Case Information
*1 :’
OFFICE OF THE AlTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTlN
Honorable R. Z. Ryohe
cottaty Aoditor
ama a0uty Texas
Lorrgrier,
DearSlr1
Your letter c7f J opla- 011
ion 0f this a8pattaute question mea0 l 8 fDllart
l8w other than Arbiolo olntmnt of aosietaats mea it, but t&em two o~taoro ldeae the oompasatlon. qutmiotti my Arrdltor, wpolat I, a8 a0wy
a relative of the Dlstriot JPdge’8 rite, 8 fir** aouein, 1x1 tieu of tho rdrt (4 the salary hr *2 Eoamable IL 9. Wyoha, Pago 2 b8aI set b Judgtw; appointmeat (b)
wda f6li en ~ironth8 0r thr prb~i0~8 of the salary of the raslgnitg asalatantrW esttlw Article 1650, Veraon’n Azotstsd Civil 5tatut.s rwid8 a8 r0110w3:
T%a Count;; Auditor of nnx county or thlo Etatt ~7~ et aq tiara, with the aoment or the DietxiOt uUQ~I Ox Di6triCt Jud&w hevin~ jcris- as horelnaftsr p-ovided, a.p;clnt a rim a:0th an% other aaslstmt; assistaat whc r&.ll bs au- - tf;Orizeil to diGChftx&jS SUOh datid8 as rr,es bo 238~
Slp.O% to tkel:; by the COUtQ .tUdltOr t5.d pXdd8a In counties where only me esslstant ror by law.
18 apyolntctd, t;uoh asoletaht al.mll to autCo~1ze.d to aot for the County Xudltor Zuriri his absmca or urmvoldahla detontlon with respoat suoh du- floe as am rs:uirea by law of the County Auditor.
In oountlos wlrioh uore thn one asslstaat shall bo appointod, the County Audltor may deslgste the aeolstant who ~1~11 be authorizud to not for bin dur@ his aboenoe or unavoidable detontlon. All or oald aaolstauts shall take the usual oath of orfloe for i!aithfUl partornanoa or duty am? may required to givs ewh bond a8 the County Audi- t:= day ti0temine, whioh bona shall bo pia ror, by tho oounty ahd shall cull in favor Or thr OOUt- ty end or tho Oounty Auditor as their. lntarset m6y appear.
“The County Auditor ahail prepare a llet of th3 numhor deputlea 8Ought to be app0intea, their dtitiett, qualiri0tdOos liid 0~perb3w1 ana salaries t0 5~ paid 6803, anit simll 08~ iry t the list to tha Distrlot JuQe, or in Lhu event or more thun one Di8triat Judge la tha ooahty, to the Dfstrlot Judges, ahd the District JUdg8 or the Distriot Judges ahall then oarefully oonsider the applicntio:i for the appolntmtmt of aaLl asslst- a&s and nay iruko al.1 noouassry lnqui1laa oonoern- i&q fhu quulifloatiohs or the portions Imod, the posltlons soiight to ba flllcd and thu reusonabl8- aoss or tha ,solariss rsquested, and if, aftor suoh consldoratlon, tho Distriot JuS;e, or LII thu avant *3 of more than one Dietrlot Judye, a mjoritg of t&o Dintriot Judges ahall ap,pmve ths appointmnts sought to bo made or any ntunher thercof, he or they shall ~r:~pare a list of the apgoinluas so ap- proved and the ealarles be paid aaoh and oerti- l’y said liot to the CaPnieslonsrs Court of mid OOUllty. The &WLiSSiOnerS CoUt Shall thereupon order the amount paid from the Ceneral ifund of said oounty upon the performanoe of tha aenioes~ aad said Court shall appropriate fundm adequate for the purpoeeb provided that the total number of aselstsnt8 allowed to any coun%g under this Artiolo ahall not exoood two (2) assistante in counties hsvlng Iem than fifty thouwad (50,000) lnhabltantr, one assisterrt In oc;r;ltiue hsving not less than fifty-three thousand, ~;ine hundred and thirty-sir (53.9 6 1, and not more then fifty-four thousand (51,000 inhabitants aoaordl to the ? last preooding Federal Census, four (4 eseistantn “? in oountics having betwreo thousand (50,OOO) fifty and one hundred thoueand (100,000) inhabitants, in oountios hsving between one six (6) ssaiatntlts hundred thousand (100 000) and ono huudred atid fifty thousand (150,&O) inhabitante, tan (10) sssis tsnts in oountlea .havfng betwuerl one hundred thousand (150,000) ami Go hundred and end tiity and aeranty-five thousand (275,000) inhabitants, Sfteorr (15) assistants In counties having, lore ?&an lzto hundred ana rorenty-five ttiouaand (275,000) inhabitants, in eaoh lnstenoe acoordlng to the la8t preoeding any future Federal %mue, exolusi+a in each lmtanoe oft tha first oselstant, and suoh as nay be metted in Qaeee oi temporary essietants emsrgenoles the nuaber of such tmporszy tona iida assiatm ts, their ealarias and Wo duration of em- ployment tb bo moomended by the County Auditor but to detewlned by the District Judge or by a mjorlty of the Dietrlgt Judgee ae the! oocasion mey require, provided in aountlee hevl% three hur+ dred and thirty thoueand (330,000) lnhebltanto more aooordis to the laet prowdin.. or aW futura redoral Census in like maaner the Judeas OS the Cistriot Cmrta additlo,rsl lnay authorize the w:pointrs,nt Of
rec.ular asaistante wbm their judg- ant a neoeaeity exists therefor. The county Audi- tor shall h?ve t&e right to di~~our.tirrUe the S8Wi0OS *4 Honozabls R. S. Wyohe, Page 4
O? any as8lsta.d employed In aOOOrdmO% with the p~orioions of this Artiolr, but rio assistant shall be employed exoept In the manner herein provided.
'L'be Distriot SuQe or DFatd.ot Jtigoa &iv@ oon- sent to the Auditor to appoint an acsistant or shall annually hare tho right to wit&- araietants draw suoh oonsen:., und ohango :hc na.,ber or BB- si5tanta pmaittod.
“The County Auditor &all ba authorizad to provida hlxmolf *;:ith all nsoesa~ry l&ars, booka, reoorde, stationery, squipment, telephone blaxkq at 4 a& pooh&e he oountyle expense, but all pur- olw~sea thereof ahall~ be made the xmner pro- ydgea ror by law. (-4s amendea .bts 1935, 44th ., P. 743, oh. 333, e 1.1” 432-438 Vernon’s hnaoteted Penal
Artloles inolualve, Calo are the otctuteu portainlno to nePOtlfiln In this State. Under theso statutes no offloer of the State or any ~11U111oipal 0rfioer or nwber of any State theroof, nor w 6ubaividon or punloIpa1 board, ahull appoint, or vote for, or oonrira the t0 any offioo or employmane, of any pereon relataa eppoint:aent within oertain e~~oifled de&%ea to him or to any other ~!&~ar of such imar i&an oompansation OS euoh peraon 18 to be, paid out 0s Publio tide 0s any km what- or ~ffioe or ma Eva&in of zmpotiara by tr@.din& and appmvaL of ao- mayor. oounts or tbs %rc&wlne( or WErants to pay t&a ooqenration oi enr inelip.ible ol%oor or per8on, are also a6dt with. TiM otetutea provide aloo for tbu puniehment at any parson r& viol laterc any Of it8 provlsion8. Artiole k32, ~UQFO., prohibits +ny offlorr oi thie ofrioer of any diotriat,
Sate, oounty City, pnolnat, sehool dietriot, or other munioigal 8Ubdirisiom oi this Stats or nembor of any Stato, dlotrlot, sny offlos oountr, oltr, sohool Qistriot or other doipal board, or Judgr of any court, fro5 aypolnti~, or votllig for, or oonfirming tho ap- pointwnt to any ofrloe, pooltlon, olorksllip, iwlopmt-nt or duty, OS any person rolatsd within the seooad degree by affla- ltp or withb the third d~$rae ty oomunguinity to tha patron any other member of anf so appointl.ng, or m votticg, au& board, the Legislature, or court of whloh mob porsm 80 appointing or votlw amay’bc. a member, when the enlam, feea, or oompensetlon of EU& appointee 1.7 to be paid for, dirrotly or indirectly out Of or froai public funda or fees Of OffiOa Of any k$.nd or oharaoter whateosvor.
Ronorable R. 3. Wyoha, Pqe I;
It will be noted t&t Article 1.650, supra, speoi- fioally autkorizea the oouuty auditor of any oauntp in thla State to appoint a first aaaietent end other aaniatanta who ehsll ba authorlzed to diaoherge such duties 8a zny be aa- signed to thfm by the oounty auditor ani: pnviaea for by 1~ aftor first hsviq obtained the ooneent of tho di8triotT~;g8 or dlatrlot judges hsvlng jurisQlat1on in the Latter. further provlQa8 thtit the Qlntrlot judge, or lu the
rtatute arent of mora than ona Qiatriot juQge, a majority of the Cl+- t&let juQgos ohall approve the ap~olntnmnt aought to be amao or any number thereof. He or they shell prepare a llet or the appointees ao ikppIW8d and the salariea to be poia eaoh and oertlry aaid 11s~ to the Comml8aionere~ Court of said county. As thii Qiatriut judge or Qlatrlct d#uQCes having ju- rladlotios in the mattsr muat approve the appointment sought to made it la our opinion that the nopotl8m atatutaq abovr mantioned, are oppLloable and prohibit the Qiatriot lu@e or juQCea having jurisdiotion to approve the appointment or any person as assietant oounty auditor who is related them either of them ~lthlti the prohibited degree.
The person inquirea about in 8 first oouain or the wifs of one of the DiBtTiOt JuQgea who will approve tha ap- anQ io rolatoa to the Dlatrlot JuQCe by arrlnlty poiaittnt within the aeoond Qegea. Therefore, it la our OQlnioa that the approval or such appointment by Diatriet Judge la pro, hibited by the abma xumtioned statutes. Therefore, we 1-0. apeotfully enawer above etabod question the hegatite.
Trusting that the foregoing fully in- answers your qufry, we sre
Tours very truly XTTXi:L?T GiXWAL OF TEXAS /2?L@hauL EY ArQa3.1 ?llliame Bsolatant ,,lTT ,... -,, j .?:: A:,{ : up ? .".I> 4. i.L-& ,-rlji‘.L~\ , I-