Court Opinion

ID: 9635841
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 14:07:45.362647+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:09:37.399714
License: Public Domain

SIMON, Judge,
concurring.
I concur in the result reached by the majority. However, I respectfully disagree with the majority’s finding that appellant failed to preserve his constitutional challenge to the county ordinance.
Appellant contends that § 1217.010 of the St. Louis County Revised Ordinances under which he was charged and convicted is unconstitutionally vague. The majority holds that appellant has failed to preserve his challenge to the constitutionality of the ordinance by not raising the issue at his first opportunity. In appellant’s case, his first opportunity to raise the issue existed at the associate circuit court level.
A constitutional challenge must be raised at the first available opportunity in order to be preserved in both civil and criminal cases. See Barnes v. Anchor Temple Association, 369 S.W.2d 192, 194[4] (Mo.1963) (civil action to enjoin use of lot as parking area for automobiles); and State v. Worsham, 732 S.W.2d 209, 211[1] (Mo.App.1987) (criminal conviction for making a false report). However, an important distinction arises when the challenge is to the constitutionality of the statute or ordinance under which a defendant is charged. “[TJhere is a long line of cases holding that an unconstitutional law is no law so that its constitutionality is open to attack at any stage of the proceedings, even after conviction and judgment upon the ground that no crime could have been committed, and therefore, the trial court has no jurisdiction.” State v. Bible, 750 S.W.2d 676, 678-9 (Mo.App.1988). See also Ex parte Smith, 135 Mo. 223, 36 S.W. 628, 630 (1896).
Here, appellant challenged the constitutionality of the ordinance under which he was charged. Therefore, I would permit appellant to raise his constitutional challenge in this court. However, I concur with the majority in that appellant’s vagueness claim is without merit.