~Horiorablk
ti.H. Weilb;dx&p‘&? 2.. (w-536)
that.an abolition of an office,la predicatedupon a legal order
by.the .apprdpriatkgovernln&.bodywhlch has.the authority to act
.onsuch matters.
Section 18 of,ArtfcleV of the Constftutlono,f'petis
provides 8s follpw8~: ' :,v;
., to time;,‘:for-~the
.&3?sve9ienaeof the’.pegple,Snto
...precfricts;.’
tiot,:‘$6a’e’than~~Potlr~:and~~ot.~~~
~than :.:
.elght. -~ivislone'~~.s~~lbe made.by the %omnls-.
~sionetis$our$ pr0v.ide.d~
for by tNs Constltutionl
‘In eich.~sUoh~p+e~c@ct~there shall Abeelected one,
1..~:justibe.-qf,.the’P’eac~~and.one Conetabld, each of ~,
:; ‘.‘..d$bm shalL hdld his af;iio@:fk.‘f61ir:yi%@rs~~and
..
’::‘.:‘I&& :~s.:rr~odee’e~~~‘.sb81~;
be,elected “4 qyli-
~f~+:~..%y~*.n
:_ , :’ . ‘-
‘+
,.
Tj& :.e&aer,:*d
:$$ -&z+*y .‘~&a1 !S &$n$one irat&- ”’
prat~f~i6,:pd~~~~iqp-.th%.:0d~~t~~~~on~~~~‘r~~sdly’~eld ‘.
that .the~~:C~~~.~~ !I+;t~..,~)~h?rity to ‘:inor?aB?R
de- 1~
‘CretiwL~cJa&@ge~.f;i$ep~e~j.pot~~bo+d&%er‘+ndabolish the office of
the’JUetii?k:of~%he P’aa~$~‘ahd.Gonstshle-
80 long aa there i?emaim
atelesat’.f~ur’j’-:~~t:~t~l’a~~e
t~;haneight:~suchoff&ass In the county.
:. I This .z%ght.,@t$e :~C~sBlone~B ..CqU?t’~~,j&q ?a ,exer$isedat ~kny
.’
time they ,a%*. been‘.“c?nvenient .for,
the.people”,tid~may~operate
td,dejptilve persotise)ected to those ‘positionsof any’right to
contlntie in ofrice or receive the emoluments theSeof. State v.
Rigsby,. S.W. ~271 (Tex.Clv.App.1897, error ref.); .E=. .~’
Townsend, 136 S.W..1143, 1145 (Tex.Clv.App.1911); Wi
312 Tex. 193,~247 C3.W~. ~263(1922). Brown v. Ileeks,’
:’ 839 ~(Tex.oiv.App. 1936 emor d1sm.j; Att0-y ,pnoral’ .
Q490,~ V:1032.,;adv-1a~8..
The.recent ca8e of Child&& C&My v.:'Sachee 316 .
. S,.W.Za-.li14;Yand
&f'flrmedin ~X~,S.!I~.~.~UO,was’decldedon faOtS
~di~t~8hablg~frok:thoB.e pre~sentedin your lettqm. In that
case.t&e~C&inissl6ne~s Court Changed the boundaries Of the cola-
~~~(&&%M,qpqrp~P~oixit$which,resulted.inplaoing’CommlsslonerSach(le’s
‘.,
.rqLlw in a proalnct diffqrent frolathat tb:.whlchhe W&B eqeat-
‘.~
-edi. l9mcciunbyJudge.proaptlydealwed a vaaanoy &nd appointed~.
.t~. ;
~~?~e~‘;Lnclioldual ~toeerve the re&ainder of Saahae’a tar& *0I?Fe’
8ued’tM.atiu@?tyaseking to:recover the salary of the offtoe,tar.
that part of~thr .kra.after his “maoval”. The;Court of Civil ~’
’ ‘Appeals’IIttlrmed for.Sachse~by.h6ld-
the Dltirict Cotit’s ~judgtient
lng’twf i+rrab nevqq ~legally-rewved. .??-I+~
Court, in Setting ~:
f&t.h.thefaots 6S ‘the.c&M,:,.statedaa folloirl:’ ,-
.‘.’
., ,. .
-: ,:
,.., : .. ‘:
.~
:. .:
B. H. Wellborn, page 3.
: '.~Hanorable (~~-536)
It
. Such order ,@f the CommlsslonersCourg
~dId,notpurport to remove appellee'from~hisoffice.
or attempt:to,abolIshappellee'a office or to create
a vaoancy therein:". : .II,(JimphasIa
burs)
.~.'~-~~After:
dIbhusssSJlg:khe
procedures and :requIs.Ites
of removal df
~'.:"
publI~-:officIdla.-from:offIce,~the~
Court:stated as ~follows:
.~_,”
,..,” ‘. ~?Abooz&ig.:to
.%& ‘re&rb .&fore ua a&. t&r
%iw +Sted-+iWn&ercn~~ other authorlt~eo,.~~It~
:clearly’appeari
,thatappellee, Sachse, was never
::.legaUyrqmoV@d~from,offl~?e;neither was his of-
'fIce:~le&llgT'vacatedor~abqllshed; .'. .*I
~h&e&s~:ouri$J :,
. .. . .
: ” .‘~ ~., ~I&a’.&& &.&n,~ the.&pmm (J.&e ,(a 3& s,u,2d
380) &~fked.the Sourt ~~Of.CIvIl
Appeals as fOllowsi
appllcatlon for writ.of error la re-
.':The
. qw4. No.revereiblee-or. We approvethe
.~ .~ .~.:-i.:hoJd@if'op:
thb~'CcWt of~ClvI1 Appeals that changes
." ~3,%pria?.not:'bound+rIe~~do not create a vacancy in
..:.. ':~
:..tZra~~'.~f~ice:'of
'CountyComqLssloneror deprive the ' ..
,..:~
.--;ineoabent.~Qf:~~the.rigM~
tq-hold office for the re-
: t :~mai&f$i’ ’even.thoii&hby rM80n
-0f~his.:t~erRI, of such
.; :~:I
~.~gh;bitgs',kiIs:reaidence
Is notewithin the precinat
pi * ;-,,+5'
I'a$iftied,." "
_.,. :. _'.
.'.
~:'XtK:~~~~
n&ed'.&at.the Couzt of~CfviZ Appeals In stat-
'~ing'th~~~~~~~td:.:~of,~the
'&ds6,.~.balled~
attention to the faaot.that
%hr~:':@246~:~¬ &i&t or vaaate the offiae lii
;to~~~bqlIih ~'
~.'.... ~estion;--:.%rapplJring~the law to thoee faots the .Courtaen-
.a~u~a'tKat'there~had:b~en no legal removal from office. How-
:, eVe.~;.-.th?y'.dId~:inot.stop ~wlth such a holding, but continued with
d$otull,'iaft,ezthe:semI-colon,to the .effeatthat a different
~..'#eiunilt:~.won&di:obtaIn
.~..~~ti$i&of~$he In the event of a legal abolition or vaca-
offioe+PThe-Supreme Court's opinion Is narrow06 to..:
.a~atatetiht;of ~thelaw rgth'regard to a change of boundaries '.
..'
'. kith.rlo:,~~dU&I~'q of ~the.approprIate result had there been 8. :
~:,....lQjiLl:.aWjlitWq or yaoatlon of the offioe; thus It left sttid- ;~,_
'ing tha;d%atuq otitho opinion of the Court of Civil Appeals.
If th%s .eari.'w&einterpreted to preclude the abolitionof an“,"
CiifIceiJ~iagthe.term for whlah an Indlvldual had been elaated;. .*'
the iesultwould conflict with the prdsent Amerlaan and Texas
.decIsionn;-aresqlt which, In the op$nIon of this office,. "
nfiltber'the-Court of Civil Appeals nbr the Supreme Court In-
:. t.qnded .:..to.-imply. ”.‘. .~;.
,.~
Hon6rable H. H. welidorn, page 4. (wW~-536) "' I%' -'
!4!)iegefor&consIdgrIqg'the 'Porego
o#in?,on:qf:$hId'6ffI~dg
that the.CoaPraisS~6nere~
any tIme,~f6r:t$e.mtivenlencq of the pgople, redI,stri$t the
Justice Pre~CIn&tsititonot ,lessthan four nor more than eight
and abolish the offices of thenJustice of the Peace ahd Con-
,+n those precincts In which
stable'.ar;d'~de~lare,,~them~.~a~~t,
the bouadar'les~dre'.altered.~~.~quch.eveqt,~the off.Ioials
elected to'these~posit.Io'ns-haveno ~furtherrlght:to contl!‘ue
.in'off.ice;or~&~w~
tbe'Ir"rralariea'...
~&vrcancy:.thqe occurpIng
Ii'.*hi?ti$~
pOS$ti&xii$%ll,:.auth@rlze~
:the.;Codmia~eIonera Cow to
appoI~~..'any,qtialir9ed:person
to fi1.l.auch.vacancy.
,i '....~
,'~
:~. -TornI.