Opinion ID: 2607758
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Exclusive Source of This Court's Jurisdiction

Text: Since it is not possessed of a common-law right of appeal, the State has no right to appeal a district court's adverse ruling or judgment in a criminal prosecution without strictly adhering to the bill-of-exceptions provisions of the statute, § 7-12-102 through § 7-12-105, supra n. 2. This being so, this court, except by bills of exceptions, has no jurisdiction to review any such rulings or judgments. State ex rel. Gibson v. Cornwell, supra, 85 P. 977. As has been previously noted, in Gibson, Chief Justice Potter, writing for the court, said:    It is only upon a compliance with the provisions of the statute in question [bill of exceptions] that this court obtains jurisdiction to review any ruling of the district court adverse to the state in criminal prosecutions.  (Emphasis added.) 85 P. at 979 . In State ex rel. Gibson, the Attorney General argued that an exception to the ruling of the court should be sufficient to preserve the issue for this court's consideration. This court rejected the contention, saying:    But it is obvious, we think, that the bill in a case like this    is the basis of the jurisdiction of this court. It is not perceived that we would have authority to decide any question arising upon exceptions of the prosecuting attorney in a criminal case, without a bill of exceptions containing the same, taken and filed as prescribed by the statute.  (Emphasis added.) 85 P. at 979. Having said this, the court struck the bill since it was not sealed as provided by what is now our § 7-12-102, W.S. 1977, 1983 Cum.Supp.