Farley v. Farley
Decision Date | 25 June 1973 |
Docket Number | No. 71-1967.,71-1967. |
Citation | 481 F.2d 1009 |
Parties | Walter S. FARLEY, Jr., et al., Appellants, v. Walter S. FARLEY, Jr., et al. |
Court | U.S. Court of Appeals — Third Circuit |
Jack Sirott, Henry F. Huhn, Sirott & Huhn, Bristol, Pa., for appellants.
Gerald Gornish, Deputy Atty. Gen., and Israel Packel, Atty. Gen., Harrisburg, Pa., for Commonwealth of Pa.
Power, Bowen & Valimont, Robert W. Valimont, Doylestown, Pa., for intervenors Catania and Tracey.
Begley, Carlin, Mandio, Kelton & Popkin, George T. Kelton, Bristol, Pa., for intervenors Fawkes and Lindley.
Robert T. Burke, Asst. County Sol., Doylestown, Pa., for Board of Elections of Bucks County.
Before VAN DUSEN, GIBBONS and ROSENN, Circuit Judges.
This appeal challenges a single-judge district court order dismissing, without convening a three-judge court, a complaint seeking injunctive and declaratory relief to invalidate on federal constitutional grounds certain Pennsylvania provisions governing the election of County Commissioners.1
The inquiry of a single district court judge on an application for a three-judge district court is limited to determining whether a substantial federal question and a basis for equitable relief are alleged. Idlewild Bon Voyage Liquor Corp. v. Epstein, 370 U.S. 713, 82 S.Ct. 1294, 8 L.Ed.2d 794 (1962) (per curiam). The Court has interpreted the requirement for a substantial federal question liberally. Recently, in Goosby v. Osser, 409 U.S. 512, 518, 93 S.Ct. 854, 858, 35 L.Ed.2d 36 (1973), it noted:
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In this case plaintiffs raise two constitutional challenges. First, they question the practice of listing only two candidates from each political party for the three positions. The district court correctly noted that nothing in either the statute or constitution literally mandates this practice. Since this issue had not yet been decided by the Pennsylvania courts, it abstained.2 It is unclear on the record before us whether this particular practice is indigenous to Bucks County or is of statewide application. Our impression is that it applies throughout Pennsylvania. Where the constitutional challenge is to a statute of only local concern, then it is not proper to convene a three-judge court. Moody v. Flowers, 387 U.S. 97, 87 S.Ct. 1544, 18 L.Ed.2d 643 (1967). Compare id. with Sailors v. Board of Education, 387 U.S. 105, 87 S.Ct. 1549, 18 L.Ed.2d 650 (1967), decided the same day. This point does raise a substantial federal question. Consequently, there should be a remand to the district court to determine whether the practice of only placing two candidates on the ballot in county commissioner decisions is of statewide application. If so, a three-judge court should be convened.
Plaintiffs' second constitutional challenge is to the constitutional and statutory provisions which allow each voter to vote for only two candidates for the three county commissioner positions. There is no ambiguity here. These provisions apply to every county in Pennsylvania except those having home rule charters. See Brief for Intervenors Fawkes and Lindley at 7. The district court ruled that this issue did not raise a substantial federal question. This was based on the decision of a three-judge district court in Kaelin v. Warden, 334 F.Supp. 602 (E.D.Pa.1971), Pa. Stat. Ann. tit. 16, § 501 to be constitutional.
There are two reasons why this decision does not foreclose the issue of whether a substantial federal question is presented. First, as Chief Judge Seitz noted, it is arguable that the issue presented by the instant case was not before the Kaelin court. See 334 F. Supp. at 604. Kaelin was an action which sought to enjoin the defendant from acting as a county commissioner of Bucks County "on the ground that his appointment to fill the vacancy in that office was based on a statute which is unconstitutional on its face or as administered by the appointing authority." Id. Thus, while the entire statute was challenged, the facts of that case really only related to the vacancy provision of the statute, which is Pa.Stat.Ann. tit. 16, § 501(b). Consequently, it is arguable that the portion of the opinion upholding the validity of § 501(a) is dicta. Probably Kaelin makes plaintiffs' contentions "doubtful" or of "questionable merit", Goosby v. Osser, supra, 409 U.S. at 518, 93 S.Ct. 854, but it does not make them insubstantial. The mere fact that it is unclear whether the decision in Kaelin on § 501(a) was a holding or dicta should render the federal question substantial under Goosby v. Osser, supra. Cf. LoFrisco v. Schaffer, 341 F. Supp. 743 (D.Conn.), aff'd, 409...
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