3 5833
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I
@ .
1I OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
gpaorablo Horton YOX
mty Atta raoy
~stono county
,&oorbeok, TOXaB
‘par ar:
0
nst
r,
as
subscrpueatto ~a14 data.
The QUOStlOA 10: mat Is thr duty or tlm
count attorney tatior th8 rboro sthte or raots,
arsuA!ng full poor may be -60 thsreor? IA
other uords, as stated in rour lottrr, lIr It
7
i 584
the duty and 18 the oounty aLtortap authorized to
file ruit for the oounty uader the rtatement of
racts In tb lboVo oa8889- ~bJ.8rould ontall
aOtiOn8l ( 1 l
)g d A8tthe rOIKWt OOUIItyOO~UE~~-
rionerj (8) hi8 bondraent (3) the party reoelylng
th0 rO6d 8Orawr Mid thO80 reO'3iYiu ths SWViO~8
alluded to lboVo.
I.A your lrttrr you rarer to AMold S39, nori
~iVi1 YtstUt8S or T0Xa8 198b, am2 to the oaee8'of Bexar
&wnty Y* lMt1r (!rox.&. bpp ., writ rrlueed) and Looscan~
V. narrlr bounty (To& YUprbM ct.), 58 2%~. bll. rrhllryou
& 5ot expresr my ooaolusloa u&on the law, you corrsotly
point out, that ar.aounty wmalr8loner, the party rorerred
to wad not lntrurted rd th the oolleotlon or safe kxwplng or
uxy pub110 tullds. YOU 8180 Ob8WV8 that the fol’mer OOmfdS-
8iOmr 18 no 105gor 8n 0rric02, but a(lhl8 term lxplred, he
fitlr84 rroa 0rri00.
The gs~tal authority Of a oount attormy, lnso-
f8r a6 OiYil .SOtlOt8aE8 OODO8rLle4,18 der fV84 rSOm the Con-
<utlon an4 8tatUtO8 lnaoted by the legislature. Th8 Con-
#tltUtiOM1 8tipUl.¶tiO5 atpear8 a11Art1010 5, @Or el, Con-
8titUthI Or TW8t
W3Oa 81, A OOUDty 8ttOl’Ji8J, fOf OOU5ti88’
15 rhleh thme 1s AOt a r8Bident orlAlAa1 dlstriot
8ttirnay, 8ha11 bo lleotod by tbr qualified Voter8
o r l8Oh oounty, who 8hall be oosaioslo~ed by th8
Governor, and hold hl8 OtflOo for th8 torn of two
year8. IA oa88 or v8oonoy t&8 oomcilr~loners~
COtAPtOr fih0OOtIAtY8hfAllbV0 po*Or t0 lp OiAt
a oounty attornev until tbr oat mnaral 0P rotion.
l'h8 00&y attorbyr 8hall r8pT8Dellt tho Stat.0iA
all oa808 in the Urstrlat nnd inferior oourt8 lm
%kdlr r48AWOtlY8 8OUntlO8i but If t aai
'be lcolua8d lo.a airtrloG in whloha%$iuihki beA
a dlstrlot attormy, the nrprotlrr dutiler0r dls-
triot nttOrJl~y8and OOlUIty6ttOr5e 8 8ba11 itI such
aouathr br rogulatod by ‘tie LAgi8 f atune The
Legirlatun may prerlde Sor the *lootion or dlr-
trlot attorney8 in ruch dlrttlotr, aI My bo deomod
58OllM? an4 make ~rorlrlon ror the OOApOQ8atlOA
or dlatr 1' qt attornoyr, am.3 oounty attorney81 pro-
Vldrd, d~rtrlot lttQrAOy8 rhall rsaaln 95 annual
i
f 585
.’
,r&rorsblo Horton lox, Iago S
t - salary Oc flrr hundred dollarr, to bo paid by tho
: Stat8, sDf 8UOh re88, 00f&8i1i0al Md QOTQUhit@8
a8 my bo ptovldod b law. County attorory8 shall
reaelrr 68 oolap8n8at I 05 only suoh CO88 eomlr-
8lOn8 and perquisite8 a8 may bo presor 1bed by law.*
(gCQha818 OU8)
ThO 8tAtUtO8 gOV&WiOg 6OUllt9 6ttOlWy8 gOD.tily
aad provldl ror tholr dutlor *co 005talne4 in Tltl8 16,
gevlmd clti7 Stat titer, 19x6, lrrtiOl.8 SL?9*341. Artialo 3%
ifitbo Only on8 tithb tho Tltlo doom4 at allin point on
your guestlon, an4 It road8 a8 rOuOW8;
*i&D it ah811 OO@U t0 t&O kt&~~iOdgoOf &By
dlrtrlot or oounty lttQrnq that any cfrloor in
hlr dlrtrlct or‘ county lntru8tod with th8 oolloo-
tiO5 OF 8a58 ks8&55 Of My pUbll0 fUd8 18 iA
nny manner what8o8vor nag.leotlng or abu815g tbo
trust aoniided in h&a, or in a4 way falling to
dliichargohi8 duthr Ud8r tb8 law, ha 8ba11 in-
stitute mob prooo~dialf8 68 &re noooeoary to eon-
ye1 the periormanoo of suoh dutie8 b .suoh Of-tloer
and to proserye and ?roteot the pub1'I'o lntore8to.*
In the oaoo oi Boxar County 1. Davis (Tea Clr.
&BP*, writ rsfU8Od) ( 8upra. It la ap~olrloally held that a
wunty judge 1s not 8UOh lE Offloor a8 18 lo ntr ur ted nIth th0
oullsotlon or 88r0 Lospine or any pub110 rumwe IA t&8
O&U00 Or thr O&dD.iOB tb WWt tuTtb8I' 86 8 BO Oth8T pIO&OC
Of th0 OOmPPiStdOWT8' OOlLrt 18 ruoh 65 Oiii oo?* The mai
holdl5g lo Uw 68%~ 18 tht thr statuto quoted doer not lKP
powor a distrlat attorney ts bring aa action agalnat a oou5ty
joago ror money lpproprlatod a8 mlary from oounty rtUbd8 in
the keoplag or tbo 0oPnty troasunr, but that lt boor lmp o vo r
an6 8uthorlw mlt 8galnst the o0unty traasumr, lrrorp~otlvr
or approval or osn8Ont by th8 OOld88iOIl8r8' oomt.
ifhllo other pr0~18105s 0r th8 00a0 authorlu rult
by t&n oounty attomoy OA bshalf of tha oouaty ln ~rttoular
aawa, a8 rer l se~11p10kr%lalo 4716, 8.F.S.. (da5uger to pub-
110 Mads), vo have berc unable to ilad' loltla l utkorlty
or dAreet10n ror th8 brlaging or 01~11 8s ts or th8 aatuw
here involved. Under authority or Beur Cows;y vm Datlr,
lupra, Ldmondwn 1. Cumlagr (TOG Clv. App.), 808 SD 6. c&8,
Waler v. 8tato (Nx. clv. App,), X41 8. Fe BJA, and Ohloa~o,
586
f. & G* ay. co* T* 3tate hx. Clr* Appw
), 864 s* C*
are or the opinion that the oouaty attornoy ir not
t*uged~0 91th
‘q,
the 4uty of lnatltutlag 8uitr of tb oharaotor
p mantlon.
IASlinOc dO 1 .O c
Cudngr, lpra, it 18 the holUng
)b6b Khere no statute (ilreraounty or dL8trlet attormy8 thr
pmt to xue in b4bdZ of a 00unty, th4 oomdr8iolurr~ oowt
,uno ha8 th4 right to betemlne *hethor a wit rh4U ba
btought* The oa(18of &OM~Q to llarrlr, olted by you, au ra,
im &l-n a* 8utbcr$ty for th8 holding of the Oourt 0r ci vi 1
up4al8.
In x+ler v. State it is plainly seid tkt aounty
attorneys *o&c br& no suit iOr or In the na1peor thu county
&asr acthorisbd #o to do by mue ot6tuk or 1)0tlw1ordar of
the obUuX$MiOMM' BOUSt."
re, therefore, edrlw you that in our oplnlon, In
70 do think you could In a11 proprloty reyremot
the oounty In auoh suitr, upon the authority of the cmmlr-
d0110rB' 00~2~tOr YOU eOUnty@ LOOboM v. li4mle, &7UFmj
(Tax. Cir. OP.), 40 3. ii',
c:i*.App.) 839 3. a. sol,
V. chu,ma~, 114 Tax*
87633, LG.1115. that you (Ireuadsr 1
&116;ation to reDre6eut tbo 00 , rlthbugb m;uestea t
Ei co5a18BomrbT court Cl ty mt lonal 8ani v.
t r;ouaty To% Gif. A&) , as 3. x* 778 at p* WV,, it
410
1s s&l, *rhefl a no rtatute in t&l8 attta crklng it tha
duty Of the OOUlltp 4t:OrIMly to IW~MMDt th. WiWlty iA 6Uit8
ltfeotlw It@ inNreat*.*
If ths Oo5zi1?riOlieT8~ sourt 6bOu~d &aOa an order
ruthorlzing and direotiag olrll ruits based UpOA faotr stated
by ycu, it Wuld bs l MtteI Ol OOntraOt by and b@tKOOA
ad the ooml8rlbner8’ lOwt, to d8hralm the
y w lbould rroelve ror your renlc*r. The
oourt Kould bars the lutborlty to employ you or other rounael
t0 your ezoluaion, rnb t0 pay 6 rbasbrnble few ior euah MFI-
1008. G+ilona %o. O-3599, d-M86 sod Coahrenoe Opinion
Bb. 2673 (Beport bf AttbrImy Gbnrral, 19&M-19m, 00 era) Or
this dspartmct so hold.
587
gonorable Rwton BOX, kwe 6
~11 Of the foregoing 10 rertrioted to olril rulta
for a-don behalf Or your oounty. or ooureo, your duty ir
ols6r to promoute fully In aooordanoe with the protlrlonr
of applioable 8tatUtoB Oont6iBld in the kenal Godo and th#
co40 Of Criadnal JroQ8dur0, In the oror& or any orla.i~l oaes
rrising out of the iaote r816tml by you,
four8 wry truly
BT
4 Benjamin ~oo6all
Aamlstant
Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion
Combined Opinion