Case Information

’ OFFICE OF THE AmORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN

Ron. I. Pmd4oki

bounty Auditor

c4l+euton coculty

Ga1reaton, Terar

Dear sir:

for opinion, whioh pour opinion on latinp, to the filling ot h more than 58,000 powa- r 20,000 population, saeb aeloot irem Ust of unty au ahown by the tax lists 4 for th4'burrent y44r.' 0 in the Tax Asaeasor’u oifioe should led as ‘tax lists’?

tha poll-tax lirt be regarded a8 rtax he purview OS oaid rtatute?' *IL would the oubon 4opier of reoeiptr lerued for atttamabile llaenseo regarded as tax llataTa i

i *o era....

,. i

[7]

Ron. I, Pr4drokl, 9464

- &tie18 2133 at seq., V. A. C. 9. of T4144, sets forth the gualitioatiotm ot Jurors generally throughout Stats or Texas. Tha statutes Just mentloged 8r4 general laws, and rt the tin4 of the enaoabnt of the original Jury wheel aot or w4r4 in Ofre0t and bud so been ror naaf years.

The original jury wheel aot Oi 1907 did not 0pemt.e to ohango the then-existing Statute8 SO far ao sanm applied to the ala88 of oountira to whioh tha ury wheel aot related1 nor was tha l iieot or it to make unava lab14 for Jury l errio4 in i

those oountlra aomfng under the jury wheel sot, miy man heirlng qualitioationa ~praacrlbed in said statutes ilrat above men- tioned.

Prior to enaotmant of said jtiy wheel lm all jurors the State wore oomt~nly selected by fur7 oom- mlaalonera, this selection involved in it the blbdmnt or disoretion. The OfrOot or the wheel law was to rwm~0, in the aountles afrbm3d br aald law, the alenent or diaore- tlon involved in the sbleotlon ot Jurors by jury .commiaalonera,’ and to subatltute for this elemant ot dlaorition the sbouring of Jury panels mPaohanioa1 ~~8118~

Art1014 209k 0r Vernori*a Revised civil Statutes provides&

*aatwb4n the Iiret and fiiteenth days of August or. eaoh year, in eaoh oounty having a population of at leaat thouaacd or hering therein a oltg oontaining tirty-eight of at least twenty thousand, am shown by the a population preoeding Federal Census, tha Tar Collsotor or one oi hls daputlea, together ulth the Tax Assessor or on4 of h.ia deputies, togathur with the Sheriff on6 of hi8 deputie@, and thb County Clerk or one of hlo deputies, .aad the Dla- triot Clerk on4 of his deputlem, shall m8rtt at tho oourt house of tholr Qountp and seAoat irom: the liat'ot qualifi4d jurors ot auoh oountg am shown br~the tax lists in the Tar A8aomor+a 0rrf00 ror thb ourrent ye*r, til7- 3ur o ra Sor srtios in the Dlatrlot sub County Courts ti suoh oounty for the ensting gear in the aanmr hereinafter prorldbdr* (r;iPpharle ouro)

ROn. 1. FTbdOOki, Dag9 3

ml010 a095 or v. A. a. 9. 0s TOXU is 44 r0l3m4: "Said oitio4rs shall write the n41rma o? all men who are &noun to be Quali?ied lurora under the law. reaidlnq inhlbir ronD6Otive oounti44, on soprate oardo o? unl?om~~ aias and color. writing al80 on Bald oardr. whenerar ~048i- bla, the post 6??ioa uidreas o? eaoh juror-se 4414oteil, oanntiea of ono hundred tifty exoept thoauand popu- lation, or over, aa sham by tie preoedlng Pedbral 04nm4, the oomni4rlo~mr~4 oourt &all provide a sum n4004aary, not oxoeading three hundred (#SOO.OO) dollars in my 0114 fear. ror the rtarmuit of anoh trolat other 4x~a44ea a8 iiay 64 neaess&y; who shall u&r the dirsotion kd supor- ViSiOB of the dirtriat-, typo the nanem and addrosaea o? said qualified rotera upon %he onrda as herein desoribed. Be oards containlna eafd name4 shall d4DOSit4d in oiroular hollow *h&l, to bo poridod for S&I purpose by the Convaiasloner*a Court a? the aounty. Said wheel shall be made o? Iron steel and stall be 40 conatruoted aa to ?rrely revolve on its axle: . . .* (~phaels ours)

The Jury wheel law, as first onaoted, did not oontain the refersnor to the *list o? qualified furors of suoh oounty as shown by the tax lists in the Tax Assessor*a otflo4a, whloh now appeara in 8aid Artiole 2094. The ofiioera dealgatad the aot were le?t to asoertaln the namaa o? the qualliled jurors in their aounty through their own personal knowledga o? said persona. The names plaoed in the jury wheel were limlted by extent of information as to who were qualified jurors In the oounty,posaeeeed by orfloers named.

In 1911 the Legislature amended this Jury wheel law by ohanging the time ot ?llllng the Jury wheel and inaertlng a olause requiring said of?losr4 to look to *the tax llata in o??ioeW in making eleotlons o? the names to the Tax Aaseamrls be plaaed in the jury tieol. The amendment left in full effeat that part or the aot requiring said o?iioers *to plaoo in wheel names o? all men reafdlng the oounw who 41-e known to them to be quall?led jurors under the law.* Ron. I. FTodoeki, pago 4

Arti 813s t l OQ., of the Rotlsad Statute8 or lms, thin8 the ptdiriO~ti028 or juror8 gonerally bbrolgh- oat th0 State, the t*a utfoler 0r the J0.r~ rh0O1. 14~ j-t aad quoted, all being gaaeral laW8, most ba no o0n8tr~0d togother Of thbn if 8UOh 001&8tXWO- .%8 tit give rO08OnablO OffOOt t0 ai tica be QO8aible. thoeo hw8 aaoordaase with above tin8tXtiag rrferred tc rule or Oon8t~OtiOIl w8 do not believe it or effooi Or the jury whorl law to was th4 i&tent, -080 render atrvailablo to? jtWy 8OlriOO in th080 OOUEltiO8 wbioh Oam WdO? 8Ush hf, w Mal 11 OUOh OOWktiO8 who had the qUdiiiOltiOlt8 of a jtlror prescribed in said Artlols f&?D, In oonrtrulng that portlan of Art&ala ;K)94 (a8 Ot IOQ. thlt tha acUne3 used fcr filling the mended) uhioh prOWidOl tho ht jury wheel arm obtained *ffom the Wx 11Ut8 A880880?‘8 the ourrent year, * togsthor with that protiaion ti ofiioo ror Artlolo 8095 (as amended), whleh pmtidea that the drrignated orrioers *8hall writs aames or all men who am knom to be qualified jurors under the law, * on cards whloh shall be plaoed in the whesl,. wa ara inarltablg lad to the oonalu8lon that it was ths purpose lntsat or the Legislature fn eaaoting the jury wh& law to (a) praearrs tha arallability as jurors or all men In the oounty qualified ror jar;r 80l’ViOO under Fenoral law: fb) to abolish, in oountlss oolning under the pro- ririone si the Jury whssl law, the olsment cf dlsorstion in- in the selsotion, to make up Jury panol8, and to utiliae instead the saloo- br jury oommissioners tho individual volved jurors tlon or jury panel8 by meohanioal mans1 and (0) to aaaotioa by

law the use of the the ourrent roar 83 w aid to ths designated ot’?ioars list* In ths tax amm38or*s 0rri06 ror tax in their perrc-manrr or their duty to bee that the d&aee all thorns know to be qualified jurors under ths law fiad their way into the jury wheel. SO think the law OOIIt~~lS~W ths doalg- orriosrr should dilige"t 12 their t4 oolleot nated effort8 and plaoe In the fury rheol tha namn of all mai la the oounty having the qoallrioationr or jurors a8 psrorfbed the 8ta- We8 Or TMCa8. And alway the oontmllla& objeot to bo et- rooted Is tha plaoing in the jury rhea1 of all tha qualiflsd OOWlty. fU?0Z8 il

Hon. I. Prodaoki, pq$o 5

The dO8i@uIted OrriOW8 have a0 awar to dirorimi- nata agaia8t any qwiiri04 juror kaaua to t i am whore JIM48 Rap. 4pDaar oa tha tax liStI (300 misooa 74 State, 104 aTim. 40222 Xnott v. state, 140 Grim. Rap. 4481 Atwaad v. 3tat0, 94 Ori& Rap. 8448 yabquas 7, State, 74 Grir. Rap. 371 &%I&.& v. St&O, 44 Orim. ROD. 335)

The designated orrioora do not tar0 powwto leave out of the jtuy ahaol the nlasr or qualirlad jurors who are ontitled to exemption iromfrrf rartioa, M nroh exemption ir not a dl4qu4llrloation rcr jury 8orvioo but 18 a prltilaga whioh say OT my not be ol.aimad tha pemon afreoted thereby at hi4 option. (Yee Randolph T.

State, 117 Orb. Rap. 80; ard Atwood T. ':;tata, rupra) tha 04~4 Or XoEIaal v. :3tata, him. Rep. 114, our Court ot Criminal Appeals said8

*It re comprahand the lan+aga of Arti~ola 5151, supra, in its rafareaoa to the filling or the jury wheel *rrom the liab or qualified jurors af auoh oounty a4 shown by the tax list8 in tha Tax .maa8aor*8 0rri04 ror the oturaht ytiar,' thl8 maeha that a OOuDlata list of suoh Darl)ons must be had and usad.* (sph48i8 ours)

lmun what we have aaid above you will uudarstand that our amwer to your qnaation Ro. 1 ia that thr list the Tax Asaasaor';l ottioa,whioh should properly be alasalriad aa a tax list within ths uaanin5 of tnu jury whebl law, 18 the rendition llati but this llat is to be used in aid Or the designated orrioarr In a diligent effort oa their part to sea that the name8 of all qualitled jurors In the oouaty rihd their way into the jury wheel. In rurtharanoa of thl8 arrort, it is DaraLi88ibl8 ror 3ald orfioare to rarer to and ahaok the all tax list ror the ourrent year against tho raudltlon P ist) but it wauld be error ror the offiorro to use said poll tax list as the exolueira 8du?OO from whloh the maad to pla8e4 the jury wheel would bo obtained.

z.8 the OasO Or Bri8eOu 7. st4tu, SOpI%, WhiOh war a death penalty oa80, and in mhloh (I motion for rohaariw our Court Criminal Apws wab o~arruhd, aald I

,.

Iloa, I. Predeokl, paga 6

9t (the who.].) M* rerllled . , . on rilling rhea1 haa bean approved by the oommlsrionera court on the 9th day of July, 1925, . . . The oomplaint nsma# la addition to there on tho tax lists warm t&t plaaed In the uhaal raa~~~s wlthout sumit. Artiale 2095, R.C.3. (1925) expressly dlreots the offloerr riiliAg tho ahsol to plaoe therein ‘the name8 or all men who are Lnom to be qtlaiiried juror 8. * l

In the oase or Knott T. Sate, supra, in an opinion having to do with proper prooedure under the jury wheel lrr, oourt said! *Th6y (the orrisers designated by statute) used

the tax roll 0r the tax aas*asor*8 orit r0r year 1922. . . They mpplemsntad the tax rollr from the tax assessor*8 oifioa with the poll tax rolls for tho aama year, oheoklng rrom on0 to the other an erfort eo leave the mpr or no ‘one out or the whrela who might be known to be a quallrisd juror. Some n-es not upon tha tax rolls rram ths tax assessor*s ofrlos wars also plaosd in the jury wheel ii it wa8 knom to the orrioers they were qualified jurors. . . We oonoludr it ahowr a substantial aomplianos wlth Aztlola5151, SlS2 and 5153, R. c. 3,”

In the above oaso notion for rshbsrlng wa8 orerrulad the oour t. In answer to your seoond question, we advise that the poll tax list is not to be regarded aa *tax list* wlthin the meaning of the jury whoa1 law, but wa further ray raiarsnoo to the poll tax list may be had bl the derlgnatsd offioer8 aa an aid to thus in the prrmniMOe Of their duty to 888 that the names 0r all the qualiflsa jurors in the oounty r%nd their way into the wheel, this OOAAOOtiOA ws oall your attention to Ron. I. FmdookI, ~8 ‘I

tb dealsion to the oam or Atwood v. State 94 calm. Rag. 249, wherein our Court of UrIminal A;pealr rwerslng orisinal oontiotion had this to say:

“There la no dispute of the faet the who.1 was filled from the poll tax list only. , . W think thhs aotlon or the authorities erroneous and or auoh ?natsrialIty aa to require a ravsraal of thia judgnwnt.* Tha ,-in maso whlob militates agalnrt the usa 0r the poll tax lI*t ror tha &Wpores tha jury who.1 law, aould I8 that the poll tax llet rrom 313 very nature or it thoeo men a aomplefxlist not would not oontain of all ror aerrioe. 1% ham found no IA t.he aounty qualiried deoiaion ln direot point tit& the quo&Ion, but the 8ame rearonlng or ths oourb whlsh oonrtrai;ledl than to hold it error to use the poll tar list would obta:n tith equel or ,@eator toroe to the oarbon oopler or reaelpta ror autoso- bile liacmmsa. You are t!?arerore advised ttat carbon oopier(:or issued for automobIle lioense8 do not reoeipto the Aaanlng 0r *tar lIsta= as term is us8a within in the jury wheel law,

Your3 very truly -/ CIB:AMM