Public-domain · open source
OpenJurist

118 Mich. 73

People v. Smith

Michigan Supreme Court

Decided July 18, 1898

Michigan Supreme Court · decided 1898-07-18

<p>1. Grand Jury — Challenge—Trial.</p> <p>On a trial under an indictment by a grand jury, the accused can avail himself of no objections going to the competency of a grand juror other than those to which; under the statute (2 How. Stat. §§ 9496, 9497), he is limited when held to answer to such jury, viz., • that the juror is prosecutor or complainant.</p> <p>2. Same — Indictable Oeeense.</p> <p>A violation of the state liquor law (Act No. 313, Pub. Acts 1887) is an indictable offense, since the statute does not appoint a particular remedy, or provide a particular method of procedure, exclusive of indictment.</p>

Relies on People v. Lauder · Keller v. State · People v. Stevens

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Conviction affirmed · Decided 1898-07-18

How this case has been cited

Cited by 5 later decisions — most recently November 1930

1 federal appellate · 4 state decisions

2018981900191019201930decided

Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.

View the full empirical analysis of this case →

Grant, O. J.

¶1Respondent was indicted by a grand jury of Berrien county for keeping his saloon open on Sunday, contrary to section 17 .of the state liquor law (3 How. Stat. § 2283e), tried, and convicted. Two questions are presented: (1) Was the grand jury a legal body? (2) Is the violation of the liquor law of the State an indictable offense ?

¶2The statute is conclusive of the first question. The objections relate to irregularities in the drawing of the jury. The statute specifies what shall be a ground of challenge, viz., that a juror is prosecutor or complainant. It expressly prohibits a challenge on any other ground. 2 How. Stat. §§ 9496, 9497. The question is discussed by Mr. Justice Morse in People v. Lauder, 82 Mich. 133, authorities cited, and statute quoted. An objection prohibited by the statute when the grand jury is impaneled cannot be valid when the party is put upon trial under the indictment found. There was no fraud or willful disregard of the law, or even an indication that competent jurors were not secured, or that respondent was prejudiced.

¶3Upon the second point counsel cite no authority. The following cases sustain the right to proceed by indictment: Peoples v. Stevens, 13 Wend. 341; People v. Brown, 16 Wend. 561; State v. Meyer, 1 Spears, 305; Keller v. State, 11 Md. 525 (69 Am. Dec. 226). The rule is thus stated by Russell: “Where the statute creates a new offense, by prohibiting and making unlawful anything which was lawful before, and appoints a particular remedy against such new offense by a particular sanction and particular method of proceeding, such method of proceeding must be pursued, and no other.” 1 Russ. Crimes (Internat. Ed.), 201; 10 Enc. Pl. & Prac. 351. Act No. 313, Pub. Acts 1887, does not appoint a particular remedy or provide a particular method of procedure. It leaves open either method.

¶4Conviction affirmed.

The other Justices concurred.
/118/mich/73 · .json · Public domain