Lee v. Lancaster
Decision Date | 04 May 1972 |
Docket Number | No. 5307,5307 |
Citation | 262 So.2d 124 |
Parties | Calvin LEE v. Charles D. LANCASTER, Jr. |
Court | Court of Appeal of Louisiana — District of US |
Gerald J. Martinez, Everhardt & Martinez, Metairie, for plaintiff-appellant.
Ben C. Toledano, Porteous, Toledano, Hainkel & Johnson, New Orleans, for defendant-appellee.
Before REGAN, SAMUEL, CHASEZ, REDMANN, LEMMON, GULOTTA, and BOUTALL, JJ.
Plaintiff, the democratic candidate for Representative of House District 80, appeals a judgment which dismissed, on exception to the court's jurisdiction, plaintiff's demand that defendant, the Republican candidate who won the the general election, be declared ineligible for failure to meet the residency requirements for legislators stated by Const. art. 3 § 9. 1
But Const. art. 3 § 10 provides:
'Each house shall be the judge of the qualifications, election, and returns of its own members, choose its own officers, except the president of the Senate, determine the rules of its procedure, not inconsistent with the provisions of this Constitution, and may punish its members for disorderly conduct and contempt, and, with the concurrence of two-thirds of all its members elected, may expel a member.'
Where art. 3 § 10 is applicable, as in the case of a general election contest, the courts have no jurisdiction. State Ex rel. O'Donnell v. Houston, 40 La.Ann. 598, 4 So. 482 (1888).
Plaintiff argues eligibility under art. 3 § 9 is not among the 'qualifications' of which the House is the judge under art. 3 § 10. To the contrary, we hold that it is precisely those qualifications (including residency) which are stated by art. 3 § 9 of which § 10 makes the House the judge.
The judgment appealed from is affirmed.
Affirmed.
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State ex rel. Olson v. Bakken, s. 10362
...of the legislature has final and exclusive authority to judge its members. In re McGee, 36 Cal.2d 592, 226 P.2d 1 (1951); Lee v. Lancaster, 262 So.2d 124 (La.App.1972); Lund ex rel. Wilbur v. Pratt, 308 A.2d 554 (Me.1973); Opinion of Justices to the Senate, 375 Mass. 795, 376 N.E.2d 810 (19......
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LaCaze v. Johnson, 10187
...was reserved unto the Louisiana House of Representatives by virtue of Article 23, above. In the recent case of Lee v. Lancaster, 262 So.2d 124 (4 La.App.1972), the court held that Article 3, Section 10 of our present Constitution provides that a court is without jurisdiction to inquire into......
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Gerald v. Louisiana State Senate, 14740
...affairs of the legislative body, particularly with reference to its make-up and discipline of its membership. "In Lee v. Lancaster, 262 So.2d 124, (La.App. 4th Cir. 1972), the court held that where the constitutional article providing that each House shall be the judge of the qualifications......