Cramer v. Smith

— This is an appeal by defendants in a proceeding brought under the Declaratory Judgments Act to obtain a decree declaratory of the rights of plaintiff (respondent) with respect to the taxing and payment of an item of criminal costs. The facts are not in dispute, and the case turns on the construction to be given certain criminal costs statutes. The parties will be referred to as they were styled in the trial court.

The faets are these: One Butts was convicted in Division #8 of the Jackson Circuit Court of a capital offense. He was sentenced to the extreme penalty, in accordance with the…