Case Information

*1 5833 3 ! I I . @

1 I OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS

AUSTIN

gpaorablo Horton YOX Atta raoy mty ~stono county

,&oorbeok, TOXaB

‘par ar:

nst r, as

subscrpueat to ~a14 data.

The QUOStlOA 10: mat Is thr duty or tlm

count attorney tatior th8 rboro sthte or raots,

arsu A! ng full poor may be -60 thsreor? IA

other uords, as stated in rour lottrr, Ir It

7 i

584

the duty and 18 the oounty aLtortap authorized to file ruit for the oounty uader the rtatement of racts In tb l boVo oa8889- ~bJ.8 rould ontall

aOtiOn8l (1) l g dA8t the rOIKWt OOUIIty OO~UE~~- rionerj (8) hi8 bondraent (3) the party reoelylng

th0 rO6d 8Orawr Mid thO80 reO'3iYiu ths SWViO~8 alluded to l boVo.

I.A your lrttrr you rarer to AMold S39, nori ~iVi1 YtstUt8S am2 to the oaee8' of Bexar or T0Xa8 198b, &wnty Y* lMt1r (!rox. &. bpp ., writ and Looscan~ rrlueed) V. narrlr bounty (To& YUprbM ct.), 58 2%~. bll. rrhllr you & 5ot expresr my ooaolusloa u&on the law, you corrsotly point out, that ar.aounty wmalr8loner, the party rorerred to wad not l ntrurted rd th the oolleotlon or safe kxwplng or uxy pub110 tullds. YOU 8180 Ob8WV8 that fol’mer OOmfdS- 8iOmr 18 no 105gor 8n 0rric02, but a(l hl8 term xplred, he fitlr84 rroa 0rri00.

The gs~tal authority Of a oount attormy, lnso- f8r a6 OiYil .SOtlOt8 aE8 OODO8rLle4, 18 der V84 rSOm the Con- f

&ltutlon an4 8tatUtO8 naoted Th8 Con- by the legislature. a11 Art1010 5, @Or el, Con- #tltUtiOM1 8tipUl.¶tiO5 atpear8 8titUthI Or TW8t A OOUDty 8ttOl’Ji8J, W3Oa 81, fOf OOU5ti88’

15 rhleh thme 1s AOt a r8Bident orlAlAa1 dlstriot 8ttirnay, 8ha11 bo leotod tbr qualified Voter8 by o r l 8Oh oounty, who 8hall be oosaioslo~ed by th8 Governor, and hold hl8 OtflOo for torn of two year8. IA oa88 v8oonoy t&8 oomcilr~loners~

COtAPt Or fih0 OOtIAtY 8hfAll bV0 po*Or t0 p OiAt a oounty attornev until tbr oat mnaral 0 P rotion.

l'h8 00&y 8hall r8pT8Dellt tho Stat.0 iA attorbyr all oa808 in the Urstrlat nnd inferior oourt8 lm t aai %kdlr r48AWOtlY8 8OUntlO8i but If 'be lcolua8d lo. a airtrloG in whloha%$iuihki beA attormy, the nrprotlrr dutiler 0r dls- a dlstrlot triot nttOrJl~y8 and OOlUIty 6ttOr5e 8 8ba11 itI such br rogulatod by ‘tie LAgi8 atune The aouathr f dlr- Legirlatun may prerlde Sor the *lootion

trlot attorney8 in ruch dlrttlotr, aI My bo deomod 58OllM? an4 make ~rorlrlon ror OOApOQ8atlOA am.3 oounty attorney81 pro- or dlatr 1' qt attornoyr, Vldrd, d~rtrlot ttQrAOy8 rhall rsaaln 95 annual *3 i 585 f

.’ ,r&rorsblo Horton lox, Iago S

t - salary Oc flrr hundred dollarr, to bo paid by tho Stat8, sDf 8UOh re88, 00f&8i1i0al Md QOTQUhit@8

: a8 my bo ptovldod b law. County attorory8 shall I suoh CO88 eomlr- reaelrr 68 oolap8n8at 05 only 8lOn8 and perquisite8 a8 may bo presor 1 bed by law.* (gCQha818 OU8) ThO 8tAtUtO8 gOV&WiOg 6OUllt9 6ttOlWy8 gOD.tily

aad provldl ror tholr dutlor *co 005talne4 in Tltl8 16, gevlmd clti Stat titer, 19x6, lrrtiOl.8 SL?9*341. Artialo 3% ifi tbo Only on8 tithb tho Tltlo doom4 at allin point on your guestlon, an4 It road8 a8 rOuOW8; it ah811 OO@U t0 t&O kt&~~iOdgo Of &By *i&D

dlrtrlot or oounty l ttQrnq that any cfrloor in hlr dlrtrlct or‘ county l ntru8tod with th8 oolloo- tiO5 OF 8a58 ks8&55 Of My pUbll0 fUd8 18 iA nny manner what8o8vor nag.leotlng or abu815g tbo trust aoniided in h&a, or in a4 way falling to dliichargo hi8 duthr Ud8r tb8 law, ha 8ba11 in- stitute mob prooo~dialf8 68 &re noooeoary to eon- ye1 the periormanoo of suoh dutie8 b .suoh Of-tloer and to proserye and ?roteot pub1 o lntore8to.* 'I'

In the oaoo oi Boxar County 1. Davis (Tea Clr. &BP*, writ rsfU8Od) ( 8upra. It la ap~olrloally held that a wunty judge 1s not 8UOh l E Offloor a8 18 l ontrurted nIth th0 oullsotlon or 88r0 Lospine or any pub110 rumwe IA t&8 O&U00 Or thr O&dD.iOB tb WWt tuTtb8I' 86 8 BO Oth8T pIO&OC Of th0 OOmPPiStdOWT8' OOlLrt 18 ruoh 65 Oii oo?* The mai i

holdl5g lo Uw 68%~ 18 tht thr statuto quoted doer not KP powor a distrlat attorney ts bring aa action agalnat a oou5ty joago ror money pproprlatod a8 mlary from oounty rtUbd8 in the keoplag or tbo 0oPnty troasunr, but that lt boor l mp ovo r an6 8uthorlw mlt 8galnst o0unty traasumr, lrrorp~otlvr or approval or osn8Ont by th8 OOld88iOIl8r8' oomt.

ifhllo other pr0~18105s 0r 00a0 authorlu rult by t&n oounty attomoy OA bshalf of tha oouaty ln ~rttoular aawa, a8 rer se~11p10 kr%lalo 4716, 8.F.S.. (da5uger to pub- 110 Mads), vo have berc unable to ilad' oltla utkorlty dAreet10n ror th8 brlaging or 01~11 8 s ts or th8 aatuw here involved. Under authority Beur Cows;y vm Datlr, lupra, Ldmondwn 1. Cumlagr (TOG Clv. App.), 808 SD 6. c&8, Waler v. 8tato (Nx. clv. App,), X41 8. Fe BJA, and Ohloa~o,

f. & G* ay. co* T* 3tate hx. Clr* Appw ), 864 s* C* ‘q, ~0 are the opinion that the oouaty attornoy ir not t *uged 91th the 4uty of lnatltutlag 8uitr of tb oharaotor p mantlon.

IA SlinOcdOOc 1. Cudngr, pra, it 18 the holUng )b6b Khere no statute (ilrer aounty or dL8trlet attormy8 thr oowt pmt to xue in b4bdZ of a 00unty, th4 oomdr8iolurr~ ,uno ha8 right to betemlne *hethor a wit rh4U ba The oa(18 of &OM~Q to llarrlr, olted by you, au ra, btought* im &l-n a* 8utbcr$ty for th8 holding of the Oourt 0r ci vi 1 up4al8.

In x+ler v. State it is plainly seid tkt aounty attorneys *o&c br& no suit iOr or In the na1pe thu county &asr acthorisbd #o to do by mue ot6tuk or 1)0tlw1 ordar of the obUuX$MiOMM' BOUSt."

re, therefore, edrlw you that in our oplnlon, In 70 do think you could In a11 proprloty reyremot the oounty In auoh suitr, upon the authority of the cmmlr- d0110rB' 00~2~t Or YOU eOUnty@ LOOboM v. li4mle, &7UFmj

(Tax. Cir. OP.), 40 3. ii', sol, c:i*. App.) 839 3. a. V. chu,ma~, 114 Tax* that you (Ire uadsr 1 8763 3, LG. 1115. , rlthbugb m;uestea t &116;ation to reDre6eut tbo 00 Ei co5a18BomrbT court Cl ty mt lonal 8ani v. t 410 r;ouaty To% Gif. A&) , as 3. x* 778 at p* WV,, it in t&l8 attta crklng it tha 1s s&l, *rhefl a no rtatute duty Of the OOUlltp 4t:OrIMly to WiWlty iA 6Uit8 IW~MMDt th. tfeotlw It@ inNreat*.*

If ths Oo5zi1?riOlieT8~ sourt 6bOu~d &aOa an order ruthorlzing and direotiag olrll ruits based UpOA faotr stated by ycu, it Wuld bs MtteI Ol OOntraOt by and b@tKOOA ooml8rlbner8’ Owt, ad to d8hralm yw l bould rroelve ror your renlc*r. The

oourt Kould bars the utborlty to employ you or other rounael t0 your ezoluaion, rnb t0 pay 6 rbasbrnble few ior euah MFI- 1008. G+ilona %o. O-3599, d-M86 sod Coahrenoe Opinion Bb. 2673 (Beport bf AttbrImy Gbnrral, 19&M-19m, 00 era) Or dspartmct so hold. this

gonorable Rwton BOX, kwe 6 ~11 Of the foregoing to olril rulta 10 rertrioted

for a-don behalf Or your oounty. or ooureo, your duty ir ols6r to promoute fully In aooordanoe with the protlrlonr Oont6iBld in the kenal Godo and of applioable 8tatUtoB th# co40 Of Criadnal JroQ8dur0, In the oror& or any orla.i~l oaes out of the iaote r816tml by you, rrising

four8 wry truly BT

4 Benjamin ~oo6all Aamlstant