Case Information
*1 OFFICE OF THE An’ORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN
Ronoralile WY, C. Ruffakor
county Attoraof
Lynn ccnmty
Tahoka, %xa# Oplnlon No. O-3912 Daar srr Ror When parson rlor to Juno,
19.941, was aoav oted ! or &it- lng motorrrhiolo uadertbb lafluanoo of lataloatlng llpuor and thhrroaitsr and alao prior to Juuo, 19941 om- Bitted the offense of Crjrinl a mtor t~hlolo under the Iaflueaoa 0r Intoxloetlng ' lIc;uor, mar ho now ba ladlot- 04 an l idon 6nd tried In the dlstrlot oourt? rmipt 0r 00~ r800nt ta- ma 18 to 130kmil0dg0
graE! In uhloh you propouml the puestlon stated abae. Tha rtatuta In &foot k!mdIatoly prior to tho errootlve date or Bouse Bill No. 73 or the Fmty-•eteath ~08 mi0i0 802 the Ptrm cod0 0r m~08 aa tcgi810tm amandod by the Aot8 OS the Yorty-,-iitth Legislature, 1937, Chapter 60, p. 108, rhloh boome l ffo otlva on Varoh 22, 1937. 'Ibis statute read as r0u03m
*Arti. 802. .4ny prrrop who drlres or operates an utcanobila or a4 other motor rehiole upon any rtreet or alley, or an7 other llmlta 0r 04 phoo wlthla Inoorporeto4 upon 8x1~ puhllo road oltf town or villago, In thir State while suoh !mroa or h&m, Iatox3oata6, or In my dagnr uador the‘ln- rlueaao intorioating Liquor shall upou boa- rlotlon b6 001Uined 12 the pdtentiar, rcr.
not, mom then two (2) years be oanfinod in the oamty jail r0r not ieats than rive (5) *2 H~&ab.la U. C. BiUS&ar, Pega 2 (900) 6aya end rh0d cam nor core than Ilbatx
I .: not leaa than Ylrt Dollars ($W) nor mora than Fir0 Huadrd Lara ($500).* PO proaume the abwr la tha atatuta undo]: wbioh the to by you was obtained. Xi oarlicr .thrm coatlotion refemb liaroh 22, 1937, offrotiro date quoted atp.tute, of the e-8 lo@ questIona ralaad herein nalfi ba the aaaa, alnoe all statutory oondrmtlon thm orbs mdo oirmae l roloa rroa the earllost 1ogIal~tlan on the sub oat. Tee Aota I 935, 44th Lag., lat C. C. ch. 426, 0. 16 4; Art. 002, [1925] 2nd F?wIa~d Pinal Cod.; A&a 1423, 38th Log., C. -., Ch. 23, pa 56.
FUSS MU ~0. 73 or the 47th Lcgmt3t~ti, RS~U- 1U ~eaaI~t ~WIU# OfrOOtiW 011 JUJO 17, 1961. Attorno~ tW~ral*a OpInlan No. O-3740. By ltr prwlaiona, Artlob 802, Penal Coda, supra, was amended read ati followat
~ArtIol* 802.
“Auy person who drltaa or oparataa an 8uttnaobIle or any other motor rehiole upon any puU10 road or highway In this 'tats, or upon any street or a 'log wlthln the 1kIta an lnoorporated olty, town or tlllab, ~Mla such parson is IntoxIorto4 or unCar t!m Influonae OS intorloatlng liquor, shell be 6uilty Or 0 -Iademtanor, Slid UpOn OOWiO- tlon, ahall ba pamiabed by oonflnoment In County Jail ror not lea8 thsn tan (10) days nor core than, two (2) pars, or by l flno or not less than Fifty Dollars ($50) nor mre than pin Rundrrd Dollara (SWO), by both suoh tins aa6 ImprIaommnt.w Soctlon 2 of said Houav Bill Ho. 73 oroatad a new irtlole of the Penal Code, and reads as iollowar
"!?oo. 2. The4 PM01 cod* Toxaa or 1925 is amoad~d harrbr by midin a sow aeo- as Astlola 802b and nadlng ~f~o~~,knowa “‘ArtloU 802b.
@J*Any perron who has been oontlotad th6 mladamoanor ofrena* drlvbg or operat- *3 Eonorabla tl. C. Nuffakar, Paga or other motor rahlola
lng an l utmoblla
uporr any publlo road or hlghua la this
Cyata or upon any rtroat ae al f.8 y dthln an Inwrpuratad or rlllaga, altf, town lntaalortad or u&or the lnfluonoa
uh:la lntoxloating liquor, and who ahhill thare-
l l’tar drlva *or operate aa l utmoblle
o.thor motor tahlola upon auy pub110 road or highway la thir rtata or upon say street l l1e.y ulthln tha liorita or UI Inoorpoxmtad town vlllaga, uhllr auoh parson oltr, Ia'IntoxIoakd under Influano@ of
In+&xIoatlag ‘Liquor, shall be gulltr of~a felony, and upon oonvlotlon ba punI8hod by oonflmmant In the paaltantIary ror an7
tam of years not loam than one (11 nor
more thau rlw (51.'" (Emphaaia ours)
ha hanlnabova pointed out, the offanaa of 6rIitIng a motor vahlola wer and .upon ~8 pub110 hi&my, atrmt or an Inoorporatad olty or town, while under Inrluanoa in Texas or IntorioatIng liquor, has alwnya bean a felony fzysm the tiria or the tlrat lagIalatIon on the subject until passage of Iiousa Bill Ko. 73, aupra. Artlole 802 as It now stands beoauaa of the ameudmnt Inoorporated In liouaa Bill No. 73, aupra, makes the oiianaa nladaaraanor. ArtI- olr 802b, l upra, does not ohanga thfa, but oreataa a naw offsame, making it a felony to drive and operate a motor +ahIola rhlla iatoxloatad, ato . , l pplloabla only to.8 ear- son who has bean oontlotad oi the mIadmaanor oitanaa of ato.
drlring and operating suoh vahIole uhlla lntosloataif, hm the aooond ottann ~rarrad to In yourbcio- gram was apparently otxmlttad prior to June 17, 1941, tha defendant would hava an l laotlon whether tc be triad under A$t~la 802. as the artiols stood on the data or the of-
*aa our opinion Ho. O-3760, noloaed herewith. ‘b bella~a that opinion will an8wer your questions In avant should be tada by the :;urty War auoh xpraaa alaotlon IutaatlgatIon.
Iu this opieion wa hold that the new Artlola one gcnrictad under 802b wculd bwa no appllaatlon III thb 8Vbnt Oi felony atatutaa oondamnlng drunk drivers. *4 Honorable :i . C. Nutfaker, Paf5a 4
an l xp ra a a l laotlon, we oan oonoalva (but la ianoy only) or under &tlala 62 0r tha Penal Coda whloh .pro- oaatlotlun tides l a@aaaod puulahmant ror ao?ond oonviotion8 tar hlca%~, but auoli l ppaara 80 rezzoqe m till. pratarmit a dla- iuaalon sama.
Tour question -10 l paolflca1ly enawcrad that a parson who, prior to &u&a 17, 19W. WI oonrlotad oi drlv- lag a rotor vahlola uhlka under the Influanoa 0r Intorl- ootlng liquor and thcrcaftar and alao prior to June 17, 194l, cazultted the orrena@ of drlvlng a motor vehlola whlla under the .lnrluanoa of intoxloatlng liquor, mcly ba Indiotad by the grand jury; but ha niap be triad for a court only upon Cl6 laotlon in dlctriot .ralony se provided by Article 13 15 or the ?onal Code, asi polntad out In our rormur opInion,No. O-3710.
I$ oonnaotlon with the ganaral aubjbot matter Cc thla opinlun, and .oplniolr No. O-3740, w ;ilah dlraot ttantlon to the root thut while in aoct coutti88 the trial jurladlotlon of telonlaa GIstriot oourt has original only and the ocunty court has original trial jur$adIotloa In rdadansanor caaaa, the Constitution authorize8 LtgIalaturc to dlruat 8 county court 0r its crlmlnal @rLa- . d&t:m-r,d to ooarar the aaxe upon the dlatrlct~ courti
Tar Art1018 5, taotlolrs 8, 16, 22, Constltu- tlm ot &caag Yore T. Xata, 9 Tax. Cr. Fr. 4061 Johaaon v. Cteta, 26 Tax. Cr. ii. 395, 9 f. Y. 611. This hes bean acd In oountlaa where the dla- ‘done lr aovaral. inetanC88; court has had mIsCameanor JurIadIotIon duly oonferred trlot ’ upon it, ttw ranwal or IndIctxcanta or treixter of the casts would not only be unnaoaaaary but improper.
It hem. k:an suggested that the alaotlon or the accuaod ahould be obtained, where oaac8 sre ~anaiamd, rrar the dlatrlct oourt to the oounty court, before tha Is nada. In other wor’ds, that the dia- order of transfer trlet judge, barort transferring the ccac to the count8 oou&, should re@.re the accused to atste whether ha w$mhad to be triad under old law as pmvlded in Artl- 018 13, Penal Coda, aupra.
3’8 bUli@V@ this would be not only perminalble, but the praferabla pmCtIO@~ It would enable dlstrlct in tht event aOCUS0d court tc pro0606 st Cnoe ‘to trbi, *5 O.K.
*.R.X.