In Re Nicholls

Petitioner was convicted in the police court of the city and county of San Francisco of a misdemeanor, as a punishment was sentenced to pay a fine, and in default of such payment to be imprisoned. Having been committed pursuant to the judgment he has applied for a writ of habeas corpus.

The complaint in the action, which was prosecuted in the name of the People of the State of California, charged a violation of an ordinance of the city and county known as the “Plumbing Law,” making it a misdemeanor for any person to install or to alter the plumbing in any new or old building or in any premises…