Proceedings legislative in nature

Proceedings legislative in nature are not proceedings in a court, within the meaning of Rev. Stat. § 720, no matter what may be the general or dominant character of the body in which they may take place. ... That question depends not upon the character of the body, but upon the character of the proceedings. ... The nature of the final act determines the nature of the previous inquiry. ... As the judge is bound to declare the law, he must know or discover the facts that establish the law. So, when the final act is legislative, the decision which induces it cannot be judicial in the practical sense, although the questions considered might be the same that would arise in the trial of a case.