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People v. Faxlanger

1 N.Y.2d 393 Court N.Y. Decision date 1956-07-11 English

Decision Majority — Froessel, J. · Concurring — Desmond, J.

Contents

Majority

p. 393
The People of the State of New York, Respondent, v. Walter F. Faxlanger, Appellant.
Argued May 29, 1956;
decided July 11, 1956.
p. 394
Nathaniel A. Barrell for appellant.
I. The right to pursue a lawful occupation without legislative interference is guaranteed by section 6 of article I of the New York State Constitution and section 1 of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. (Matter of Jacobs, 98 N. Y. 98 ; People v. Beattie, 96 App. Div. 383 ; Butchers' Union v. Crescent City Co., 111 U. S. 746 ; New State Ice Co. v. Liebmann, 285 U. S. 262 .) II. This constitutional liberty can only be made to yield to the necessity in the promotion of the welfare, health or prosperity of the State. (People [Hanscom] v. Cohen, 255 App. Div. 485 ; People v. Wood, 151 Misc. 66 ; Saidel v. Village of Tupper Lake, 254 App. Div. 22 ; Jacobson v. Massachusetts, 197 U. S. 11 ; O'Gorman & Young v. Hartford Ins. Co., 282 U. S. 251 .) III. Even if public interest justifies, the Legislature must set standards for the administration of the control. (Matter of Seignious v. Rice, 273 N. Y. 44 ; Douglas v. Noble, 261 U. S. 165 ; Roman v. Lobe, 243 N. Y. 51 .) IY. Section 283-a of the Tax Law is unconstitutional.
John F. Dwyer, District Attorney (Leonard Finkelstein of counsel), for respondent.
Section 283-a of the Tax Law is constitutional. (Carmichael v. Southern Coal Co., 301 U. S. 495 ; Magnano Co. v. Hamilton, 292 U. S. 40 ; W. H. H. Chamberlin, Inc., v. Andrews, 159 Misc. 124 , 271 N. Y. 1 , 299 U. S. 515 , 301 U. S. 714 ; People v. Arlen Service Stations, 284 N. Y. 340 ; Lawton v. Steele, 152 U. S. 133 ; Nebbia v. New York, 291 U. S. 502 ; People v. Weller, 237 N. Y. 316 ; People ex rel. Armstrong v. Warden of City Prison, 183 N. Y. 223 ; Matter of Cohen v. Splain, 266 App. Div. 678 , 291 N. Y. 558 ; Anniston Mfg. Co. v. Davis, 301 U. S. 337 ; Defiance Milk Prods. Co. v. Du Mond, 309 N. Y. 537 .)
Jacob K. Javits, Attorney-General (Robert W. Bush and James O. Moore, Jr., of counsel), in his statutory capacity under section 71 of the Executive Law.
I. The licensing requirement of section 283-a of the Tax Law is a valid exercise of the State’s police power. (Mid-States Frgt. Lines v. Bates, 304 N. Y. 700 , 304 N. Y. 788 , 345 U. S. 908 ; W. H. H. Chamberlin, Inc., v. Andrews, 271 N. Y. 1 , 299 U. S. 515 ; East New York Sav. Bank v. Hahn, 293 N. Y. 622 , 326 U. S. 230 ; Williamson v. Lee Opt. Co., 348 U. S. 483 ; Defiance Milk Prods. Co. v. Du Mond, 309
p. 395
N. Y. 537 ; People v. Perretta, 253 N. Y. 305 ; Lawton v. Steele, 152 U. S. 133 ; Day-Brite Lighting v. Missouri, 342 U. S. 421 ; People v. Beakes Dairy, 222 N. Y. 416 ; People v. Arlen Service Stations, 284 N. Y. 340 ; People v. Luhrs, 195 N. Y. 377 ; People v. Girard, 145 N. Y. 105 .) II. Section 283-a has stood unassailed for more than 25 years. (Matter of Brous v. Smith, 304 N. Y. 164 .) III. More is required than is present here to overcome the burden imposed upon an assailant to establish the unconstitutionality of a statute. (Defiance Milk Prods. Co. v. Du Mond, 309 N. Y. 537 ; Thompson v. Wallin, 301 N. Y. 476 ; Walters v. City of St. Louis, 347 U. S. 231 .) IV. The wisdom, necessity and constitutionality of licensing are speculative matters irrelevant to this appeal. (Anniston Mfg. Co. v. Davis, 301 U. S. 337 .)

Defendant was convicted of unlawfully operating a filling station in that he willfully failed to procure a license from the Department of Taxation and Finance as required by section 283-a of the Tax Law. The Attorney-General concedes that the issuance of a license may be compelled by mandamus, and once issued may not be taken away except by due process. We are agreed that section 283-a of the Tax Law is valid.

We do not now concern ourselves with the unreasonableness of any regulation, for such question is not an issue here; nor are the alleged serious future dire consequences which defendant fears and envisions. We will face those problems when they present themselves. “ Constitutional questions are not to be decided hypothetically ” (Annister Mfg. Co. v. Davis, 301 U. S. 337 , 353; see, also, Salzman v. Impellitteri, 305 N. Y. 414 , 420).

The judgment appealed from should be affirmed.

(concurring). If section 283-a of the Tax Law is a licensing statute it is unconstitutional since it sets no sufficient standards for administrative grant, denial or revocation (Packer Collegiate Inst. v. University of State of New York, 298 N. Y. 184 , 189, 190). It would be no defense to such invalidity that the State is ready and willing to grant a license to this appellant (Packer opinion, supra). However, the undisputed history of this law’s enforcement since 1932 shows that it has always and in all respects been treated as a mere registration device to provide the State, for proper purposes of tax

Concurrence

p. 396
revenue protection, with a list of retail gasoline and oil vendors. So construed, it is not invalid. I concur for affirmance on that ground only.

Conway, Ch. J., Fuld and Burke, JJ., concur with Froessel, J.; Desmond, J., concurs for affirmance in a separate memorandum in which Dye and Van Voorhis, JJ., concur.

Judgment affirmed.

Cases cited

Statutes and regulations cited