Case Information
*1 THE Amroam~~ GENERAL OF TEXAS
Opinion Ho. O-3163 Ret Naettmr or not an attcrnsg, who has not pdd~ hia mesberahip fee to ttm s&its z&Jr within tlm t&n43 requind by law, and in 8a- Oordsncse with the rule8 of the suproar, oolm, m8J prelotfes his profsa8ion in the oourts.
178 beg to aakmwledig rseelpt of your letter of February 13, 19&l, propaundl.ng Sor a le@l opition the fol- loane,r
99 ha06 been oanfrcmtsd with thie probinsl. The13 am 0 great msnp lawyera who attempt ha prtmtloa in thr oourts la Tarrant Cowrty who have not paid their $4 awtbombh.iR fW iI8 the stats bar, It 1s tile opinion or this orriae t&et unlrmr the & mcmbmrshhip la paid in aoeerd- Rnae with Artiels 32OA of Vorn6n1s AMokted Civil Stntutea of Texee, a43 well am the alo* ponntlgated by the Fupraunc Cmrt of Toxaa OQ February 22, 1940, that the nttorneg should not be aIlowed to praaties in our courts). Pie 8hould ba ~l.ee%ed ?io hero your &WI."
%ation 3 of the State S%r Aot, (Si.C.R., Vornon*a codimt3ti0n, ATtlalla 3aoaj pwide%r
*All peruom who ure now or" shall heretUtor M lloenmd to practtios law in this 33ite rJheU contltltute end be att*hblsre or the ::tata Bar, and shell be raubjaot to the provisions here& ana the rule8 edopted by tba rQmme Court of Texas; end ail person8 not mmbera of th* ~‘tate Bar ime hereby prohibited frcm prsotiolu law in thle ftate."
Yeotion 4 of t&2 Act dealareer vithifi SIX ( 6) m0nth,a srclc: tht3 erc30tive dote of this .:ot, en& Srom the to tPmo there- after, RS to tke court nag scan proper, Chu ‘SU- prmc Court of %xnc shall prapnra and propose *2 k”... . . . . . d .*.. .-. “‘W..U, \. . 1 G-l&O c
rule6 and reguls4tPona ior dtioipliniag, suakp~nd- in& and dfnbarriag mttvrnspa at law; for the
conduot of tb+ Xate X&r; aad praaoribhg a ooda of et&lea t-overnbg 9~ profess3.oml aonduet of sttorncys et law. =The Supraas Court is ftwther em&wm%Q end
ft &G.l be its duty to prsaaribe iasr not 6x- caedi~~ Four ($4.00) Poller8 par maus per person to be paid to the Clerk of the .%prarm Court to be helir by him RIM expended by the Court or Under its direatfon for the purpose of the acklnistre- tion Of this3 Plot. Any person lioensed ant? rec$s- tared my pay to the dssIpn%teA treesurer‘a BUBI OS r~0nc.y frw whiah the fees owed by ruoh person lras be tsken ironi tilss to tlae a5 they beaoae due.*
:'eotlon 5 deolsrer: "'The 3qn%!m Court of Texas ohin11 not adopt or ~mxaulgats an3 rule or regu:o’latfon ctbrogatlng the right of trtul by jury ia diabeme~t prwtmd- ingo, in the county of tht, rasideuae of the de- r~md..~
euoh r443 WIthin tMrt$ aup Bherultrter, hr &au: Wa80 t0 t14 aSl4HbW,but 6h6=%4 niBStat& upau psyllmnt of the sea3 duo at the tba5 b oee64d to be a mW., together With SW6 Sar th4 ourrent gear. IS at tha end OS niwtf tiy6 aster June 1, a,aaeaba* &ae sot peid to the Wmk matbsrshzp tan for th3 c0mtnt year, th4 me shell strike from the roll.3 oi the stat3 B4r th mm4 .or the dsllnquent mmber,
mn. iimrvln .t:. mown, dr. Yqg8 4
lndividnal Blwslber~ a8 to Whcthar he shall pap his dnee and x-e- main a nambar QT refuse to pey und be nuspotiod. It will Ee note6 that the supreme Rurt LPes mm3 no further thfm to sue+ pm? thsdslinquent maxbar from ncnbershlf! lr, thi ;"tate 8.1. Tke r&&t to praotiae law by a wapanded nelsber is t denied not by tha %~pre.rq Court, but by A;tla L.,,.,,,.,.
~eotloa 3 of the AOtl, %5d all p*ir'sone not ~lesdere of the ctste 3Rr al-6 hereby prfah~lbit& frcm ,praotlcin& law, in this cta#.*
%O~IOIIS 5 and 6 of the ‘tata SW yjet have no ap- pllavtlon to the paynant of duea. The suspa~~io~ ;-rov%ded ror in tht;su stmtionc aygliea only in proeeedinf?s for the ill:-bwment of an ni.torneg.
x:a do not thee *Yhrfo cm he nny daub+, 6f the au- ttority 0r th "oprw20 Uourt to enma CI rulct atrt~wtloally sunped.1~ a naaber ior fellure to pay h:r: clrlla'~. !tsl~ydrQlesa or the utatutory authority aonferre+I upon the ~uprrcne Court s,o mke all rum3 r0r tkt oonduct of thartata tiar, s1w think th6 oourt poareo8as lnhcmnti power to suspend nn ettoraeg of thee Ctate Bar la the rbscnos of E d.ntute to tD:e amtrary r&we 103 attorneys me 0rfuert3 0i’ thst oourt. Ttils puwer in In re Fete, la7 r:"'. (26) 359, A miomuri In ctl~~oui~~ed~ %861# IrQm wbluh we qu4Bter “Tdb %ipP8m &#art Of the at&43 i3f fa~5sOU~
hna the tnhcrent power to Afubm attorneys grill- ty of the violation of ito rules or of aondwt uak+3oom.lag a lrwyer. In tha ebsence of oonati- tutional or statutory resrxlut~om P awrt of aupertm or gmtsral juriadlotlon haa authority to easpnnd en ettorney from the preatlce (IS 8uda or to strike Cram the roll.@ UJI attorney Or auoh aaurt Upon proper gS0tmdS l3aoaaSe ettaFnejrS W ofTiorra &? the court Zn uhloh they are abritted to preatlo*. The puwer to atrike Prom tka rolls 1s Inherent in the court Itself. Ko stetnto or rule lo neeesasry M ~the~3ze the puaishment in proper owe*. .%etutecr and rnla8 nay regulrte the power, bat they do not oreato it. It is 11866& snry for the :~sotsotloa of the oourt, the proper the dlgnitg ran& purlt~ 0Cwlnletratlon of justioe, 0: the proferrelon end r0r t ha publio good ati bar tha proteotloa of aliants, that aoarts have aa8 thla power.* ntlan nil the craaes.hold that the L&slature has the
power to abmaa a rim Rgeiaat the rambars of a Ptata '3~ to teke oere or the axpun&@ or ext'o~i~ the Bat. In cer Mb- son, 4 Tao. (26) 643, and aucharities theruin aitad. In oaf state the power to aa8eao the faa in confw,srod upon the %- ;1rme Court by th@ Legleluture end, thorefor-o. wa think the holdin:: 0:' tks aourt in ttip: Gibeon on80 that; t,lo power to BREBBP~ the rw aerriw with it the 15oidental. year to (up- set a rueaaneble penalty for kta non-peg#wat It: applioable. ‘2~ quote Tyw the Gibson east: BY follomt *5 _.... e , t . .
. pkr Bited irw~~'~~tehng into litigfstisnfar the protwtion of hla rfghts, by reasacot the OOP
soquwees to the tnteratita of ellaatm tit& my be jeopnrdtied in 8uoh lltlgatian end thst t&g snioreemmt M the penalty provlah?A dwisu to respondent5 the eqtml protwtion of the lmwa snd Is e deprivetim of property wfthout due prrrowe or 1-w in TiolPtioa of tha Pcwrta8nth f%uWdmeAt to th6 Ccm6titAtian of the United.
Etetea 4x8~5 of wotion %nstitutlon (d the I-the 18 of erttole 2 of the
of #WI &x&m. But Sf the pow6.r to impooe ths too be aonhbded, oi whloh tre think there aen be no doubt, then a ~KUiitF ~8&@H.Yi t30:4ly t0 WlfOl-00 itti ‘@SgA6At, end .whiah wy be ~:voided altogrther by psymnt, 1Aoc3.d not ba held void 1)s arbitrary or unr@lt- sonmb1.e. *