When 00dttOa upon M offioar in the lawful disoherge of the duties of his aiiioe, ii It 16 known or deolared to the ofrmhw that the person assaulted ~186 en offloer disoherging en oftlolel duty."

Moat of the coeea that have been filed un- der this statute hr:oe involved e peace offioor dis- oharglng hia offfoiel dut l!har(l'ie, however no rs2gnrent renoon for limit f ' x the ai)pli.oatlo~ ai this statute to penoe officers. The lenyap of th0 6t&ute *an orfloer in the lawful Aiaohhrge of the dutie6 of his offioe* :6 very &enaral. In SAX&X 4513 the tollowing langua&e vu. STAri 2 trim. Re wins ueed h interpret ngthf6 statute: f ’ 99x3 ten3 include6 all persons legally authorized to parform publio duties.*

It is neoensnry then to derins the tern ~offioer" and me if a Codnty Commissioner w.0~16 ooms nlthln thle da~inltlon. In the oose of the CO~&ZSS~ONF.XS CO-m OF LIXESTONE CVm, et al V6. OARRLTT, aS6 S. W. 910, a Comlssion of Appeal8 case adopted by the Supreme Court of Texee, the meaning oi the noffioerw waa discucsed In,the follow- iax manner:

*The most lm;;ortant oharaoteriatlo w!iioh dl8tlngulaha6 an oftios. from an umploymmt or oontmot is that th8 oroation and oon- ierring of an offloc1 involve6 a delmatlon to the individual at come oi the 6oVereeign funotlone of government to be exeroised by him for the bansfit ai &e publlqs thet portion or the 6overelgnty of the ooun- ,slther leljislatim, e%eOUtfWJ or jtii- ror the time being to be LOX ihe public bmetl* * * * **Publie ofrioe i6 tM right, authority, an& duty orated and oonferred by law bp *3 Bon. Thcamas A. Pntaat, page 3

whloh, for a given period either fix& by law or sndurlng at the plej:sure & the oraating~pcn6ir an individual is lnwated with home aortlon of the sovereign funo- tlon6 of the SoYermuont to ba exaroised bp him for the beneftt or the Publid.' The of this daflnition La nowhere oorreotnem questioned, so far a.5 :';a kn9w, ~2nd it is uoaleos to bda supportdq3 aMWn3.tfes.

lpllbr~ugh v. Born6tt, 93 Tex. 310, 55 84.

. U.

"A man is not the less a publio o?fi- oer wbera Ns autkorit is confined to it f 8 the duty df hi6 namOW limita; for offloa and tha natura of that duty w:iloh mike him an and not the extent of y~ut"~orlty. E%ohemr on Fublia Officers,

!l?ha pertinent part of Artlolb 8, Seotion lS cd' tha Coaetltutlon of Taxas read8 aa foll6war

7iaoh county shall in like manner b% airiaad into four aomm.is6loner6* preoinots in eaoh of nliloh thare shatl be alacted by tha qualifisd voter6 thereof one oountg ocmnnis~&oner, who shall hold his office for two years and until his mooeesor shall be alsotad and qllaliflsd. The aounty OclmniS- sionsrs 80 ohosen, with tha oountp judge, a.8 pE66iding offloer, ahallOompOs6 the County CommleslcaIers Court, whioh shall 6x- eraiau attach powers and jurlediatlon over all county bUSin886, can6ltiution and the law6 of the State, or ^[06] OonfeITed i6 th.i.8 by a6 may be hereaftar praaoribed.*

mrbher, in Title 44 of the ReYiRed Olvll Statutar 6f Texas, ws find speoifio powers delegated to th6 Oacm.i66icmers aburb. An oath and 8 bon6 am alao raqulred of them.

E(on. Thme A. Wheat, Pnpnge 4

ft wcluld mm clear then thet a County Ccn- missloner would be oomidered m officer I)R defined by the Supreti Court in Cocnniaslonere Court or Lime- stone County VS. Osrrett, t3upl%ir

You are therefore re8geotfiUp advised that a County Conmissioner doea a&e within the meaning of the *officer* ci8 used in subdiolstor? 1, Arti- cle 1147, Vernon’s Annotxtcd CrUinal St&&as.

BP

Fmderik 8. fsely Assistant /a/ @mild C. Mmn

ATTOmGmEML GI1"l'EXAS