ROBERT F. HUNTER, No. 1570, CHARLES A. TOWNSEND, No. 1575, E. M. SORRELLS, No. 1576 AND THOMAS SWEENEY, No. 1577, Claimants, v. STATE OF ILLINOIS, Respondent.
Case summary
Claimants, former arbitrators for the Illinois Industrial Commission, sought the difference between their original salary of $5,000 per year and the reduced salary of $4,250 per year after a legislative change reclassified them as employees. The court held that while officer salaries cannot be changed during a term, the legislature had the power to change their status to employees, and thus the reduced pay was proper, denying the claims.
AI-generated summary from the opinion text — may contain errors. The opinion text and PDF above are the official record.
Headnotes
- OFFICERS OF STATE-Power of Legislature to change status. Legislature SAME-change of salary of. Salaries of Officers of State cannot be in- SALARY-when claim for will be denied. When State Officers are paid
(Nos. 1570-1575-1576-1577, Consolidated-Claims denied.)
ROBERT F. HUNTER, No. 1570, CHARLES A. TOWNSEND, No. 1575, E. M. SORRELLS, No. 1576 AND THOMAS SWEENEY, No. 1577, Claimants, vs. STATE OF ILLINOIS, Respondent.
Opinion filed September 8, 1931.
Rehearing denied, May 12, 1937.
CLAIMANTS, pro se.
OTTO KERNER, Attorney General, and JOHN KASSERMAN, Assistant Attorney General, for respondent.
OFFICERS OF STATE-Power of Legislature to change status. Legislature has power of changing status of officers of State to employee.
SAME-change of salary of. Salaries of Officers of State cannot be increased or diminished during their term of office.
SALARY-when claim for will be denied. When State Officers are paid salaries fixed for such offices and status of such officers is changed by Legislature to employees and such persons continue to perform duties as employees, for salary less than paid as officers, claim for difference between salary fixed for office and that paid as employee will be denied.
Per Curiam: The above claims are consolidated and the facts in each case are similar. Therefore they can be considered together.
It appears that each claimant was appointed arbitrator for the Illinois Industrial Commission on Nov. 21st, 1927.
From the date of their appointment until July 21st, 1929 each claimant received a salary of $5,000.00 per annum. After July 21st, 1929 each claimant received pay at the rate of $4,250.00 per annum until their services as arbitrators were terminated. The claimants contend that they were officers of the State and under the well defined rule their pay could not be altered or changed during their term of office.
The Attorney General comes in and contends that by reason of an amendment approved June 17th, 1929 and in [*2] force July 1st, 1929 to the Civil Administrative Code of 1917 that the status of such arbitrators was changed to employees of the State of Illinois and that they were correctly paid.
This court is of the opinion that the salaries of officers of the State cannot be changed during their term of office or until their successors are appointed and qualified. However it is the further opinion of the court that the Legislature has the power of changing the status of such officers from that of officer to employee which we believe the Legislature intended to do in these cases.
Therefore this court is of the opinion that claimants were paid the proper amount under the law and it is ordered that all of said claims be disallowed.
OPINION ON REHEARING.
All in this court now pending on petition for rehearing.
Petition for rehearing denied. For additional grounds see opinion in cases of Max R. Broderie, No. 2162, Samuel J. Simon, No. 2163, Aaron J. Payne, No. 2164, Sellec G. Graham, No. 2167, William H. Cruden, No. 2670 and Ernest Withall, No. 2671.