Case Information
*1 -.
OFFKE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN
QDULO 0. MINN .-001uu
Xoaomblr A. t. Brrag, fr.
Criminal Mrtriat Attorney
BllUboro, Teur
Dam siri
or Dtate npn- tte* ia orrtaia add attor thr eiieo- oouatiw .for f4
iaolud* Tlotorial Ropwon%8tiro, .ia &e&l*
laturo, #hall hare hlB.or her name &or& on mob ballot in eh oeuntias, J 088 ad aatn
primaq
as hs OT rho has pal6 to thr County lkxaoutiv. Oom- mittee of politioal part+ whose n~i~tiOD ho of sho seeks, thr SUEI of tifty DolhrS ($50). Tt being the purpose oi this h06t to require iF&: ant of Tlity Dollars ($50) as a pnrsquislte c CL tha name a? tha oandidats plaood on tha
oitloial ballot in any primary slostlon in saoh all oouaties hsralnabovs sat out.# , Ssotioa bb of Article S oi the Uonstltution ot Texas, reads, in part, as follows:
*The I.8gislaturs shall not', axespi a8 othar- rlss provided la this OOnstit~t~on, pass anr looal spaoial law, euthorlaingr *And in all other eases when a gsnoral law aan br'mda appliaablo no looal or spsoial law shall bs snaotsdI provided, that nothing hsrsin oontained shall br oonstrusd prohibit the Lsglslaturr ?rom passing spaolal laws for ths reservation of the game and fish of thi8 Stats a osrtaln looalities.~
The following rulss are pertinent to tEe problem at hand t
RUlassl~ioetion of oities aad oounties by population, and legislation agplloabla to suah olassifioation, has gasrally bran sust@lned w&err substaati~l,r~ason appears for suoh olassi?ioatlon.
*Xi the olassifloatlon a? oltiss or oountlss is based oa populatian, wEether an sot is to bs ngardrd a8 spoolal, and whother its operation Is uniform throughout State, drpsnds upon whether population affords a fair basis for ths olassiflaa- tion with rsfsnnos to the mattaps to whioh it n- laths, and whether ths result it ooempllshss is in taot a real o&ssifloatlon upon that basis, and not a designation of a single oity or oounty uhloh alone It shell apply, under the gulsa OS [*] . *3 ~.. 1’
waomblo A* 7, 1#?7aa, ifr., 740 3
l ueh l lassifIoatlon, Rrkor-Wa8hi4toa 00. tsr Xumar 98 ma. t88 88 t. 981.9 blth vv *State, l80
QIt7, Tea. ur.481*4* A.r. (U) ma. : *The rlasrUlsatloa 840 toa must net is real or rubstantial dietins P Lou, uhloh mn4otr 011, olsss I8 truth, or dU?uaat fro8 distlwt
aao*hw &or l * l Tharmmust exist areamaablr w$UloatIaa ror olassifioatioa; is, thst l bUI8 of the l lasstileatlea lnro&od Rust
ih
hua a ,d net ml&is8 to the tupow oz,ths &m * l . t l *l Oa*ratlom, I MoQulUoa on mm t l pp* 44, 4%
Zt Is olear that Artfolo 8lM0, br It8 tom@, a)pllor oril7 to oountlw *hati a 70 ulatlea of not lers them fort -
three t&wand aa& not more t & rort7-thr.0 thounnd oao h tan-
clnd an@%8 all l ountler ia thL# 8tate havl4 a popdatloa ot not l ss~thur slxt7 thoasanl &A& not row than slrtf thousand, i
oao hwdrdead la all oountles of this 8tato h&tin@ not less
taut ninotpaI&ht thousaM anl sot man then alast~l~o~thow-
an&, rsoordt4 the last preorlhg 7obem.f Oeasus
when such oouatlss ooastituta a W nsoatetito l%mtrIot.* fs ib of &tlolo a of tJ30 ooa-
UtiOlO 8~lbO'XS@#hMt t0 kc)tiW stitutioa of Tens? Its thlr an attempt 00 thomrt of tho Legls&tura to oneeta *la1 lawbra 8~ rnmllaw leoal UI ba aa1 has boon mdo pplisab et r Wo hold that f[ t ie. k aPe wonsd that Bill Oaunty, Tans, he4 a thouanti aad thirt7-dlq l o o o~f.Ax$ pulatloa 08 iopt -thrso
c Teus, a tholB8Otider J Osasw~ kmrro Oouat7, $1~ of sixt7 thow~,fIve hw&ed ~4 sov~~ l ooorl 4 to- r
suah OO~SW, ana %oLonw oOunt7, T&x&s a populatlorr d nlnotp lghtthowan4 sir hundred and sirrrtphro lahabltaats. koh
oi thoso oountk oonstltuto a ropnrontatire bistriot under
A?tiol* lOcl, RetIs& oitia m4tuter Mu). BLWO aTo uio on4 undor tho 1tOO kern1 Gonsur, to whirh
oouatlas moroovor
Artlolo $1.u* wilAppl7.
Ala l opntlos othrr thamthoso emmuatod IB ml.10 81180 ud Art1010 8ll.a of Torma*l) AaEetato4 Qivll Dtatutos, In ths pnoral rtatuto ArtId ro~I4od for
an 8114. An- orl r 4 this Mtlolo, *no orndi4ato lo* nomlnatlon for
-
. 223.
Eoaorablo A. 7# Br7aai 7rr, pas* 4
Stat0 Saaator or ~opnsoatatlvo In the Lo s&two shall bo
required to pa more than On0 IkllW (81. 1 to 8gIrz;7 8t I other person or aa7
aooutlvo oomttoo y
sonittoo l # his portion o? suoh oxpoaso for ho r ding suoh
9m*a
Oanoodlag the pwor of tho Lo#lslatur& to okssI?7 to pepulatlon, Is th e l lassI?ioatloa here based on
l aoardI Y ln tho oouatlos 8 grouad~t 28 then sas dlffonaoo
poao: pulatioa b?mkots, whloh bean a just and proper the nrbfoot utter of the legIslatloa? Lat u8
nlatloa ci
oxamino tho praotloal opontlon o? this ststuto. j
0horok.o OOuatf, Tsxaa, aeoor&I~# to tha 1980 Yodoral
ulatioa of ~ort74&00 thswaa& on0 hundred for state roprrsoati~In In that l oa.u&l&ator T P tount7 4 nqulrod to pa to the Count7 xxocutlvo Cam1tt.0
*not pro than On0 Bollar I #l.)t* rot oandI&atos for nprosoata-
tire ln Bill Couat7, Tssas, suoh oountr harlq a po ulatlon of
on17 fort79four poreoar loss thaa Ohorokoo Couat7, 48 xas, were nqulred under Art1010 bllbo to pa7 ofor Bwoutlro to tb Oount
Oormrittoo tlftt 404ars. Burol7, hen is a aoro arbl I rar7 and
oaprlolourr l slootloa of HI4 Oumnt~, the olassl?1oatIoa harI4 to the subjoot matter of the on-
no naeonablo rolatloa8hlp otmsnt.
Insofar as tho seooa& 7opIllatIoh bnokot Is oo~~srao&,
8Ixt7 thoueea& to sIxt7 thousand, six hundro&, asoordIag to the
19SO ?o&usl 01asu8, Satarm Oount7, Texas, is on17 oouatr
ofAn& withis ItI 7ot fhlrostoa Oouatr rith a population of
sIxt7-row thousaab ?our hundred aad oao, aad Uraysoa aouat7
with a pepulatioa 04 sM7-five thousand, eight huadrod
fortf-throo Inhabitants as nomplss, a&-o troatod dIffsrontl7.
LIlwwlso, KO~O~BW Want7 with poprr;latloa e? aIastt-oI&ht
thousand, six huadro& and Ighb7-two inbabItaats Is tho onl7
oount7 aooordlag tho 1980 ?edsnl Oomus, ?allIa& within
tho bnokot aiaotpol&ht thauson& to aInot7-alno thouBan&.
In oountlor above till bda that pa ulatlon braokot osn&I&atss t ust * mndidatss for
are a~oorao& airr0Pm tnatmoat. Loglslaturo in Bill, lkture and YoLonasa lootloa Counties should. bo required to par ?l?t (#SO.OO) dollan to
the Want7 hooutlvo 0uamitt.o and oend dates I for the same o?- tloo rosldlng La ooPntio8 o? @water and loss population should
pa7 oa17 one (#LaOI &al&r Is p nt neither ?rtm tho statute nor aa valid mason w 9aa ooaoo vo* !-
.- ." Boaorablo A. 7. ErJOn, fr’r, -60 5
600 the nosnt oa8s of Ih Parts Iorgusoa ~13t 8. 1.
(ad) 408, whoroin the Courb of Criminal Appeals said1
~onoror, the olassI?IoatIoa soot td be
based men17 on the numbers o? poop10 In the various
oountIos 6Ot as to gor sos, o? physloal IB?IMtIss,
or in w other manner whioh would appear be a just masonablo basis for olassl?Ioatloa. Uo are not ua-
8Ia&?ul of the power a64 authorit o? the Loglslaturo
to olassl?7 ooordiag to popQst:oa,, but rush ~okssl-
?IoatIoa wet bo based oa re&mnablo &ZWI6&8 - mm
U??oronoo whioh boars a jwt and proper mntatloa to ttmpto4 olassISioatloa ‘dl aat a men-•rbltrw
solootIoa. Willou&b~ aa the OoastItutioa,- Vol. 8,
sea. 458 (1910 tditioa)r This boirq true, wo rail to
890 roasoaablo basis for the olnrdflsatloa Ia tho lnstaat 0180. Just whf the poop10 tn Lamar Uouaty tho poop108 of other oountlu talliag ulthin the population braoksts should be aooordsd
presoribe6 dlitomnt treatment to the pooplos o? nthor oountlos
o? this Stat0 Is apparent aolthor tic% Aet nor
frop the moor4 boron us.* it 1s the opinion of this dopartmnt Ooasoquontl~
-4 70~ aro rospo9tfuli7 avisoa that Art1010 Wgo, Varaoa’s
Annotated ditll gtatutos being Ii. 21. lOpb, Aate 1939, 4bth hooutivo Uarholttoo
3.06.. r0latia6 pamaonC8 $0 the Oouat for #t&to nprossntatIrr I n osrta$a aountlor
by oisbldatos
Is null and rold,,@kd same being rbpugaant to S8o. Bib of
Art1018 S of *ho #nrtItutloa OS Tous.
Tom tru17 yours ATTOI1poLT t.SNMtU Cl TEXAS I
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