Article III provides that the Senators and Members of the House of Representatives shall be "duly qualified electors in the respective counties and districts for which they were chosen."
Section 8 of Article III provides that the seat of a Member of either House shall be vacated on a permanent change of residence from the district or county from which he was elected.
Section 7 of Article III prohibits any person who holds a lucrative office or appointment under the United States or of *177 this State from being a Member of the Legislature.
Section 3 of Article IV prohibits any person from holding the office of Governor who is not a qualified elector and who has not been 10 years a citizen of the United States and 5 years a citizen and resident of Florida.
Section 3 of Article V prohibits any person being appointed or elected as a Justice of the Supreme Court, or Judge of the Circuit or Criminal Courts that is not 25 years of age and an attorney at law.
We find no such Constitutional prohibitions or qualifications as those set forth above relating to offices of Governor, Members of the Legislature and Judges, attached to the office of County Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Section 5 of Article VI relates to the qualifications of all officers and is the only section of organic law that does so relate to all officers. This section reads as follows:
Section 15 of Article XVI of the Constitution reads as follows:
It should be especially noted that Section 15 of Article XVI exempts county school officers, which includes the office of "County Superintendent of Public Instruction." In other words, County School officers were not considered to be so essentially identified with any particular branch of the government that they could not hold more than one office whether legislative, executive or judicial.
In a very recent amendment to the Constitution, Section 50, Article V, vested in the Legislature the power to create and establish Juvenile Courts and specifically vested the power in the Legislature "to provide for the qualifications, election, or selection and appointment of judges, probation officers * * *." (Emphasis supplied.) It is plain that the Legislature, in proposing this amendment to the people, was aware of the fact that in order for the Legislature ever to have the power to prescribe the qualifications for such officers it was necessary to insert such a provision in the proposed Constitutional amendment. This is so because of the restrictions and limitations with respect to legislative power contained in other Sections of the Constitution.
We are not unmindful of the fact that under our State Constitution it is not necessary that the Constitution contain specific grants of power to the Legislature; that the Constitution is a limitation upon power rather than a grant of power. For example, had there been absolutely nothing in the Constitution with reference to the payment of the salaries of county officers, the Legislature would have been all-powerful in respect to this subject; but when the Constitution made specific provisions with reference to this matter, it amounted in effect to a prohibition in the exercise of the power in any other way. This is made clear in the case of State ex rel. Murphy v. *178 Barnes, 24 Fla. 29, 3 So. 433, wherein it is said, on page 434 of the text:
In the case of State ex rel. Church v. Yeats, 74 Fla. 509, 77 So. 262, 263, this Court said:
In the case of State ex rel. Davis v. Love, 99 Fla. 333, 126 So. 374, there was involved the constitutionality of Chapter 9312, Laws of Florida, 1923, which attempted to authorize the maintenance of suits against the State Road Department on claims of a certain character. Section 22 of Article III of the Constitution vested in the Legislature the power by general law to authorize suits to be brought against the State. This court in State ex rel. Davis v. Love, supra, on page 380 of 126 So. of the text said:
In the case of Amos v. Mathews, supra, on page 316 of 126 So. of the text the court said:
The principle above set forth was reaffirmed in the case of State ex rel. Ellars v. Board of County Commissioners of Orange County, 147 Fla. 278, 3 So. 2d 360. On page 362 of 3 So.2d of the text in this case the Court said:
The respondents rely upon the case of State ex rel. Landis v. Ward, 117 Fla. 585, 158 So. 273, which concerned the qualifications of a person to hold the county office of "county surveyor", as provided in Section 6 of Article VIII. Appellant strongly urges that the law applicable to a "county surveyor" is also applicable to a "County Superintendent of Public Instruction". The word "surveyor" had at the time of the adoption of the Constitution and still has a very definite and technical meaning. A person may be a surveyor for the United States Government, or for the Everglades Drainage District, or for a particular county, but he must first be a surveyor before he can be named a State Surveyor or a United States Government Surveyor, or a County Surveyor, etc. In that case on page 275 of 158 So. of the text the Court said:
Section 17 of Article XVI of the Florida Constitution provides:
A man who was not a surveyor, or, if he was, had not complied with reasonable police regulations with reference to the practice of his profession and could not devote his personal attention to the duties of his office was not qualified to hold the office of County Surveyor. The same is true with reference to a Justice of the Supreme Court, Circuit Court Judge, or Judges of Criminal Courts, because the Constitution specifically requires as a qualification that such an officer shall be an attorney, and that he shall devote his personal attention to the duties of the office. In order to be an attorney and thus qualified to hold the office of Justice or Judge, the aspirant must have complied with the reasonable police regulations of the state and have obtained a proper certificate certifying that he was an attorney and was qualified to practice his profession.
We have no Constitutional requirement that the Superintendent of Public Instruction must possess any particular professional qualifications such as is the requirement in respect to a County Surveyor that he must be a surveyor, or as is required of a Justice or a Judge that he must first be an attorney.
At the time of the adoption of the Constitution, there was no particular definition of the phrase "Superintendent of Public Instruction". These words had no technical meaning in 1885, and from the time of the adoption of the Constitution, until the enactment of the challenged Statutes in 1947, there had never been any attempt to specify the qualifications that a person should possess in order to be eligible for nomination *181 or election, or before he could lawfully hold the office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. It is elementary that notes and records of a Constitutional Convention are exceedingly material in construing the provisions of a Constitution adopted at such a convention. The question respecting the qualifications of Constitutional officers was considered and discussed in the case of State ex rel. Attorney General v. George, 23 Fla. 585, 3 So. 81, 82, by a Court composed of Justices who were associates and contemporaries of those who wrote the Constitution. In the opinion the Court said:
From this discussion it is clearly apparent that the framers of the Constitution were of the settled view that where the Constitution prescribed definite qualifications for some offices and no qualifications for others, the provision in the Constitution "for duly qualified electors would furnish sufficient safeguard against the choice of unsuitable persons". (Emphasis supplied.)
The author in the article on Public Officers, 42 Am.Jur., Sec. 38, p. 909, states:
One of the best reasoned cases on this subject is that of People ex rel. Hoyne v. McCormick, 261 Ill. 413, 103 N.E. 1053, 1056, Ann.Cas. 1915A, 338. In this case the Court said:
In the case of Wynn v. State ex rel. District Attorney, 67 Miss. 312, 7 So. 353, 355, the Court said:
In the case of Quenstedt v. Wilson, 173 Md. 11, 194 A. 354, 358, the Court said:
Our State Constitution, as we have pointed out, prescribes in no uncertain terms that certain persons are disqualified to hold certain constitutional offices, such as, Governor, Members of the Legislature, Justices of the Supreme Court, Judges of the Circuit and Criminal Courts. As to all officers the Constitution further excludes from office all persons "convicted of bribery, perjury, larceny or of infamous crime, or who shall make, or become directly or indirectly interested in, any bet or wager, the result of which shall depend upon any election; or that shall hereafter fight a duel or send or accept a challenge to fight, or that shall be second to either party, or that shall be the bearer of such challenge or acceptance; but the legal disability shall not accrue until after trial and conviction by due form of law." This solemn declaration in our Constitution about qualifications or disqualifications to hold public office are conclusive of the whole matter whether in the affirmative or in the negative form.
These plain and unambiguous specifications of disabilities exclude all others unless the Constitution provides otherwise. The effect of this declaration in the Constitution that certain officers are not qualified carries with it the necessary implication that all others are qualified.
We have carefully considered this cause and all of the provisions of the Constitution relating to it and have come to the following very definite conclusions and we so hold:
(1) The office of Superintendent of Public Instruction is a county office created by Section 6 of Article VIII of the Constitution of the State of Florida.
(2) The Legislature is prohibited from adding to or taking from the qualifications of the Superintendent of Public Instruction so as to make the same different from those prescribed in the Constitution.
(3) Section 230.25, F.S.A., is invalid and ineffective because it prescribes qualifications for the office of Superintendent of Public Instruction in addition to those prescribed by the Constitution.
(4) The Legislature, not having the power or authority to prescribe these additional qualifications for this office, had no authority to delegate to any board, or boards, the authority to prescribe additional qualifications and Sections 231.17, 231.20 and 231.24 are invalid and ineffective insofar as they relate to the office of County Superintendent of Public Instruction.
What we have said is in respect to constitutional offices, with particular reference to the office of County Superintendent of Public Instruction. We express no opinion as to employees or offices that may be created by the Legislature. Different rules of law may apply with reference to statutory offices and employees.
This case has been ably presented in briefs and by oral arguments at the bar of the Court and the briefs and arguments have been of great assistance to the Court. There can be no question that many worthwhile measures concerning our public school system, qualifications of officers and other important matters need the careful attention and consideration of the people and the Legislature. No doubt there is still room for improvement in our government, but the improvement must come within the limits prescribed by the Constitution. In other governments we have witnessed usurpation of power beyond the limits of the Constitution and even the violent overthrow of Constitutional government. Disregard for the Constitution in order to accomplish some reform, or worthwhile purpose, can only lead to the ultimate destruction of Constitutional government.
It matters not how worthy the aim or noble the purpose, the Legislature cannot enact laws to accomplish such aims and purposes when such laws conflict with the plain expression, meaning, purpose and intent of the Constitution. As was said by General George Washington, 1st president of the U.S., in his farewell address to the Nation when he declined to be a third term candidacy:
Affirmed.
SEBRING, C.J., and THOMAS and HOBSON, JJ., concur.
TERRELL and CHAPMAN, JJ., concur in judgment.
GILLIS, Associate Justice, concurs in conclusion and judgment with a statement of his views.
TERRELL, J., concurring in the judgment.
It may be that Section 230.25 and related Sections of Florida Statutes 1951, F.S.A., particularly Sections 231.17, 231.20 and 231.24, transgress the allowable limit of legislative power, in that they delegate to the State Department of Education and the State Board of Public Health, discretionary power to prescribe academic, professional, physical and other requirements to qualify one to be an appointee or candidate for the office of County Superintendent of Public Instruction. Under our triparty system of government the dominent authority holds that such powers are legislative and cannot be delegated.
I do not agree with the general theory of the majority opinion that the legislature can require nothing more in the way of qualification for county superintendent of public instruction than that he be a qualified elector of a prescribed age and such others as are mentioned for county and state offices generally. I think it competent for the legislature to prescribe liberal educational, professional and other qualifications for those who contemplate being appointed or who expect to run for the office of County Superintendent of Public Instruction. There is no prohibition in the constitution against this, and being none, the way is open for the legislature to prescribe such qualifications.
Infinitely more is expected of the public school system of the present day than was expected when the constitution was adopted. A competent County Superintendent must not only have training as an educator and school man, he would be much better competent to fill the position with training in some aspects of business and other avenues of life that he will be confronted with. Trained leadership in a democracy is one of its first requirements and the County Superintendent is one of its key men. I cannot subscribe to a doctrine which holds that the legislature cannot require such qualifications of those who fill this position. This Court has many times interpreted the constitution so as to keep it abreast with current thought on vital questions.
I agree to the judgment of the majority opinion only for the reasons stated in the first paragraph of this opinion. I am authorized to say that Mr. Justice CHAPMAN concurs in this view.
CHAPMAN, J., concurs.
GILLIS, Associate Justice, concurring in judgment and conclusion.
I concur in the judgment and conclusion reached; because the power to determine the qualifications of County Superintendent of Public Instruction may not be delegated by the Legislature to administrative Boards or officers in the manner attempted.