Court Opinion

ID: 9812735
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-31 22:46:28.362837+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:26:14.131822
License: Public Domain

Clark, L,
dissenting. In addition to the reasons given in the dissenting opinion in Abbott v. Beddingfield, at this term, there is a precedent in respect to this new court. In 1895, the Legislature enlarged the two Criminal Court Districts, and, during the term of the Judges of those districts, elected others in their stead. The new judgeships were the same, unless the enlargement of the districts made them new offices. If they were the same offices, then under Hoke v. Henderson, 15 N. C., 1, Judge Meares and Judge Jones were entitled to serve out their terms in the new district. So well settled, however, was the doctrine that an enlargement was a novation (Ward v. Elizabeth City, 121 N. C., 1), that no such claim was made.
*249• This Court ousted Judge Jones and seated Judge Ewart long before Judge Jones’s term had expired. Ewart v. Jones, 416 N. C., 570. And the Court decided, for Judge'Meatos, not on this ground, but because Mr.' Cook had befen elected prematurely; that such an election was void; that there was a vacancy, and that the Governor had filled this vacancy by the appointment of Judge Meares to hold until .the nextlelection. Cook v. Meares, 116 N. C., 582.
In fact, unless an enlargement is a novation, both Judge Battle and Judge Stevens are now holdiñg offices which of right are the property of Judges Jones añd Meares. And Judge Sutton and Judge Ewart never had any right' to the offices they held for years. ' . "• . : •
It has been urged that this point was not made in those cases. ' That is itself a strong argument- for the defendánt. If two Judges, both able lawyers, represented by able lawyers, ■endeavoring to hold their judgeships, never thought to have made this argument, there is a strong presumption against .the validity of the argument. .If the defendants and. their counsel had forgotten to make the argument, this Court could nevertheless have held ex mero motu that the Judges, of\tho old were the Judges of the new districts.