Allen v. City of Norfolk

• Decision Date: 08 September 1954
• Citation: 83 S.E.2d 397,196 Va. 177
• Parties: JOHN HENRY ALLEN v. CITY OF NORFOLK
• Court: Virginia Supreme Court

Page 397

83 S.E.2d 397

196 Va. 177

JOHN HENRY ALLEN v. CITY OF NORFOLK.

Supreme Court of Appeals of Virginia

September 8, 1954.

Stant & Mirman, Devany & Redfern and Herbert L. Kramer, for the plaintiff in error.

Jonathan W. Old, Jr., Vernon D. Hitchings and Joseph E. Baker, for the defendant in error.

<(UPON REHEARING.)>

JUDGE: WHITTLE

WHITTLE, J., delivered the opinion of the court.

This case was decided on March 15, 1954, our former opinion being reported in 195 Va. 844, 80 S.E. (2d) 605. We there held that section 29-23 of the 1950 Code of the City of Norfolk, known as the lottery or numbers ordinance, was invalid, which holding resulted in the reversal of the judgment of conviction appealed from and the release of the accused. In the interest of brevity and for the sake of clarity the original opinion should be considered in conjunction with this opinion.

The city vigorously contends both in its petition for a rehearing and in argument at bar that there is no legal inconsistency between the statute (§ 18-301, Va. Code, 1950) and the city ordinance (§ 29-23, Code of the City of Norfolk, supra). The pertinent part of Code, § 18-301, reads:

'If any person:

* * *

'(5) For himself or another person buy, sell or transfer, or have in his possession for the purpose of sale or with intent to exchange, negotiate or transfer, or aid in selling, exchanging, negotiating or transferring, a chance or ticket in or share of a ticket in a lottery, or any such writing, certificate, bill, token or device,

'He shall be confined in jail not exceeding one year, and fined not exceeding five hundred dollars.'

The state statute above quoted may or may not be comprehensive enough to cope with modern unlawful schemes now in use or which may be later devised and employed by the operators of lotteries or games of chance. We have not decided nor did we intend to decide that municipalities, under authority of proper charter provisions, could not pass ordinances covering situations as they may arise, provided such ordinances are not inconsistent (i.e., in conflict) with 'the Constitution and laws of the United States or of this State'. § 1-13.17, Va. Code, 1950.

The first sentence in the Norfolk ordinance, which is in conformity with the views above expressed, reads: 'It shall be unlawful for any person in the city to conduct, operate, manage or promote, or be concerned in or take any part in conducting, operating, managing or promoting, any lottery, raffle, numbers game or any scheme or device whereby for a valuable consideration, money, prize or other thing of value is distributed, or is to be distributed, by the element of chance. * * * '. This provision of the ordinance is made more comprehensive than the state statute so as to include additional requirements and prohibitions not found in § 18-301 of the Virginia Code, supra, and its validity is not challenged.

The second sentence in the ordinance, the validity of which is challenged, reads: 'The possession of any book, ticket, token, certificate or writing indicating any such lottery, raffle, numbers game, scheme or device shall be prima facie evidence of a violation of this section. ' We held in the original opinion that this provision of the ordinance was inconsistent with the state statute (18-301, Va. Code, 1950, supra), which contains no such provision.

In this state, one accused of crime is presumed to be innocent until his guilt is established beyond a reasonable doubt. He is not required to establish his innocence; the burden is upon the state to establish his guilt. The accused is not required to take the stand in his own behalf, and 'his failure to testify shall create no presumption against him, nor be the subject of any comment before the court or jury by the prosecuting attorney.' § 19-238, Va. Code, 1950. The legislature has created few presumptions of fact from which inferences of guilt may be drawn, and where such have been created they invariably emanate from dire necessity.

It is argued that the challenged provision of the ordinance does not change the rules of evidence, which would admittedly be improper; that it only changes substantive law which, under the circumstances, is permissible. We do not deem it necessary to indulge in so fine a distinction. We hold that the city, in this instance, cannot do what the state has refrained from doing, and change the method of proof by indulging in presumptive facts from which inferences of guilt may be drawn, whether denominated rules of evidence or substantive law, and thus impose upon an accused a burden not contemplated by the legislature. To hold otherwise would permit the various subdivisions of the Commonwealth to employ many different measures of guilt, resulting in confusion and injustice amounting to an abusive and oppressive exercise of the police power. We therefore adhere to our former decision that the city ordinance is in this regard inconsistent with the state statute for the reasons expressed. This holding, however, does not vitiate the entire ordinance. Section 1-3, City of Norfolk Code; National Linen Service Corp. v. City of Norfolk, et al., this day decided; King v. County of Arlington, 195 Va. 1084, 1092, ff., 81 S.E. (2d) 587; 17 M.J., Statutes, § 28, p. 270.

We find no fault with the further provision of the ordinance that 'for a second or other subsequent offense committed within two years from the date of a prior...