Village of North Pekin v. Riviere

Decision Date16 July 1979
Docket NumberNo. 79-115,79-115
Citation73 Ill.App.3d 1032,29 Ill.Dec. 882,392 N.E.2d 439
CourtUnited States Appellate Court of Illinois
Parties, 29 Ill.Dec. 882 VILLAGE OF NORTH PEKIN, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. Krag F. RIVIERE, Defendant-Appellee.

G. Edward Orr, Pekin, Moehle, Reardon, Smith & Day, Ltd., E. Peoria, for plaintiff-appellant.

Robert L. Metzler, Pekin, for defendant-appellee.

PER CURIAM.

The Village of North Pekin appeals from a judgment of the Circuit Court of Tazewell County declaring Krag F. Riviere not guilty in a prosecution for a traffic violation against him, based upon the failure of the Village to present evidence on January 10, 1979, the date of the entry of judgment. The Village objects for the reason that a continuance was earlier granted by an order entered on January 3, 1979, at the request of the Village, continuing the proceedings until February 14, 1979. The trial court had scheduled this cause to be heard on January 10, 1979, and upon finding that the Village of North Pekin had given no notice of the continuance to February 14, 1979, the court proceeded with disposition of this cause.

The Village contends that proceeding with the case, without giving the Village proper notice, was a violation of its right to due process under the constitutions of the State of Illinois and the United States. It has been indicated in People v. Valentine (5th Dist.1977), 50 Ill.App.3d 447, 8 Ill.Dec. 696, 365 N.E.2d 1082, that the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution is not invoked for municipalities. While the due process provision of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, Article I, Section 2, has never been construed as not applying to municipalities, this can be the only logical construction. Municipalities are political subdivisions of the sovereign state and, particularly, when prosecuting individuals for violations of statutes, stand in the place of the sovereign State of Illinois.

Constitutions have been referred to as contracts between the sovereign and its people. The due process provisions provide for protection against indiscriminate use of the power of the sovereign to deprive any person of life, liberty or property by guaranteeing that person his or her day in court. We find no provision, or construction, under the facts in this case, which would require an implementation of due process rights as to the State or its political subdivision, the municipality, when such rights are, specifically, guaranteed to the...

To continue reading

Request your trial
4 cases
  • City of Evanston v. Regional Transp. Authority
    • United States
    • United States Appellate Court of Illinois
    • August 15, 1990
    ...to the individual and not to the sovereign or the municipality which is its subsidiary. (Village of North Pekin v. Riviere (1979), 73 Ill.App.3d 1032, 1033, 29 Ill.Dec. 882, 392 N.E.2d 439.) We adopt this reasoning to hold that the RTA and PACE lacked rights to substantive due process and e......
  • Village of Arlington Heights v. Regional Transp. Authority
    • United States
    • U.S. Court of Appeals — Seventh Circuit
    • July 9, 1981
    ...Canoe Creek, 79 Ill.App.3d 490, 496-97, 34 Ill.Dec. 738, 742, 398 N.E.2d 413, 417 (1979); Village of North Pekin v. Riviere, 73 Ill.App.3d 1032, 1033, 29 Ill.Dec. 882, 883, 392 N.E.2d 439, 439 (1979). The municipalities then argue that the principle announced in Williams and City of Newark ......
  • Village of Northbrook v. Cook County
    • United States
    • United States Appellate Court of Illinois
    • June 29, 1984
    ...Hospital v. Town of Canoe Creek (1979), 79 Ill.App.3d 490, 34 Ill.Dec. 738, 398 N.E.2d 413; Village of North Pekin v. Riviere (1979), 73 Ill.App.3d 1032, 29 Ill.Dec. 882, 392 N.E.2d 439), by a direct claim against the state or by a claim against one of its municipalities. (City of South Lak......
  • People v. King
    • United States
    • United States Appellate Court of Illinois
    • July 16, 1979

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT