Case Information
*1 OFFICX OF 7’HE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTiN
Eonorable J . Ii. Udd, Jr. County Attorney,, l&berg koaty
Klngsville, Texas
:
of this de-sent on
e atepa SLTB iuitorney of Klsbarg County, u alnoa 1935, have been casleoted kp~ inducted into the seroice? It ia not my intsn- tlona to raaate tb offioe hut to mal11tai0 the saoxe ead appoint au Arelatent Cotintp Attorney. It la al84 rqintentions to file for m-election at tho future 005lng ,prlma~iPs.
"I d&u 8 salary of #Lts.oo peer mnth, pIas raoa whi#h,aso corned. Would I be autWorlzed to hire an Assietant County Attorney and retain ay se?lsry to $125.00 par tnonth and pen&E’ him to recelre ‘and draw *2 Bonorubla J. E. Xi;ld, Jr., p.+a 2
tho fees of office and request the Commlaaloaers Chid to allow him a'saleXy f'ros $1.00 to $138.00 per month etl may he a&reed upon by the Commiesioaers Court and SLySelf, aa Ocuaty attorney.
*I will probably ha90 to rs$@rt on or about May 1st and we ha?0 e n&ulsr eesr1o.a OS aoert aeet- ing on lOti day of April and it would bo eppreairted ii year offloe aoald fatilah se wlth~inf~a&ion re- quested prior to t&at t&w.*
Ia ilpbloa Xo. 0-S448, a oopy or whloh 1s sno’looed for y&.ru convenlencs, thh departsuit held offiae of oounty attorney did not aatoaatloolly be@me vacant apork the induation of the inwiabaat~ into th4 Azay. It wes tarther held, that the ooun'ty attorney was eatltl+d .$o hir eelaoy or eompenea- tom of hli qifioe tian during the or aatil a raoanoy Is @@tab- llehed; Thor dopertaeat baa follo?ed'ttie itoil la aaid opia- ion Ia atiroar other opinion&
Axtiolee 331 and 3908, Vernon's AxuIotatod Civil Statutcf8, provide t&t OoUUty attorneys, b oousent bf the com- ~nia8loners~ ooart ahall hare power to appo at oae or more f
si8texat8, but it ir spaoffioally preridrd in &tlole SO08 that the 00mmls8lonsr~~ OOW~ 6hel.l nob attempt to $nfluenoe the ag- polntnbit of any potsea an an w0lstant.
This depaartnaat held in Opinion 100. 04599, a copy of whiah ia enclosed, thatr
"(1) Whare the county attoaney ha* taken some action SE ths oam for the 98atO in the justice court he would be entitled to the $5.00 fee QIS a plea of guilty in the jastfca aourf regardless of whether he was preau~nt in the justice: court at the tit* the plaa was entered. For example if your eortnfy attorney filed a eomglaint ia ~justfce before he left to Join the Army he would be entitled to the 33.,00 fee it the defendant subsequently pleed guilty. *3 \. IC .
. ,. LIonQorabLe J. X. Kidd, Jr., p@z? 3 I -(ai) It the couoty attorney h4r oot taken any a&ion in mch a wide asd is not preseat aiid ready to reppwent the State at a rsgul~sr tera of justice txurt aad a defendant plesda guilty at suoh mgular term, the couaty attorney rould riot be entitled to the tee. ffor uould t&c county be entitled to the re8. If ne rm iv due the ootmty attornsf It should not be e&gqd against the’ dehndant.
‘(3) fr the defendant pl.ead guilty ia jastics 00-t at any tim other than the regular term of such doart the aouaty attorney would be entitled fo a $5.00 fee even thoagh be naa not present and had taken no aotion 14 the easer.*
*+ + l fib a aoa at salaTiea paid to r%at.aatn and depatbs ahall also .lm clearly ahora . ..* ~,. by ruohotricer, gl~irq$ the nam, position and tha aiaonnt psld eaoh; aad la ao event shall any offi- oep show any greater amount than aotuallr gsld any such esalstant OT dspity. The amauclt of such bxpensm, together with ths aoroust of aabrieo paid to aasiotmtsr, deputies, an8 ClsFka, ahall
In flew at the fore@lng, you am raepeattully ad- vised that it is our Qpiltb3 that the offioe Or county attorney doe8 not be&me rsoant ~3012 yaw indUGtiOn into the Axa6d ;ierv- lcea and that you are entitled to your oompensatfoa during your ttPiP Or Office, OT W&ii 61 VECWUjr ia eUtabliSh&.
It la OU;F further oplaion yea are authariz~d to *4 ‘. 1’7 Eoaorsble J. ii. Ridd, Zr., gsga 4 , l appoid an asalatan , under the provialons of .~tlolea 351 and 3908, v6rnan’s innotstsd Civil Statotes, provided, of COWB6, the ~.SWlhS .daero* or said colintg anthoritw suoh apgointaorat. !hc salary of sach aaeistest, when ap- pofnted, rata&t be, 9s A out of fees earnsd by the couat$ at- t+lXiSY. ma aoaal IU~O&~T~* OoPrt O$ said eGunEy has RQ au- UhRtrovYsr LO pay the salary of the aasiatant out tbority 0r 00my rtuid8. s ;ated mother wayi salary oi the ao- l ?talt sluat be pai L by the eoimty attorney out ices earned by #oah o rfi mrr
‘IlouTs very truly