Opinion ID: 1287520
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Retroactive Laws

Text: Finally, appellant disagrees with the finding of the trial court that the present Act does not violate Art. I, Sec. III, Par. II of the Georgia Constitution (Code Ann. § 2-302) which provides that, No Bill of Attainder, ex post facto law, retroactive law, or law impairing the obligations of contracts... shall be passed. Laws prescribe only for the future... Retrospective statutes are forbidden by the first principles of justice ... Furthermore, a repealing Act will not be given retroactive operation, so as to divest previously acquired rights, or to impair the obligation of a contract lawfully made by virtue of and pending the existence of the law repealed. [Cits.] Bank of Norman Park v. Colquitt County, 169 Ga. 534, 536 (150 SE 841) (1929). See also Federal Deposit Ins. Corp. v. Beasley, 193 Ga. 727 (20 SE2d 23) (1942). This prohibition against retroactive laws applies to vested rights. See Bullard v. Holman, 184 Ga. 788 (193 SE 586) (1937), and Fortson v. Weeks, 232 Ga. 472 (7) (208 SE2d 68) (1974). We, therefore, must examine the question of whether or not appellant has a vested right to the office of Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of Douglas County. An incumbent in a public office does not have a vested right in the office which entitles him to complain of legislation affecting the office upon the ground that it is retrospective where no other right under the Constitution is violated. Copland v. Wohlwender, 197 Ga. 782 (3) (30 SE2d 462) (1944). See also City Council of Augusta v. Sweeney, 44 Ga. 463 (9 AR 172) (1871), and the Georgia Constitution, Art. I, Sec. I, Par. I (Code Ann. § 2-101). See also Houlihan v. Saussy, 206 Ga. 1, supra, pp. 4, 5. Nor does he have a right to complain that the law was not in effect at the time he was elected absent some other constitutional right. See Altman v. Taylor, 178 Ga. 689 (173 SE 828) (1934), and Bleckley v. Vickers, supra. Similarly, we must reject the assertion that appellant has any contract rights in the office. The legislature is limited only by specific provisions of the Federal and State Constitutions in dealing with public offices. See Gray v. McLendon, supra, pp. 250-252, and Felton v. Huiet, 178 Ga. 311 (4) (173 SE 660) (1933). There can be no question about the proposition that the legislative power of the state is absolute with respect to all offices that it creates, where no constitutional restriction is placed upon its power with reference to such offices. The incumbent of such an office does not hold the same by virtue of any sort of contract, express or implied, with the state or its lawmaking power, which gives him a vested right in the office. He accepts the office subject to the control of it by any legislative action in reference thereto which might thereafter be taken. Collins v. Russell, 107 Ga. 423, 426 (33 SE 44) (1899). We hold the legislature was not constitutionally prohibited from enacting the recall provisions of the present Act as contended by appellant in this enumeration of error. In conclusion, we find no merit in the constitutional attacks made on this Act by the appellant in this case.