Case Information
*1 OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS :._ ‘.a’ i,* AUSTIN *2 Bon. Fred Norris, peg8 2
d&putlaa, aaalatanta or olarka, atatlag by sworn appllaetlon filled the number naa4ed, the position to be
end the amountto be paid. Said applloetlon ah811 be eaoompanlad by a atatenmnt ehoulng the probable reoaipta rrom fess, oonmilaalona end oom- penaatlon to be oollaoted by said oirioe during the tleoal year and the probeble aiaburaemente Wloh ah811 inolude all aahriaa end axpanaaa of said oiiloa~ and aeld court ahall leaks its order auth- orirlng the eppointmant 0r auoh deputies, aaelatenta and obrka end Six the oomp@naatlon to b4 paid them within the lfmitatlona herein praaorlbad and dater- mine the number to be appointed as in tha dlaosatIoo or said oourt nuy be propart provided that In no case shall the ~Commlaaloner6~ Court or any member thereof l ttampt as Qaputy, aa818t8nt to influanoa the appolntmMt 0r any p4raon
or &ark In any offloe. Upon the entry or aueh order the orlloera applyfng for auoh aaalatanta, deputies or clerks ahall be auth- orized to appoint them; provided said wmpanaa- tion ahell not aroaad the maximum amount harelnatter sot sut. The oompanaation uhioh may be allorad the daputlaa, aa~latanta or clerk8 abova named for their 4xoaad the rollowhg earvleoa shell be a raaBoneble one, not to
8mourtta~ In aountka harfng a popul.atlon of twanty- “1. firs thousand (25,000) or lees lnhebitanta, firat assistant or 4hi8r deputy not to l xoa ad ltlgbta an Hundred (bl800.00) Dollero per annrrai other aasfatQata, deputies or olarka not to axaead Flftesn Kuntlrrd ($1500.00) Dollars per annum l aeh.”
Thus ~8 ass that the oommiaa1onare~ eourt is empowered to either authorize your county attorney to appoint Ip aaalatant or to rajaot his applioatl~n for au& euthorlty, as the majority In oase the aourt datar- 0r the oourt may dasm wigs end proper. mines that an assistant should allowed, neither the oourt nor any member thereof has any powar’ovar naming lndlridual.
Tarrant County v. Smith (Tex. Clv. kpp.) 81 5. K. (2nd) 557; State V. Johnson (T4x. Clv. kpp.) 58 S. P. (2d) 110.
In allowing the county attorney the aer~loaa Or en eaaia- or aaslatenta, ii your 00mtulealonara~ oourt does 80, tad, salary to be paid by the wunty should be fixed in the order4 *3 Irad BIorri a, page 8 Eon. the salary m47 not “a~oaa4n the amount
in the 4ourt~a dla4ratlon Btated in k%ialO bOWi, aupra. As no minimum la pr4aerlbad; there la no prohibition of a salary as Low as $1.00 mr y~r. The amount of t&e salary would rest v&thin the dlaoretlon of the *o&St.
ita know of no rsaaon baaed upon an9 provision of the or Conetltution whlah rroul6 praolud4 the ootity attor- statutes nay from p&ng his aarlatant l $ditlonal aompanaatian from his awn runda. Suoh ratter antuse oi 8 private ~+ulld bo inths aontraot bafmaan the parties.
four n4xt quration la whath4r ui eaalatant ocmaty attar- nay la required to make bond. Whll4 the 4tatuta8 provide that oartain. daputiar, 4mployasa an4 eaalataeta shall glv4 bonds, (a. Q-. sheriffa, art. OS?0 R4rlaod ~1~11 Statuka, 1986; tax oollootar8, Art. 6881, ata.1, w4 rind no l u4h nqul~uent as oounty attema to arrlataetr While 'krtlok b81, Retired airi Statutea, 19125, reguiraa a8 atanta oouhty.attamoy~ta Is* her4 the aa~~ wpUalifj.eatlenam as th4lr prlaoi alad we think it olaar taw has raiaranoa to the P on8 repuirti M l uoh “wtalliriaat oounty attorney8 Uat4d un&r Art1014 838, 1.0.~ @hall be duly lloenae6 &a an 8ttomey an& mutt raaldd in the oouaty where l asvlng. Thardore, you are advised that in Our apf&iiOn l uo b assistant, may not be required to make bond. loup Qaxt wish to kn4w whath4r, if th4 oaunty l tt4rnay or him l elary; ha 44ul.d require the payment
joins th4 l r4, also tha ,Hlary or hia aa8lafant $ 4fa0, rQathar the sot of joln- ing thi l nq rauld be a 4urrioiant vacation 0r the atiioa oourt ootid detG.ara the ofilaa vaoant and the ~mi8alan4ra' RDDtiint 8 new aounty attom4y. It the orrlee is raoatod by auoh aotlan an the Olearly,
part ot the oounty l ttom4y, the oounty would not owe the salary t4 4ith4r th4 prinoipal or t4 the aaalataut~ On th4 other hand, if th4 ofilos 14 not vasetad, ff the county 4ttornay ratalnr 44~~. thou@ 4nllatsd In the araiy, ho would rntitlsd its the all importmt question la whether smo1uPrnte. Thesefore oo%miadonera* fe authQriae6 to dealare a vaoanoy an& make an appointment.
In ths oaae 0r Iiamilton V. Xing (TSX.Ciir&?&L, lQZe1, 206 S. pi. 958, appellant Raaeilton wa4 sh4 duly alaotad county attor- ney or &&bin4 County, had entar4d upon the dutl44 of his Ott104 Iis WRB inducted intm the army in @id had appointad a deputy.
Hon. %red Norris, pa&e 4
isarch, 1918f in September of the oaomo year the court doalared the otiioo vaoant and appointed qqollee King oounty~ attmiby, notwlthstendln& that k~U.Eon~s assistant had at ell times dis&arged {during appellant’c absscce) duties Gi' the Office, go Quota .f~rt3.ue.nt perta of tbs oourtls opinion;
n . . There oan be na doubt or the ocrreot- riolo of they appellant- th at the UO2UU.i srlonersl oourt of c oeuEtr in this'stat has no anthoritP i)r power to remove from ottloo auy county ofiiolal or to declare a vaoanoy Ln anY ouoh offioe. but ouoh mthority Deems to bye tested alone in the dimtriot oourt. coMtitutfon
f the State of ima Art, 6 B r?i It im pro- iidod by Seotlon 81 a! the #ame A&iols of the in oaoo of a raoanoy howorer, that, Constitution, in the ottice of oounty ottoraey, tbo *nsmlorfon- era* court of ouoh eeu~ty ohal.lhkeve powor to ap- point a aounty attome]r until the a*rt genortil Sea Tao, Bhlinger t. Rankin, 9 Ter. cleation. Cir. ApPe 484, %Q 8. W; S!Io. -the atiqet~o~~ 9
be detewlnti is, not whs%her %ho aomi 1 oourt of Sabin6 County W&I aothorlroa to deoloro a vaeanw in the orfioa of uountlr tt0m0p of fiablne Oounty. but ~tmstion Is: 11(au them a
06 to be tl1l.o was oush vaoano~ shown the pleading&in thro oaso?
*As stated above, It io alls6od by appellant that he MI a oltleen~ of 3abino Oounty, and that he wao only temporar,ily abrexit ~IWQ Cho oounty, and that he had never been fn any msrinor lprpeaohed by any oompetont aathhbrity, nor hio (PII~G@ doolar66 vaoant by any euthorited tribunal, on6 tho *rem mti3.l boin,S dizohurged duties of the 0rfic0 by Biro thm ugh hio legally oonstftutod assfotant.
On tho other Send, the ohowing~ made by appellor, In his answer wals, net that eppallant had removed permanently trem Sabiw Oeunty, but rim~ly that he was absent ?rom the otmnty at the tima of the aotlon of th.6 oorsnaleslonerrf in deolarlng the oliios *5 lion. Fred Norris, pa4e 5
vacant end appointing appellee the&o, end that appellant hRd been 80 absent Worn said covunty on the part of shoe mroh before suck action oormnieeionere~ following, and it September the t eudh absswta w&a oauaed fact appellant had been inducted involuntarily into the Army of the United States. This alla&Ion of the anewnr showed,of oourm, that eppellent wae actuelly absant from Sablne County et the time of euah aotion on the part of the oonmirslon- ore* oourt; but as to how long euoh absence would oontinue we not ehown, nor wae any faot alleged in the answer from which the dumtion of appellant’s absenoe oould determined, other then the state- mnt that he wae in the military service of the United States involuntarily.
Ilone Prod iiorri5, page b
plsedinge in thLe oese upon whfch alone the die- trict judge crlted In d,enying the temporary in- junction, and for that reaeon we are of the opln- ion that, ae the pleadinee stood, appellant we8 entitled to the writ 88 preyed for, end that the jud dietriot e erred in denying eem~,~ (Under- soaring Our6 ‘5
It 1s our opinion thst under the fixate eubmltted you, the comisalonere~ court of Polk Gounty my not declare a vaoanoy edst8 in the offiCe of oounty attorney upon hi6 the army, end appoint a euooe8eor to the pre- mrely entering sent inoumbent.
It ie our further opinion that under Be6tion M or krtiole S or the Conrtitutlon of Texas and Articlee 5970, et seq., Vernon’o Annotetad Clril Stetutw te dr- juriedlotlon termine the setter of vaitaney in the ofkoe of oourity attorney ie vested in the district court. The cult Is in the neture of 8 quo warrento end met Instituted an6 oonduoted In the name et State of’ Texas by or under the direction of the dlr- trlot atbm*y. State v, Starnee (T.c.A.) !?Ab S. W. 4Ma lIewe v. Stats (T.C.A.) e!B Y. E. 677: Joh&on v. )r:ooney (T.C.A.) Ei41 S. ii'. SOS:
You are further advised that until a vaeenay 18 eetebl .t eh- ed, both the co%ty attorney and i&i assj,stent “re- sntlqep_ thelr pay from the county8 the oounty attornsy to hi0 68tabli t [0] Cdl- ad rtatu’tory sal@q and the e~srl'rt~knt to the salary fixed by the court under the prwiaions of Artiolo 3008, $upra.
.Trusting the above eatiefactorlly answer6 your Inquiry, we are ,.
Yourr very truly ATTOW OENml. or TXAS rBp / B
Ben&u&z C;ooball A8si atant