Opinion ID: 1259155
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Legislative Limitations on Court's Power to Assess Costs and Expenses

Text: A basic tenet of statutory construction is that statutes should be construed so as to be constitutional whenever possible. Stillman v. Marston, 107 Ariz. 208, 209, 484 P.2d 628, 629 (1971) (citations omitted). The interpretation of § 12-109 that Respondent urges us to adopt would allow the legislature to limit this court in determining the range of sanctions that we could impose in disciplining an attorney. Such an interpretation unnecessarily implicates constitutional concerns. The Arizona Constitution grants this court the power to determine who shall practice law in Arizona and under what condition. Hunt, 127 Ariz. at 261-62, 619 P.2d at 1038-39. Necessarily included within this power is the power to discipline those admitted to practice law. E.g., In re Riley, 142 Ariz. 604, 607, 691 P.2d 695, 698 (1984). As we have explained previously, one is admitted to the bar only after having met the requisite qualifications. See, e.g., Bailey, 30 Ariz. at 411, 248 P. at 30, discussing Garland, 71 U.S. (4 Wall.) at 378-79. Correspondingly, the court has the power to remove from the practice those no longer fit. In re Greer, 52 Ariz. 385, 390, 81 P.2d 96, 98 (1938). It necessarily follows, then, that the court has the power to impose sanctions that fall short of disbarment. One of the sanctions that this court requires is the imposition of costs and expenses on disciplined attorneys. [14] See rule 52(a)(8), Arizona Rules of the Supreme Court. This court finds that imposing the costs and expenses incurred by the State Bar in a disciplinary action on disciplined attorneys is necessary to effectively carry out our constitutional duties. Recovering costs and expenses from disciplined attorneys assists us in our duty to protect the public from those attorneys who are guilty of misconduct in a number of ways. The discipline process is a costly endeavor. According to the State Bar's audited financial statements, the Bar's single largest category of expenditures was for attorney discipline. Disciplinary costs account for a large percentage of membership dues. [15] As one court noted when authorizing the State Bar to impose a special annual assessment on its members to finance disciplinary activities, the [c]ourt's duty to protect itself, the judiciary, and the citizens of [the] State from persons unfit to practice law ... should not be hampered by the absence of adequate financing to do the job.... Mississippi State Bar, 361 So.2d at 506. By shifting some of the financial burden of disciplinary procedures to those who are directly responsible for the costs, we insure the ability of the State Bar to continue its efforts in this area without having to ask the State Bar's members to further subsidize the Bar's disciplinary efforts. [16] Not only is the assessment of costs against an attorney who committed misconduct a more equitable means of financing the disciplinary process, but the imposition of costs and expenses serves the additional function of deterring other lawyers from engaging in unprofessional conduct. Moreover, as with restitution, we consider the imposition of costs and fees to be part of the rehabilitative process of our disciplinary proceeding. See Levine, 174 Ariz. at 176 n. 21, 847 P.2d at 1123 n. 21. Respondent argues that § 12-109 limits the court's ability to impose costs and fees on a sanctioned attorney. Although we have recognized the legislature's power to enact legislation in this area, we consistently have held that the legislature does not have the power to enact laws that would make it impossible, or even unreasonably difficult for the judicial department to perform its constitutional function. E.g., In re Miller, 29 Ariz. 582, 596, 244 P. 376, 380 (1926). Because we find that the imposition of costs and expenses plays an important and necessary function in our disciplinary process, we would be unnecessarily implicating constitutional questions if we were to interpret § 12-109 as applying to disciplinary actions. And this we will not do. We therefore find that § 12-109 does not apply to disciplinary actions.