Court Opinion

ID: 9586644
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 23:13:39.162212+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:32:46.469299
License: Public Domain

*171On Motion for Rehearing.
Nichols, Judge.
On rehearing a dissent to the above opinion developed on the question as to whether or not the Civil Service Board of Fulton County is the final finder of the facts, or whether such board is merely an appellate body with no authority to reverse the appointing authority and order the reinstatement of the employee so long as there is any competent evidence to authorize a finding that the firing was for other than “personal political or religious reasons and not justified.” (Emphasis added.) Ga. L. 1945, pp. 850, 854.
Section 18 of the act as amended (Ga. L. 1945, pp. 850, 854) states specifically that “such action of the appointing authority shall be final, except the Board may reinstate an officer or employee so removed in case it appears after proper hearing that the removal was made for personal political or religious reasons and not justified.” (Emphasis added.)
Whenever an appeal is taken from the action of the appointing authority in discharging an employee to the board, as was done in this case, such appeal constitutes a de novo hearing before such board, and as such, such board, under the act (Ga. L. 1945, supra), is the trior of the facts as to any review by the superior court or this court.
The sole question then for determination here is whether there was any competent evidence in the record to support the findings of fact of the Civil Service Board of Fulton County. As stated in the original opinion we think there was. To hold otherwise would mean that the only time this board could reinstate a discharged employee would be when the appointing authority admits that the discharged employee was discharged for personal political or religious reasons, and for no other reason.

Judgment of affirmance is adhered to on rehearing.