Case Information
*1 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS Hon. Toe Kumohik, Co~mnieaioner
Bureau of Labor Statirtior
Austin, Texas ,.I\, / \ Dear Sir:
Oplntnian pro. o-B& “,; Rer Exhibition oi p++a fight
mtio~,.~pist* rtlrs. ode ha I beon, b l f- or ubafhor it 10 :W t0 paon pri~i r-t xa8 theatore.” .dernon*~ Annotated Penal Coda rleturo In 169SI, pruhlbited p&l- mom ~naotluent deiined a "pugilisti term ~pug$li8tio l noountor,* aa n, 113 meant any voluntary right or noounter by blow8 by mean8 of the or otherwire, whefhar with or wfthout glO~e5, betWO8n tW0 Or mOr0 IDtIn fO%- IOMIP, Or ror a prize of any oharaotor, or for any other thing Or V&lUO, or ror any ohan@iOnship, or upon the result of whioh any mney or snythtna, *2 Hon. Joe Kunsahik, Comuissioser, Page 2
or value is bet or wagered, or to ESS which any fee Is cherged." edmission
From 1895 until the year 1935 vprfaa fighting*, aa that tare is ~omonly uudaratood ia athlQtia ofrolaa, wss held unlawful.
Sea SULLIVAN v. STATE, 32 Tax. C. R. SO, 22 S. W.
ti%LARD V. KNO5LAUCH (T. C. A.), 206 S. W. 934. In 1910 ths Legialeture want ,a~':atap rurther se8 prohibited the exhibition or motion glotuwa or pries right.. Article 612, Vernon'8 AnuotataQ'Penal Coda.
This eneotlnsnt raaaa roilowaz
qo person, aseooitation, oorporetion Qp any agent or aaploya of any paraon, aaaoo etlon, i corporation or raoalvar, partnership or firm shall glra or present to the publio au axhlbi- tion or prlsa right6 or glen oont~ata, or or any obaoens. indaoen~ or immoral piatora of any character whatsoever, by meana of moving plotura rilm6, bloaoOpca, vitaaoopea, magi0 laatarna or ot4r devioe or davloea in moving plotore ahowa, thrtera, or auy other plaoe *Ihataoarer~ >.,.:.:
"Any poreon, or any agent or ampl0ye of any pwson, a66oolatlon, oorporatlou raeaiv*r vlolatlng any yrovlaion at thia art1010 ahall be finad not leas than one hundred aor mere than one thousand dollas, or be 1rrpri.md in jell ;F;;; leas than ten nor more than sixty bya,
Each day*6 violstion or any provision thls'artiole sbs3.1 be a separate offenaarn
In rosa, however, the public polioy the State as manifested by its legislative enactments.ohangsd. H. B. 832, kots 1933, 43rd Leg., p. 843, ch. 241, legalized with c+tialn
limitationa fistic combat, wraetling mtohpri, sparring oontests or exhibitions for money. Su- Labor Statletioe. This enactment wee aubaaquantly amended *3 ,-, Hon. Joa Kunschik, Connaisslonar, Page 3
in 1954, to allaw tha Coamlaaionar to preaoriba rules and regulations for boding and wrestling. Bee A&a 1934, 2nd C.S., p. 68, oh. 2l.
SeOtiOn 16 or the Aot of 1935 axpreasly repealed all laws and parts or lawa in aonrllot therewith snd m laay safely 88swna that Artlola@ 610 and 6l.l of the Pa-1 Coda have been auparoadad. Thl6~wa mar not aaauma r0r Artiolo 612.
We have oarafully axamlnad thai:Aot of 19& ia amanded by the Aat of 19S4 (Vernon*6 Annotatab Penal Coda, Artiolar 614-1-614-170 inolualva) and have raflad to find an~r provision amking it lawful to praaatit au axhl- bition of pries fight&g to tha pub110 by motion piotura ribus, Cartafnly there has bean no axprase.repaal of Artiola 612 the Penal Coda. Whila the law rrawna upon, but somatimaa aanotlona, rapaala by implloation, harr ua hare nothing upon whish to attaah an irpllomtion. The Aota or 1033 and 19M fram vmd to -6 dlatdi u on the aubjaot or axhiblting m&Ion piotura fllma orl f: a: a* right8. WE muit oonoludt3 that iktfala 212 the Penal Coda stands untouohsd.
ft la, t4rafwe, the oplnien of ~+hl.ir bpartment and you are ~rpaetrull~ adrlaad t4t Artiala dla or Var- non’s Amotatod Penal Cobs has not baon auparoaded bJ Ar- tic168 614-l-614-170, indualve, Varmnla Annotate6 Penal Code, and it is a violation of th~:lan t0 praaant rep publio atiibitinn p~lza right moving piotura fllaa in Taxaa theatare~
Yours vary truly ATTORNEY GBNKRAL OF !fB?SS /a/ BY ~. Jasea D. Smullan A8alatant ;.: JDS:ob APPROVED OPIRIOX? COMbilXTBE
APPRCVED AUG 15, 1940 BY R.R.F. CHAIRbfAN /a/ Grover 8611ara :: FIRST ASSIBTAXi' ATTORNEYGENRRA1, .+--