Opinion ID: 1259155
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Court's Power to Assess Costs and Expenses

Text: Despite acknowledging that the court has the power to regulate the legal profession, Respondent fails to appreciate the scope of the court's power in this area. We have declared repeatedly that the practice of law is a matter exclusively within the authority of the Judiciary. Hunt v. Maricopa County Employees Merit Sys. Comm'n, 127 Ariz. 259, 261, 619 P.2d 1036, 1038 (1980) (emphasis added); see, e.g., In re Bailey, 30 Ariz. 407, 411-12, 248 P. 29, 30-31 (1926). [10] The judiciary's authority to regulate and control the practice of law is universally accepted and dates back to the year 1292. State Bar of Arizona v. Arizona Land Title & Trust Co., 90 Ariz. 76, 84, 366 P.2d 1, 7 (1961); see Hunt, 127 Ariz. at 262, 619 P.2d at 1039 (listing cases from numerous jurisdictions recognizing judiciary's authority to regulate and control practice of law); see generally Blewett Lee, The Constitutional Power of the Courts Over Admission to the Bar. 13 Harv.L.Rev. 233-55 (1899); Thomas M. Alpert, The Inherent Power of the Courts to Regulate the Practice of Law: An Historical Analysis, 32 Buff.L.Rev. 525 (1983). Because the judiciary's authority to regulate the practice of law is a widely accepted premise, we, along with other courts that have recently addressed this issue, have tended merely to pronounce our authority to regulate the practice of law without explaining the source of this power. See, e.g., In re Lewkowitz, 70 Ariz. 325, 329, 220 P.2d 229, 231 (1950). Thus, a brief explanation of the source of our power and the extent of our authority is appropriate. As we stated in Hunt, [t]he determination of who shall practice law in Arizona and under what condition is a function placed by the state constitution in this court. 127 Ariz. at 261-62, 619 P.2d at 1038-39. Our authority to regulate the practice of law is found in articles 3 and 6 of the Arizona Constitution. Article 6, § 1 vests  judicial power  in an integrated judicial department.... Article 3 provides: The powers of the government of the State of Arizona shall be divided into three separate departments, the Legislative, the Executive, and the Judicial; and, except as provided in this Constitution, such departments shall be separate and distinct, and no one of such departments shall exercise the powers properly belonging to either of the others. Under article 3, each branch of government is independent, and no department may exercise powers belonging to the others. Ahearn v. Bailey, 104 Ariz. 250, 252, 451 P.2d 30, 32 (1969). Thus, the judicial department alone is able to exercise judicial power. See Ahearn, 104 Ariz. at 252, 451 P.2d at 32. Our constitution does not expressly grant any of the three departments of government the power to define and regulate the practice of law. However, courts that have interpreted constitutional provisions identical or similar to ours consistently have found that the power to regulate the practice of law belongs to the judicial department. See, e.g., In re Day, 181 Ill. 73, 54 N.E. 646, 651-52 (1899); In re Integration of Nebraska State Bar Ass'n, 133 Neb. 283, 275 N.W. 265, 266-68 (1937); State v. Cannon, 206 Wis. 374, 240 N.W. 441, 445, 448-50 (1932); Integration of Bar Case, 244 Wis. 8, 11 N.W.2d 604, 619 (1943). The Nebraska Supreme Court provided a thoughtful discussion of its constitutional power to regulate the practice of law when the court's rules integrating the State Bar were challenged as unconstitutional. Nebraska State Bar, 275 N.W. at 265. Nebraska's constitutional provisions are very similar to Arizona's provisions. Compare Neb. Const. Art. 5, § 1, [11] and Art. 2, § 1, [12] with Ariz. Const. art. 6, § 1, and art. 3. As the Nebraska Supreme Court explained, [i]t is a fundamental principle of constitutional law that each department of government, whether federal or state, has, without any express grant, the inherent right to accomplish all objects naturally within the orbit of that department, not expressly limited by the fact of the existence of a similar power elsewhere or the express limitations in the constitution. Nebraska State Bar, 275 N.W. at 266 (emphasis in original) (citations omitted); see, e.g., State ex inf. Hadley v. Washburn, 167 Mo. 680, 67 S.W. 592, 594-95 (1902). The court concluded, therefore, that [i]n the absence of an express grant of [the power to regulate the practice of law] to any one of the three departments, [the power] must be exercised by the department to which it naturally belongs.... Nebraska State Bar, 275 N.W. at 266. In deciding which department the power to regulate the practice of law naturally belonged, the court noted that [t]he primary duty of courts is the proper and efficient administration of justice. Nebraska State Bar, 275 N.W. at 268. The court concluded that [t]he practice of law is so intimately connected and bound up with the exercise of judicial power in the administration of justice that the right to define and regulate its practice naturally and logically belongs to the judicial department.... Nebraska State Bar, 275 N.W. at 268; see also, e.g., Ex parte Garland, 71 U.S. (4 Wall.) 333, 379, 18 L.Ed. 366 (1866) (attorneys are officers of court whose duties relate almost exclusively to proceedings of a judicial nature). This analysis applies equally to Arizona's Constitution. Thus, the combination of article 3, which creates three separate government departments, and article 6, § 1, which vests judicial power with the judicial department, confers upon this court the power to discipline members of the bar. Arizona's Constitution, however, provides an even clearer directive in this area. Article 6, § 3, provides that [t]he Supreme Court shall have administrative supervision over all the courts of the State. Administrative is defined as: Connotes of or pertains to administration, especially management, as by managing or conducting, directing, or superintending, the execution, application or conduct of persons or things. Particularly, having the character of executive or ministerial action. In this sense, administrative functions or acts are distinguished from such as are judicial. Black's Law Dictionary 42 (5th ed. 1979) (emphasis added) (citations omitted). Administrative supervision contemplates managing the conduct of court personnel. See Mann v. Maricopa County, 104 Ariz. 561, 565, 456 P.2d 931, 935 (1969). Attorneys are universally recognized as officers of the court. Garland, 71 U.S. (4 Wall.) at 378-79; see, e.g., Day, 54 N.E. at 650-51; In re Application to Practice Law, 67 W. Va. 213, 67 S.E. 597, 601 (1910); In re Wren, 79 Ariz. 187, 191, 285 P.2d 761, 763 (1955). And, as officers of the court, attorneys are amenable to [the court] as their superior. Nebraska State Bar, 275 N.W. at 267; see Garland, 71 U.S. (4 Wall.) at 378-79. Through the disciplinary process, we are exercising our constitutionally granted power to manage the conduct of court officers. Similarly, article 6, § 5(5), is another constitutional provision empowering this court to admit and discipline attorneys. This provision provides that this court has the [p]ower to make rules relative to all procedural matters in any court. The admission and subsequent discipline of an attorney are some of the most basic procedural matters before any court. On numerous occasions, this court has had to determine whether a matter is procedural. See, e.g., State v. Fletcher, 149 Ariz. 187, 191, 717 P.2d 866, 870 (1986). In doing so, this court has distinguished procedural from substantive law, stating: Procedural, adjective or remedial law is that portion of the law which prescribes the method of enforcing a right or obtaining redress for the invasion of that right. Substantive law, on the other hand, is that portion of the law which creates, defines and regulates rights. Fletcher, 149 Ariz. at 191, 717 P.2d at 870 (emphasis in original); see also Daou v. Harris, 139 Ariz. 353, 358, 678 P.2d 934, 939 (1984); Black's Law Dictionary 1083 (5th ed. 1979). In promulgating rules prescribing the method of enforcing a right or obtaining redress for the invasion of that right, this court necessarily must determine first who is qualified to come before the court to perform this task. As courts, including ours, have repeatedly stated in one form or another, the purpose of the State Bar's admission process and any subsequent disciplinary action is to protect the public by insuring that attorneys have the attributes necessary to fulfill their responsibilities to the court. See, e.g., Kastensmith, 101 Ariz. at 294, 419 P.2d at 78; Daley, 549 F.2d at 475-76. In this regard, the entire admission and discipline process can be viewed as procedural. Accordingly, article 6, § 5(5) is another constitutional source of our power over admission and disciplinary matters.