Justia Federal District Court Opinions

Appellees were charged with disorderly conduct, and before the trial they moved to dismiss the charges on several grounds.¹ The Court of General Sessions granted the motion on the ground, inter alia, that the United States Attorney rather than the Corporation Counsel had sole jurisdiction to prosecute the case. Subsequently, however, the dismissal was vacated "with respect to the jurisdictional [ground] * * * only,"² and the question of prosecutorial authority was certified to this court.³ Thus, while there was more than one ground for granting the dismissal,⁴ vacation of the dismissal was as to one ground only. As a consequence, the dismissal is still in effect on independent grounds and has operated to terminate the charges against these appellees.

The Constitution limits the exercise of federal judicial power to cases and controversies. Accordingly, it is a frequently stated proposition that "a federal court is without power to decide moot questions or to give advisory opinions which cannot affect the rights of the litigants before it. United States v. Alaska S. S. Co., 253 U.S. 113, 115-116 [40 S.Ct. 448, 64 L.Ed. 808], and cases cited; United States v. Hamburg-Amerikanische Packet-Fahrt-Actien Gesellschaft, 239 U.S. 466, 475-477 [36 S. Ct. 212, 60 L.Ed. 387]." St. Pierre v. United States, 319 U.S. 41, 63 S.Ct. 910, 87 L.Ed. 1199 (1943). Since any action we might take on the certified question cannot alter dismissal of the charges by the court below, the certificate is dismissed.

Dismissed.