Court Opinion

ID: 7838305
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2022-09-08 16:41:56.557193+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:54:36.724009
License: Public Domain

ORDER
PER CURIAM.
On consideration of the briefs, argument, and record made in connection with the pending motions to dismiss and to remand this action to the District Court, it is hereby
Ordered by the court that the motion to remand is granted to the extent indicated in the attached memorandum. The record herein is remanded together with the second round of filings of proposed findings of fact and supporting documents due on April 18, 1975 pursuant to our order of March 14, 1975. It is
Further ordered by the court that the District Court shall return the record to this court as soon as possible, but in no event later than May 19, 1975. It is
Further ordered by the court that final action by this court on defendants’ motion to dismiss is deferred pending return of the record.
Chief Judge BAZELON dissents for the reasons set forth in his attached statement.
MEMORANDUM
By the attached order, we seek to conform our treatment of this matter with the special review procedure set forth in Section 315(a) of the Federal Election Campaign Act, as amended (2 U.S.C. § 437h). That section requires that after the instituting of an action “as may be appropriate to construe the constitutionality of any provision of this Act or of section 608, 610, 611, 613, 614, 615, 616, or 617 of title 18, United States Code,” then “[t]he district court immediately shall certify all questions of constitutionality of this Act or of section 608, 610, 611, 613, 614, 615, 616, or 617 of title 18, United States Code to the United States court of appeals for the circuit involved, which shall hear the matter sitting on banc.”
We are remanding the record to the District Court to do the following:
1. Identify constitutional issues in the complaint.
2. Take whatever may be necessary in the form of evidence — over and above submissions that may suitably be handled through judicial notice, as of legislative facts, supported by legislative history or works reasonably available, to the extent not controverted in material and substantial degree.
3. Make findings of fact with reference to those issues.
4. Certify to this court constitutional questions arising from steps 1, 2, and 3.
As indicated in the attached order, the District Court will return the record, as augmented on remand, to this court immediately, and in no event later than May 19, 1975.
We follow this procedure without ruling on the contention of defendants that such a procedure is required by the “certify” provision of Section 315(a), and that this provision must be read in conjunction with the rulings on the provision for certification of questions to the Supreme Court.1 We would reach the same result, at least at this juncture, even assuming that Section 315(a) establishes a sui generis procedure and contemplates that, in the interest of expedition, the Court of Appeals properly proceeds by appointing its own master to make a report of proposed findings. Our order is consonant with both these approaches, in practical aspect, and it is unnecessary to make a choice between them at this time. It is also consistent *170with the intention of Congress for expedition in appellate disposition.2
Certain of the parties have questioned whether Subtitle H of the Internal Revenue Code (the public financing of presidential elections provisions) is subject to the procedures of Section 315(a). They cite 26 U.S.C. § 9011(b), which by its plain words commands a different review procedure — the convening of a three-judge court — for review of Chapter 95 of Subtitle H. It is the view of the other parties that the review provisions set forth in Section 315(a) are sufficiently broad that all constitutional questions must be certified to this court.
To protect against the contingency that the Supreme Court might eventually hold that these issues should be decided by a three-judge court, either under 26 U.S.C. § 9011(b) or as to Chapter 96 under 28 U.S.C. §§ 2282, 2284, we suggest to the District Court that it certify the need for a three-judge court as to Subtitle H to the Chief Judge of this Circuit, in order that there may be parallel proceedings in that court and in this court with reference thereto.

. See Lowden v. Northwestern Nat. Bank & Trust Co., 298 U.S. 160, 162, 56 S.Ct. 696, 80 L.Ed. 1114 (1936); Atlas Ins. Co. v. Southern, Inc., 306 U.S. 563, 572-573, 59 S.Ct. 657, 83 L.Ed. 987 (1939); Emsheimer v. New Orleans, 186 U.S. 33, 22 S.Ct. 770, 46 L.Ed. 1042 (1902).

. The course we have designated will help avoid future embarrassment that might result if we chose one or another of the approaches offered by counsel and the Supreme Court were later to determine we had exceeded our authority.