Opinion ID: 1915740
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: jurisdiction

Text: Before we begin our analysis of the issues before the Court, the basis of the Superior Court's jurisdiction must be at the forefront of our consideration. In their complaint, plaintiffs alleged that the Superior Court had jurisdiction to review the case because the Administrative Procedures Act (APA) provided the court with jurisdiction to review [a]ny preliminary, procedural, or intermediate agency act or ruling in circumstances in which review of the final agency order would not provide an adequate remedy. G.L. 1956 § 42-35-15(a). The board responded that it is exempt from the APA [11] and that judicial challenges to final decisions of the board are reviewed by this Court upon grant of a petition for a writ of certiorari. See Van Daam v. DiPrete, 560 A.2d 953, 954 (R.I. 1989). Although the trial justice made passing reference to § 42-35-7, [12] he did not base his jurisdictional conclusions on the APA. Instead, the trial justice concluded that the source of the Superior Court's jurisdiction was the UDJA. We agree. Nevertheless, we deem it necessary to clarify the relationship between the APA and the board. The provisions of the APA explicitly limit its reach, and G.L. 1956 chapter 7 of title 17, entitled State Board of Elections, is textually excluded from the APA's ambit. Section 42-35-18(b)(7). Critically and determinatively for our purposes, chapter 7 of title 17 vests the board with the power to conduct investigations, summon witnesses, and administer oaths in all cases of every nature pending before it. Section 17-7-8. The genesis of this dispute was a challenge to the authority of the board to investigate alleged campaign finance violations. Even when investigating an alleged violation of chapter 25 of title 17, the board's powers derive from § 17-7-8 and therefore explicitly are exempt from the APA. Thus, plaintiffs' argument that the APA governs any actions taken by the board in relation to chapter 25 of title 17, including the present investigation of campaign contributions and expenditures, is unavailing. We are of the opinion that the APA has no place in this case. Nevertheless, we are equally satisfied that the Superior Court was vested with jurisdiction to grant or deny declaratory relief pursuant to the UDJA and to grant or deny injunctive relief as a court of general equitable jurisdiction. G.L. 1956 § 8-2-13.