Opinion ID: 1761036
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Standard of Review for constitutionality of a legislative enactment.

Text: ¶ 13. As this issue indicates, the municipalities are attacking the constitutionality of the 1987 Amendments. Prior to the 1987 Amendments, the Public Utilities Act of 1956 provided in part that [a]ny municipality shall have the right to acquire by purchase, negotiation or condemnation the facilities of any utility that is now or may hereafter be located within the corporate limits of such municipality. 1956 Miss. Laws, ch. 372, § 5(e), codified at § 77-3-17 (1972). As stated supra, the 1987 Amendments provide that prior to any condemnation as provided for under Miss. Code Ann. Section 77-3-17, the PSC must first determine that the certificated utility is not providing reasonably adequate service in the area in question and that the utility's certificate of public convenience and necessity should be canceled as provided in Miss. Code Ann. Section 77-3-21. The municipalities allege that the 1987 Amendments abridge their power of eminent domain in violation of Section 190 of the Mississippi Constitution of 1890. The Court finds this argument unpersuasive for the reasons set forth below. ¶ 14. As conceded by both parties, under Mississippi law a party challenging the constitutionality of a statute must prove unconstitutionality beyond a reasonable doubt. Secretary of State v. Wiesenberg, 633 So.2d 983, 989 (Miss. 1994); Miss. Power Co. v. Goudy, 459 So.2d 257, 263 (Miss. 1984). This Court has previously discussed the presumption of a statute's validity, holding: We adhere here to the rule that one who assails a legislative enactment must overcome the strong presumption of validity and such assailant must prove his conclusions affirmatively, and clearly establish it beyond a reasonable doubt. All doubts must be resolved in favor of validity of a statute. If possible, a court should construe statutes so as to render them constitutional rather than unconstitutional if the statute under attack does not clearly and apparently conflict with organic law after first resolving all doubts in favor of validity. Loden v. Miss. Public Service Comm'n, 279 So.2d 636, 640 (Miss. 1973) (citations omitted).