In re Salary of Superior Court Judges

Citations

• 82 Wash. 623
• 144 P. 929
• 1914 Wash. LEXIS 1618

Syllabus

<p>Judges — Superior Courts — Nature or Orrice — State or County— Construction or Constitution — Salaries—Liability or Counties. Since by Const., art. 4, § 6, superior courts have general jurisdiction over all the principal matters arising between citizens, and between the state and citizens charged with the violation of state laws, the judges thereof are to that extent state officials; but they occupy a dual position, performing both state and county functions, and hence are officers of the counties for whose support the county may make appropriations from county funds, in view of the further provisions of said section to the effect that such courts have been granted all the jurisdiction that formerly pertained to county courts and much of that pertaining to justice courts, and that in the constitution they are not denominated state courts, and only their “process,” not their “jurisdiction,” extends to all parts of the state, and that they are not elected by the state at large, and that the salaries fixed by the constitution, are to be paid one-half by the state and one-half by the county.</p> <p>Same — Superior Judge — Salary—Increase — Power or County. Under Const., art. 4, § 13, providing that superior court judges shall receive such salary as may be prescribed by law, one-half thereof to be paid by the state and one-half by the county, and Id., art. 4, § 14, fixing such salaries at $3,000, and providing that the legislature may increase the same, the legislature had power to provide by Rem. & Bal. Code, § 9052, that in counties of the first class, the county commissioners may increase the salaries to an amount not exceeding $4,000, all of the increase to be paid by the county; in view of Const., ait. 11, § 12, authorizing the county to make expenditures for county purposes and the fact that the judges serve county purposes. ”</p> <p>Judges — Salary—Increase—Review by Courts — Administrative, Legislative, or Judicial Powers. Under the power conferred by the cons