Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

~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.