Case Information
*1 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN
lonorabl. A. Davis, W. 0.
state Registrar
Jimto Board o? Health Texar
Austin, Jarmary ZE, 194 filfng [under the pror Fe00 a leas, 46th Leglr- 0 YOUP idit0~ U8lT ragl~torml* e ooopt for 0r rll Statute*) when, latura, itule 81 thr Pmbate Oourt rk or by th. Dsptntr e name of the County Judge ia er with II rtaap.
w~reoiate your reepondlr& to oyr reqwst 0r January 28, 1941, for addItiona information by rupp4Ug 1~s with ths moords in your hand@ whiti are the mbJ*ot OS There an nturnod hm%wlth. inquiry.
paragraph BZ 8. I). 614, tits 1939, The partianlar
Foptj-8ixth Legtrlature, mvmea, read0 as mmm: *Aa4 prerl&es¶ iulrther, that w 0ttlsW o? the 6t&e of Texar wishLng 0~ ill* the MO- *2 Honorabl4 W. A. Davis, 94. D. Page 2
ord of any birth or death, not previously reg- lrtered, may submgt to the Probate Court In the where the birth or death occur4d, a reo- ord of that birth or death wrltt4n on the adopted forms of birth and death oertiflaates. The oer- t If ioate l hall be sub&ant latad by the aff Idavlt of the nedloal attendant present at the time of the birth, or in oara of death, the affldavlt of the phyelolan lart in attend~anoe upon the deoe&sed, or the undertaker who burled the body. When thr affidavit of the medical attendant or undertaker omnnot be secured, the certlfloat4 shall be rup- ported by the gffldavlt of soma person who was aaqualntad with the Iaats surrounding the birth or death, at the time thr blrth or death oooured, wlth e reaond affidavit o? eom4 person who 1s l oqualnted rlth the facts eurroundlng the birth or death and who is not related to the Individual by blood or marrlaga. The Probate Court shall require 4uoh other informatIon or videnoe as may be deemed neoerrary to establish the oItIr4n- 4hID of the Indlviduil filina the oertlfloate. and truthfulness of the &atemente made tibn 21 of thin Aot. Suoh- certLfied coplra 8hiill be prim& faoie evidence in all Courts and plao44 xhe State Burem of the faote stated thereon. of Vital Statirtlos shall furnish the forms upon whioh such reoordr are filed, and no other form shall be used for that purpose.* (Undsreoorlng oure )
In Opinlixs Nos. o-1201, o-1203, and O-1709 we held that the applioatlons oontemplated In the above rtat- ute should be aoaorded the dignity of probate proceedings, th*t the oas6;e should b4 docketed by th4 probate olrrk anb that all proceedings had in oonneotlon therewith should b4 entered In the minutes of the probate court.
We held In Oplnlon No:; O-1065 that th,e oounty to a fee of Plftr C4ntr (SO+) for rntsrlng Judgs I6 4ntltl4a *3 aonormble A. pavls, W. D. Page 3 is rntltlad to g like
the order end the oounty olerk f44 for oertlfylng the order and rsoords to the Stats Registrar.
We further points& out In Opinion No. O-1079 that the State Registrar Is authoriced to refuse to rooept f&or III teohnisglly :;L;;;ing a reoord of birth which on its .
Let us examins ths orders In qusstlon in the light Th4y mre on forms provided by the Bummu of those oplnlonr. Of Vital StPtIStIQS &IX& pMId4 88 follOw8:
. f : l STA!l’E OF TEXAS a 3 . COUNTY OF BASTROP 1 1 : THE BIRTH CERTIFICATE OP Aormoe Berman Yett, I I ttmohed hereto, YIS submitted to this Court, as : 1 yo;lfl@d for In H. B. No. 614, 40th Leg., R. 9. : : : 1 : : .
It is the order of this Court that this rsoord : 13E ACCEPTED by ths State Registrar for filing in 1 : t the 0tmte Bureau OS Vltml Btmtlstlos. : :
1 ( Signed) Tlirgal JoaepCo.Clp i 8lgmture 1 D&e January 27, 1941. Of astrop ounty.
. z : : l * . * : [1] : : : ~lgnature By (Signed) 0. w. N~Nasmrm, Deputy. (Typed) Floml Mltohsll ,County Clerk. : O? l&nLeanan County. : : ! Dmte January 27th, 1941.' : I I f n* 4 4 : i : Signature (Stamped) 0eo.~.W~:X~!Wm@%. Go. Judge.1 : Chester Watson.~Deputr - : : Date l-24 1B41.(Signed) of Dallas County.*- t *4 Honor&b14 A. Dsvls, N. D. Page 4
4. :
: : x : *4 l slgnsturs (Stampsd) J. E. Abernmth~,Co.~dg4~ : Of Oollln County. a t : 1 Dots J&n. 23, 1941. : I :
The statute 9r4vld4s that *the Clerk of ths arid Oourt shall forward the c4~tlfIo&te to the State Bureau of Vital 8tmtlstIoe with an order from the court to ths State Rsglstrmr that the rsoord be, or bs not, mooOpted. n We hsve polntsd out that ml1 proo4salags under B. 8. Ro. 614 should and 4ntar44 in the minutes. The most b4 rii44, 400k4t44 Seas5.bls msan4 for the olrrk to dlsoharge the duty lmpored open him by th4 statuts would be to iorwmrd to ths Stats oopy of th4 oountr Judge18 order. In- R4gIstrmr a oertlfled ass4 M hare held thmt hs is sntltle4 to issa for suoh mot Is our opinion that the State Reglstrmr should rooept snd it for filing a csrtlfloits forward44 him ar provldsd In A. B. No. 614 when It 1s rooompmaled by the olsrk’r osrtlfled OOPT of sn order of the oounty Judge.
Th4 0141% ha6 don4 this In the or44re vhlsh v4 hays numbered 1 an4 2. The first purports sot to b4 the or&r OS the county J'udg4, but th4 Ord4r 0f th4 oOUtit~ dllerk b,r order of the County ‘hlnsslf; the sooond purports Olsrk through his dsputy.
It Is our opinion mad you are mdrlsed that the State Regletrmr is zot muthorl~sd to soo4pt for filing reo- ords OS delayed rrgistrmtlon of birth when aoaompmnlad by mn order of th4 'oounty olerk or hIs deputy that they be soospted, and not aooompmnlsd by &I! order (or aertIflsd sopy thereof) from ths oounty judge. We mre not to be un- derstood 8s holding that th4oounty clerk or his deputy msy not forward a certified oopy of the order of the oouaty Judge. Indssd, w4 believe this Is thr oorr4ot proosdure.
9mler No. 3 b4arr the stamps& signature of th4 Oounty Judge ben4mth whloh Is th4 wrltt4n 6lgnature of 8 Order No. beam the stsmped signs- clerk in his offiae. turs ot th4 County Judge clon4.
Bonorablo W. A. Darls, W. D. Page 5
The tests the State Reglatrar rhould employ In Q~IIOB of thle ohraoter ehould be: Are the rsoortlr fair face and do they appmr to oome from oompetent on their uthorltj? If ther are fair on their faor and do appear oome irom competent authority thay ehould be aooepted.
It la well settled that a printed or staaped
rlgnaturo of a Judge or oourt offloer irruing an ardor or, writ Ir a sufflolent authentloatlon, fulfIllIng the rrqulm- lent of a aigmture, where suoh signature har, In offrot, been adoptad by the Issuing offlorr. 38 A. L. R. 703; Wlller T. State (l890-- Slgnatur8 of proreoutlng attorney 36 Tex. Crlm Rep. 47, 35 E. W. typed on the Indictment), 391; Tenement House Department v. Well (1QlB -- Bubber etamp rignature) Xlro. 275, 134 N. Y. Supp. lOd!Z$ Loughron v. Bonnlwrll Ii904 -- StenoI slgnaturm of Ju@tIos .of praor) 125 Iowa 516 106 A. St. Rep. 319, 101 H. W. 26?i Blrder
Jud 4’4 slgnrturs irprr44rd br olerk), :: i?y$: 'i0"9 -ihhg y 374 43 L J Q B g 5 133 SO L: T. x.‘S.‘37i &k. bp e iO&OOi V: &4ii (i602-- by Judged 95 Tex. probata ofder of r&r and IsInute;'unaignsd 582, 60 0. w. 775.
Moreover, while a Judge or pub110 oiilolal y delegate alroretlonary dutirs, mera meohanIoa1 or mInIa- (suoh aa the rot of writing a nam.) may be
terlal dutlor delegated to others. Hoeohm,
(1890) aeor. 667-568; Opinion
It ir therefore our further oplnlon and you are 6drIaed that the Btate Registrar $8 authorlted to aoorpt ior tiling rroordr ot belayed regIstrationa of birth a8 qrovldob in 8. B. No. 614, aupra, when aooompanIrd by order6 of the Judge bearing hIe rtamprd olgnature an& the written rlgnatura of him olsrk, or, bearlng hi8 atamped signature alone.
BY D. Smullen j" JD$:LW Aaslstmt ~3?ClASURES