Court Opinion

ID: 9809271
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-31 21:06:29.414136+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:24:53.206918
License: Public Domain

Clark, J.,
concurring. The settled practice upon such applications as this is thus stated in Burwell v. Hughes, 120 N. C., 277 (which was an appeal from the same County and in which the same counsel represented the appellant) : “It was the duty of the appellant at such first term to file all the transcript that was available, and have asked for a certiorari to complete the transcript. His failure to do so is a lack of diligence and forfeits his appeal. Brown v. House, 119 N. C., 1622; Haynes v. Coward, 116 N. C., 840; Graham v. Edwards, 114 N. C., 228; Sanders v. Thompson, Ibid, 282; State v. James, 108 N. C., 792; Collins v. Faribault, 92 N. C., 310, and there are still other cases. There are some matters at least which should be deemed settled, and this is one of them.” This has since been cited and followed in Morrison v. Craven, 120 N. C., 327; Critz v. Sparger, 121 N. C., 283; Rothchild v. McNichol, Ibid, 284; Parker v. Railroad, Ibid, 501;McMillan v. McMillan, 122 N. C., 410; and in other cases disposed of per curiam, because reiteration was unnecessary, among them the case last called immediately preceding this on the docket — Trollinger v. Railroad.
It has been contended that if the certiorari were granted no harm would be done. In the first place the case would go *748over to tbe Eall Term, and delay of justice is often a denial of justice, and is one of tbe evils beld so great that a provision against it was inserted in Magna Charter. Besides, there must of necessity be rules of procedure or tbe administration of justice would be “confusion worse confounded.” It is not material whether an appeal should be docketed “at the first term beginning after the trial below,” as onr rule requires, or at the second term, or at the third term, but whatever the rule, it should apply to all. It is not material whether, on an application for a certiorari, the applicant must docket as a basis “a transcript of all the record that is available” (as our uniform decisions require), or only a copy of the judgment, or nothing, but whatever the requirement, it must be impartially applied to all. An exemption of any litigant would be favoritism or at the least the uncertain “rule of the Chanellor’s thumb” — varying in thickness.
As far as possible, the courts should give their time to the decision of disputed rights and eliminate as far as they can all mere questions of practice, as to the proper manner of presenting cases in Courts. This renders it of the gravest importance to have the practice settled and to adhere to it impartially, letting all needed changes be made by statute or by changing the rules of Court so as to be prospective. If this is not done, and the well settled practice is not adhered to the Court, would be deluged with questions of mere procedure “to the neglect of the ■weightier matters of the law.”