Case Information
*1 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN
Your le t.d . ..K3&l&4 9, i$4 reQua6tiBg the opinion of this D+pazbnt bp t "$'* on6 stated therein 18 ai?
in part ar f011ov9\ \ \ Quss P
e 332, R. C. ft.. rl elected ,to, and porrtlng bond whtob ' Court and took orBoy oi mufl86in i8 xaufmn, Texal. iSiOn Of th8 c0uBty.v. Sheppard,
.Artlclm 326q, V.A.C.S. I am llkavise fan&liar with Attomey fMInSI'81 i48-'8 Opinion HO. O-5024, in vhioh APticlO ~~~-11, V.R.C.S., wa8 held to be unaonstltutloael 8d
. I am not dvl8ed, howevm, whether there ha8 ever been deOi8ion by th0 Court8 OOn~erniKLg the oonstltutlonalit~ of Art. 326k-11, 8Ud would like to be adtllld whether tha above cited opinion of pour Departmmnt i.8 the orill interpretation of auoh 8tatUt@. *2 ’ .
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Honomble Fred V; INerldlth, Page 2
"I feel that IS the qwation ever oame before OoWt8 that AH. 326k-11 would be
held lnralid, the maob a8 var Art. 96q. HOW- ww, the Coml88iOmr8 Court of &uSman cow&r, w&r uthozlty OS AH. 326k-11, by order dulr
entered, ahanged the nap. of the offloe of County Attorm~ that of Cx'iinilul MItriat Attorney. novorboanrevoked,n~anj~ ~tOrdOrha8
0Ed.l' in tlli8 OOAWOtiOZ& 'mde. Thi8 W letter- head -8 printed before I q\ullSied ?a the of- fiCIe# r pd l BWbW Of OW OOw8int WAd iZkfWMtiOB fOPI Oarr?J the &8i@iMtiOB 'CX'~"'%Ml Dirtriot At- torney'. 1 WI l 1Wt.d on the ballot a8 'County bO08U80 I SllOd that war, %B riw OS the Attorn@ abovo oitod Supreme Court deoi8lon and the above oited opinion of your Department. I qualified a8 Attomq’ . ‘Connty
"Qw8tionr (1) Are oomplaint8 8vorn to before QH a8 'Crininal Dirtrlot Attorwy’, informtionm Sllod by 'no a8 'Cx'iminal Distl'iOt Attorn@, yalldly filed, or vould they be subjoot to motion to qiM8h Or to di8Pi884'19
"(2) Should q offloial sots be po~formod in the name OS 'Cowtj Attorwyl or "Cr%mhal Di8trlet At- torney'?
"(3) Should the t%lEBi88iCSlW8 Court b. adtired to rwoke the order ohanging thm naae or the County At- torney ofiloo to that of Criminal Dirtriot Attorney, or to ardor the name 0s the 0SSioe raustorod to that of County Attorney?"
You Stat0 in hour httw that th0 &38II8i88iOWr8' Colt of nufman County acting wdor Artiole 326k-11, Vornon~r hnnokted Civil %dXlte8, b7 older duly entU%d in the dBUt.8 of raid Court, OhpB@ th0 BMIO Of the OfSiO~ Of COUntJ AttOXW~ t0 that Of Criminal Dlstrlot Attorney. You further 8tato in ffeot that you vere elsoted, ported bond and took the oath of office, County dtt0Fney 0s ksufwn county.
Artiole 326k-11 Vernori'8 Annotated Cl*11 Statute8 vaa held to be void in our oplnio~ lo. O-5021). It Wan 8tatOd in aaid OpinLon "The only purpose, 8nd the *ifOOt, Of 8UOh Aot, *3 Honorable ZMed V. Werldlth, Page 3
ii valid, is to change the name of the offiae of County Attorney iB Oerkin OOUAti.8. . i A.&lo10 326k-11 l ttwpt8 to ohange the name OS a @onMltutlonal ofSlcW. It i8 theroSO&e raid.
Mate ex rel. XaPlilton Attorney General, v. Troy, Pro8eautlng Attorwy, 68 Pao. (2) 413. . ."
You ark whether there haa bWA any COWS deai8ion InvalvIng tha qW8tiOA of the oOn8tltutlorulIty of Artlole 326k-11. %%rO ha8 bWA A0 OOUl't dWi8iOA b any Of Our Appellate CO'&8 iBVOl*lry the qUO8tioo. of th@ o0A8 l ItutloMlIty of raid Statute.
We an6wer pur qwlrtionr in rwor8* order. A8 hereto- Sow dated thir Departmant ha8 iwld in opinion lo. O-5024 that Astlolo 326k-11 la unoonatltutlonal and thesef~re void. Whew the f.%WFt of mUf-A COWty l Oting AAdOP 8aid StAtUtO CO~88iOAOC8’ ohangad the xnao of the oifloe of Caun~ Attorwy to t&t of Crln- lnal~Dl8triot Attorwy, the l ot of the Ooc~mIsrionorr,' Conrt wa8 void. It 18 lt.11 eskblirhsd iB thi8 State thst the COml8%88IOl%Ol?8' Court8 po88err only suoh power and authority 18 given by the statute8 and COMtitUtIOZi and thO8e p-err and dutl.8 UOOO88arily Implied thuororm. ThWOfOW, iA UlWW t0 YOU third qW8tiOA, it ir onr opinionthatvhentho Courtattemptadto ohangetho name of the offloe of County Attorwy to that of CrlmIMl Dilrtl-iOt At- torney the Court aoted vithout any legal authority, and a8 8tated abwo, the order of the Court I8 void. It 18 LmMterlal whether CommlS;bwrs’ Court revotie8 the o~e~~~haging the name of Cowty Attorwy to that 0f CrioirulDl8trlOt Attoao~. IA aB6WP t0 TOW 8OOOnd qUO8tiOA JOA AM l’@8pOOtfAll~
l dfi8.d that it I8 OUT QiAiOAth4lt yOU2 OffiO~l aAd AOt a8 CI'iriMl DiBtPiOt 8Ot6 rhould b@ perSf3'm.d w OU a8 COUAty AttaPwy Ai u or the hot8 8tatul by you and thm l ppliaable rtat-
Attorney. utw you are the County Attorney of KauSs8n County ax4 not "Grim- irvl Dirtriot AttOl'Aey .
WO AW oona1d.r JOUP ?IrLrrt qUO8tIOA. GOUeFally r-k- ing, a oomplalnt muat be aworn to by the oomplainant~ OtheXWire, it of no effeot vi11 not support a proreautlon. A oomplalnt may be before the Dirtrlot or County A%w~ey, who are aprr88ly paver to admlnl8ter oath6 for thl8 purpo8e by Brtloler 30 and
;;” f Vernon'8 Annotated code of C&ulna1 Prooedure, o r before l tw of&r uthorlaed by law to dmlnl8t.r oathsi and a oomplalnt oworn before de faoto offiow 18 valid. (Daw *. State, 35 9. u. 661). A ooqlalnt m8y be made before an A88i8tant CoUnty.
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Honorable Fred V.~ Meridith, Page 4 or a Jwtloo OS the Peaoa or a County Judge. (-lay
Attv Y. State, 224 5. If. 7711 Kelly Y. State, 38 s. w. 779, 39 8.~. 1111 hrncaA v. Stat*, 8. W. 4573 Stepp Y. State, log S.W. 1093).
It 18 8ttbtOd In Tti8 SurI8prutlew6, Vol. 12, P. 585: ?The jwat of tha ofrioer boforo whom the oom- plAiAt 18 8wOl'A 18 l rrentlala without it a OOm- p~l4;:atally defeotlve aAd till not rupport an
. The juratmu8tbedatodmd 8ignOdby the*OSSloW, and muat 8hOw his oSSloia1 ohanoter.
If the OmlaiAt i8 8wOrA t0 befOl'@ aA a88;8taAt OQUAty l ttOl'B6y. the UMt mwt 8hOw that the oath and a jUMt 8;grud iA the Ya8 aa8tW8d b h Am80 Of th0 OOWty l ttOrA6y by the l 8818taAt 18 ln- 8uif iOi*At i
"Th0 Oourt,~ before vwdiat, ati upon proper roof of thm Saotr fmy pwmit l ~ odtted jurat to ii 6 added by amAdmsnt, or aay permit a jurat to be l mmdad by iruezN.Ag an Omitted date, or the MM or!
the party ollking the oOAplalAt, or by adding the of- Sielal oharaetes OS the offlow, 0s by oorreotisg a milltake iA tha name OS the affiant 8& out in the jurat, or in order to oorreot Ai8tak6 in the date.
But AeAdaeAt8 of thla o&raster rey not be mud6 xoept under the ruthox%ty and dlMotioA of the oourti"
GaAerally 8peaklng whore an objeotla 18 made OA the grOUBd that l OoI@aiAt 18 AOt OffiOiallJ 8iapld by the OffiOW who took it l'a18@8 a 8rioIl8 qW8tiOA a8 t0 it8 Yalidlty. (C&AhA We quote Sr= the oa8e OS Cook vi State, vi State, 160 S. W. 714). 132 9; W. (2d) 404:
"It 18 a180 t0 b. A0t.d tbt the jLA'at oA 8uoh oomplaint 18 defeotlve in that 8amo 3.8 not 81@AOd oSSlolally by the perron whore naim 18 at- taohed thweto. The oSSlola1 title of the offlaw 8houl.d be 8hOwA thereon. See BMBOh'8 Peel Code, p. 249, Sea. 480, authoritier thus oited." (IA OonWOtioA with the foXvgOiII&$ 8tateUIeAt 806 the fOlhWiAg oases: Shurbet v. State, 60 9. W. (26) 791; Stern8 Y. State, 116 9. w. 38Jhj Stanley v. State, 150 9. W. (2d) 765; and Heely v. StirtO, 1.61 9. We (26) 294). *5 (
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Honorable Fred V. Bieridith, Pegs 5
IA Y1rW Of the ?OMgOi~ authol'iti.8 it 18 OUT OpfAiOA that OOlQlaiAt8 WorA to before you a8 %rLPLnal Dla- trlot Attorwy”, ESAd iAfOl78'ltiOAWfibd b7 YOU a8 'fh'iF8iMl Distrlot Attorwy” if objected to on ground8 that the oon- plaiat or intonation 18 Aot 0fri0i8iiy 8tgxud by the ofSlow who took A8 t0 the Yalldlty it Pai868 P very SeI’iOA8 qU68tlOA Of said oOADlainlAaAd iAfOl’I&iiOM. We mAAot aategorioallp 86;l th’lt suoh OOAplaiAt8 aAd iAfOl'A&iOA8 are invalid Or subject t0 AOtiOA t0 qua8h or a 'WItidA tO di8IEi88. It 18 OUI?
OpiAiQA th8t th. jUMt iA 8Uoh OOwhiAt8 OF iAfOrmltiOA8 8hould be oorreoted vrPda the authority aAd direr&ion of the Cortrt showing your OSS1Olal oharaoter whioh l8 CouAty Attorwy and AOt CrFPriMl Di8triOt Attorwy.
ATTOIWBY CBNBRAL OF TEXAS By b-&L &dell William8 A88i8taAt AW rF0