Court Opinion

ID: 9685625
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 14:53:25.760866+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:18:08.718222
License: Public Domain

GOODWYN, Justice
(concurring in part and dissenting in part).
I agree that Act No. 729 (approved Sept. 20, 1957, Acts 1957, Vol. II, p. 1134), to the extent it provides for a trial de novo with power in the circuit court to zone or not to zone, is unconstitutional. However, there are judicial questions relating to zoning which are proper subjects of review by the circuit court.
As I understand the majority opinion, it precludes the circuit court from reviewing the action of the board of commissioners by appeal under Act No. 729, even if review on such appeal is confined to questions properly before the court. In other words, the majority would completely strike out of the Act the provisions giving the right of appeal when questions of zoning are involved. It is with this phase of the opinion that I am unable to agree.
Act No. 729 contains a severability clause providing that “if any part of the Act is declared invalid or unconstitutional, such declaration shall not affect the part which remains.” It appears to me that the part of the Act providing for a trial de novo can be separated from the part providing for appeals so as to permit appeals to the circuit court for review of questions properly reviewable there. Petitioners seem to agree with this, although thy seek, by their petition, to prohibit the circuit court from entertaining the appeal for any purpose. As stated in one of their briefs, viz.:
“This is entirely consistent with Petitioners’ position and, in fact, reinforces it, i. e., a court may be given power by statute to review the validity of an ordinance or other legislative act but not the power to review its wisdom by trial de novo. We cheerfully concede the legislature could give the Circuit Court of Montgomery County the power to so review this particular ordinance. This was after all done in City of Birmingham v. Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company, 213 Ala. 92, 104 So. 258.
“As a matter of fact, in a case remarkably like that at bar (already cited in our supplemental brief) the Mississippi Supreme Court declared only the trial de novo feature unconstitutional, leaving in effect the statutory right to a court review.
*317“This is the case of California Company v. State Oil & Gas Board, 200 Miss. 824, 27 So.2d 542, decided in 1946.”
It is a well-settled principle that all presumptions should be indulged in favor of the validity of a statute; that its unconstitutionality must appear beyond a reasonable doubt before declaring it to be invalid; and that it should be given such a construction, if possible, as will sustain its validity. It seems to me that the right of appeal with respect to zoning action taken by the board of commissioners, being separable from and not wholly dependent on the provision for a trial de novo, should remain as a valid part of the Act, I think this is in accord with the legislative intent, gathered from the provisions of the Act itself, particularly when considered in the light of the principle that the validity of a statute should be upheld, if possible. Of course, the power of the circuit court, on appeal, would be limited to the exercise of a judicial function, in contrast to one that is legislative.
I would grant the writ so as to prohibit the circuit court from proceeding with a trial de novo, but would not prohibit it from entertaining the appeal with respect to judicial questions properly reviewable there.
To the extent indicated, I respectfully dissent.