Court Opinion

ID: 9713063
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 05:06:25.707112+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:09:23.163513
License: Public Domain

Mr. Justice Sci-iaefer, dissenting: It is interesting to note that in none of the cases cited by the majority was the statute involved held invalid. The settled principle that has always governed the decision of cases like this one is stated as follows in Bagdonas v. Liberty Land and Investment Co. 309 Ill. 103, 109-110. “The legislature is not required to be scientific, logical or consistent in its classifications. In order to authorize a judicial review of such classifications it must clearly appear that there is no fair reason for the law that would not require with equal force its extension to others not included. The legislature may determine upon what differences a distinction may be made for the purpose of statutory classification, between provisions otherwise having resemblance, if such power is not arbitrarily exercised and the distinction has a reasonable basis. (Stewart v. Brady, 300 Ill. 425; International Harvester Co. v. Missouri, 234 U.S. 199.) The burden rests upon one attacking the classification in a law to show that it does not rest upon a reasonable basis but that it is arbitrary. A distinction in legislation is not arbitrary if any state of facts can reasonably be conceived that would sustain it, and the existence of such a state of facts at the time the law was enacted must be assumed. Lindsley v. Natural Carbonic Gas Co. 220 U.S. 61; Stewart v. Brady, supra; Louisville, New Albany and Chicago Railway Co. v. Wallace, 136 Ill. 87.” For some reason this settled principle is not applied to this case. The opinion of the majority indicates an awareness of the principle in its discussion of the five-day limitation upon notice of appeal in forcible entry and detainer cases, saying, “While no constitutional question has been before us on that section, we can conceive of substantial reasons for providing short appeal periods in forcible detainer matters — not the least of which may be the possibility of serious or irreparable damage by irresponsible tenants who might otherwise remain longer in possession.” But when it deals with the statute actually before the court, the majority puts the burden of establishing the validity of the legislative classification upon the litigant who seeks to sustain the validity of the legislation. The complications that attend delay in settling school district boundaries are obvious. Until the boundaries are settled neither school district can know the number of pupils that will attend, the number of teachers and classrooms that will be required, or the number of school buses and drivers of school buses that will be needed. Changes in tax rates may be required, and it may be necessary to issue bonds to provide essential facilities. Yet the majority refuses to conceive of any substantial reasons that justify an unusually expeditious appeal. These same complications account for the legislative provision that defers the effective date of a change in school district boundaries during the school year. This provision is referred to by the majority as a reason for invalidating the expeditious-appeal provision actually before us. Yet this provision is itself a deviation from the kind of rigid uniformity that the majority demands, for other school administrative decisions become effective at once. It can be sustained only by exactly the same considerations that are held insufficient to sustain the expeditious appeal. The majority opinion can only serve to cast doubt upon a large number of familiar procedural departures from absolute uniformity. The development of the Administrative Review Act, for example, was a slow process. Originally, in 1945, the decisions of 49 administrative agencies were made reviewable under the act. In 1949, 34 more agencies were added (Davis, Review of Administrative Action, 44 Ill. L. Rev. 565, 627) but even today there are agencies whose administrative decisions are not reviewable by this “uniform” method. See e.g. (Commerce Commission) Ill. Rev. Stat. 1961, chap, 111^i, par. 72; (Industrial Commission) Ill. Rev. Stat. 1961, chap. 48, par. 138.19. The constitutional provisions here invoked were not intended to operate as a strait jacket to preclude this kind of gradual procedural development. As we said in Donoho v. O’Connell’s, Inc. 18 Ill.2d 432, 437, “the validity of legislation does not depend upon complete comprehensiveness, nor does the constitution require that it conform to an ideal pattern of orderliness.” So it is that the Civil Practice Act is applicable to “all civil proceedings, both at law and in equity, in courts of record, except in attachment, ejectment, eminent domain, forcible entry and detainer, garnishment, habeas corpus, mandamus, ne exeat, quo warranto, replevin, foreclosure of mortgages or other proceedings in which the procedure is regulated by separate statutes.” Ill. Rev. Stat. 1961, chap, no, par. 1; see, City of Breese v. Abel, 359 Ill. 579; Toledo, Peoria and Western Railroad v. Illinois Commerce Com. 375 Ill. 35. I do not understand what is meant by the statement in the opinion that "The legislative history of these provisions yields no clue to the need for summary action.” In this State, in the absence of a statutory preamble, or the report of a legislative commission, there simply is no legislative history to explain the purpose of legislation. And instances in which bills contain preambles, or in which there are reports of commissions, are rare exceptions, and not the rule. Surely the majority cannot mean to hold that the validity of legislation depends upon an existence of some kind of legislative history apart from the ordinary legislative record contained in the Journals of the House and Senate. It may be that the majority has been misled by suggestions contained in the brief of the appellant. It is there stated: “There is no report of any of the Committees evidencing any reason given before a Committee for the change in practice affected by the measures. The Committee records are silent with respect to the substance of any testimony given for or against the Bills.” It is difficult to understand what is meant by the appellants’ statement that no report of any committee of the House or Senate gave any reasons for the change effected by the bills. Reports of legislative committees do not give reasons. They consist of a simple recommendation that the bill do pass or that the bill do not pass. Mr. Justice Hersiiey joins in this dissent.