Court Opinion

ID: 9845893
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-24 03:30:25.805263+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:16:25.089917
License: Public Domain

MR. JUSTICE ADAIR:
I dissent.
Section 2 of Article VIII of the Constitution of Montana, in part, declares that: “The supreme court, except as otherwise provided in this constitution, shall have appellate jurisdiction only.”
The action now before this, the Supreme Court of Montana, is an action seeking a declaratory judgment and such action should have been commenced ixx a district court of this state and not in the Supreme Court. See Brackman v. Kruse, 122 Mont. 91, at pp. 93 and 94, 199 P.2d 971.
On the Supreme Court’s order of March 31, 1965, I filed a written dissexxt wherein I stated that, “In my opinion the Su*405preme Court of Montana is without jurisdiction in this cause which has at no time been filed or brought in any district court of this state, and which is not brought to this court on appeal. For the above reasons I dissent to this court’s attempting to exercise jurisdiction herein.”
In Brackman v. Kruse, supra, the opening paragraph of the opinion reads:
“This is an action for a declaratory judgment commenced in the district court to have determined and declared the constitutionality of section 2620.45 and 2620.46, Revised Codes of Montana, 1935.”
To properly confer the necessary jurisdiction upon this court in the instant cause the action should have been brought in the district court and after decision there the appeal could have been taken to the Supreme Court by any dissatisfied party to the action.