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127 Mass. 105

Baker v. Cushman

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court · decided 1879-06-27

Petition for a writ of mandamus to compel the delivery of the books, papers and records, appertaining to the office of city clerk of the city of Taunton, to the petitioner, who claimed to have been duly elected city clerk for the present year, in accordance with the act to establish the city of Taunton, St. 1864, c. 209, § 8, which provides that the city council (which consists, when full, of eight members of the board of aldermen and twenty-four members of the common…

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1879-06-27

How this case has been cited

Cited by 13 later decisions — most recently December 1955

13 state decisions

40187918801890190019101920193019401950decided

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.

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Gray, C. J.

¶1Whether we look to the record only, or to the facts found by the judge before whom this petition, was heard, it does not appear that there was a complete election of the petitioner to the office of city clerk; but it does appear that the vote by which he appeared to be elected was immediately declared void, and the convention at once proceeded to another vote, in which all the members took part, resulting in the election of the respondent, and he was accordingly declared to be elected. It was within the lawful power of the convention, at the same meeting, and before the result of the election had been declared, to treat the proceedings already had as irregular and invalid, and to vote anew. The petitioner therefore acquired no right to the office. State v. Foster, 2 Halst. 101. As this view is decisive of the case, it is unnecessary to consider the other objections to the issue of a writ of mandamus.

¶2Petition dismissed.

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