Court Opinion

ID: 9566992
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 19:46:22.448351+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:48:41.318631
License: Public Domain

Felton, Chief Judge,
dissenting. I dissent from Division 2a of the majority opinion for the reason that neither the trial court nor this court has jurisdiction of the merits of this case. This court has the limited jurisdiction in this case to adjudicate that the trial court and this court have no jurisdiction of the *250merits of this case and to reverse the judgment of the trial court on the sole ground that it was and is without jurisdiction of the case. If the Georgia Election Code is construed to mean that Georgia courts have jurisdiction over a State-authorized contest of the election of a Congressman for any other purpose than a State purpose it is contrary to the provision of the Constitution of the United States which states: “Each House shall be the judge of the Election, Returns and Qualifications of its own members. . .” The majority’s footnote No. 1 cites various authorities which it is not necessary to repeat. These authorities state the law as I see it. If the Constitution of the United States means what is said in plain and unambiguous language, neither one State nor all 50 States can change the meaning and effects thereof by enacting laws providing for election contests. Such action would nullify the foregoing constitutional provision and therefore be unconstitutional. If the ruling of the majority means that the trial court must recount the votes and determine for whom the questioned ballots were cast and declare the winner for the edification and information of Congress, which is under no duty to agree with or follow, it is erroneous because the Election Code is unconstitutional as construed by the majority. If it were so held, the trial court would have no jurisdiction to try the contest and render what would amount to an advisory opinion to Congress. There is no authority of law for a State court to take jurisdiction of a case at the State’s expense and render a judgment which binds nobody and only serves as information for Congress, if Congress decides to accept it only as information. We have been cited to no authority for the proposition that Congress is bound by the rulings of a State court in a Congressional election contest to any degree.
The argument that Congress or the Senate might act arbitrarily or even dishonestly is irrelevant, totally and completely. See also, Laxalt v. Cannon, 80 Nev. 588, supra. See especially Rainey v. Taylor, 166 Ga. 476 (143 SE 383). , I do not agree with the ruling in that case but I am bound by it. My opinion is that courts have jurisdiction of the qualifications of a member of the General Assembly when it appears that the qualifi*251cations are stated in express terms in the Constitution itself. I think, for example, that Congress and our General Assembly could not seat an alien and that the courts could oust him.