Court Opinion

ID: 9668581
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 02:18:39.311286+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:15:46.171202
License: Public Domain

HUGHES, Justice
(concurring).
In my opinion, the right of appellee to a declaratory judgment in this case has been settled adversely to it in Law v. Texas Delivery Service, Inc., 335 S.W.2d 653, Dal*496las Civil Appeals, writ ref., N.R.E. In that case the facts are essentially the same as they are here. The same statutes are involved. The Court of Civil Appeals denied the prayer for a declaratory judgment. This action of the Court was made the basis of a point of error presented to the Supreme Court in the application for writ of error filed by Texas Delivery Service. This point was well briefed by the parties, and I quote from the reply of the Attorney General to petitioner’s argument on this point:
“Petitioners finally contend that the Court of Civil Appeals, in holding that the trial court was without jurisdiction in this case, largely overlooked the fact that Petitioners also sought relief under the Declaratory Judgments Act.
“Section 1 of the Uniform Declaratory Judgments Act, Article 2524, V.C.S., as to the scope of the Act provides :
“ ‘Courts of record within their respective jurisdictions shall have power to declare rights, status, and other legal relations.’
“The Declaratory Judgments Act will not operate to enlarge or expand the jurisdiction of a civil court, nor does it operate to change or overrule the law as to the jurisdiction of the courts as it existed prior to the enactment of the Act. The rule of law as to the jurisdiction of civil courts in cases such as the instant case has been long and well established by the decisions in Ex Parte Phares and Ex Parte Sterling and other cases cited hereinabove. The Declaratory Judgments Act is remedial in nature and procedural in character and it does not create jurisdiction in courts over subjects over which they had no jurisdiction before passage of the Act.”
Among the supporting authorities cited, the Attorney General quoted from Malone v. City of Houston, 278 S.W.2d 204, Houston Civil Appeals, writ ref., N.R.E., as follows:
“The Uniform Declaratory Judgments Act confers declaratory power upon courts within their respective jurisdictions, and does not confer on civil courts jurisdiction to declare rights, status or other legal relationships arising under a penal statute.”
Strangely, the Attorney General does not make the same defense to this suit which he successfully made in Law v. Texas Delivery Service. In fact, he does not even cite such case to this Court.
I agree with the judgment rendered by the majority. I express no opinion on other questions discussed by the Court.