In re Criminal Complaint & Application for Arrest Warrant

Summary

The court held that a person invoking the common-law writ of error need not establish statutory aggrievement, because the writ exists independently of legislative authorization. It nevertheless dismissed the writ for lack of classical aggrievement, concluding that private electors have no specific, personal, and legal interest in the arrest or prosecution of other persons for election-law violations. Justice Ecker concurred in the judgment but would have dismissed because the plaintiffs were parties entitled to appeal directly, making a writ of error procedurally unavailable.