Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

451 OFFICE OF THE ATI-ORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN OROVERSELLERS A.ITORNCY GLNLRAL iionor8blr Olaud. I@kll soontary of stat. Auatb) Tour Attantlonr Mr. fiator C. P1.?040. Iiora auallfird,lut who ir 8 Yo ur 1ott.r OS Km a u r tlna th o o~inlon of thir lr, aI iollwr: 18 County, but la not l 1 DlOtriOt AttOrriOJ’8 Off100 8tating lglblr to boom l notary. Will you ~lorrr rdrlao thio oftloe whether a porron, othwwlu ~ualifird, but who lr not l sltl- un ot the United stator, nay bo lp p o lnteb notary publlo? 'If one Lnurt be a oitlun before he oau secure ruoh rppolntclent, rould it be aufficlent if he bar taker out hia firat ppere'rm 452 ’ . HonOrObl. Cloud. Iabrll, me. 2 8a0ti0n 26, Isti0i0 b 0r th0 sot0 conotitution 10 in part, aa foAl0wa1 Vho seoratrry of 3tat0 lMl1 appoint a ooze ranlont nrubor or tiotarioa Pub110 fo rlaoh oounty who rhau mwh autior aa Pow a?. or say r io a l bo pro&or1r ld bl law. Tho quallriootlonoor Notarloa Publlo ahall br proaorlbod by later %otlon 2 of hrtlalo 59&O,Vornon’a Amotakd civil dtatutar lr, aa toll0uOc "TO k l~i(ibh for lpp4irPtunt 00 Notary Eubllo for a oounty, a praon ahall br at loaat twantpaao ( 3 1 yaara of ago, lrrd a raaldont of the oounw rot whloh ho la lppolntodt protibo4, that wb8ra aaoh Non nai4ar rlthln tb lidI t o o rr a d lityJ, towao?r~la@aleoded Oflupia int8@o o unt 081 rp: a a iap a r oYu b elp Qo lJlto ~ Potmy Publio for lltha& oi no i oountla~, but lnll bo lothoriud to lot oal~ lo tbo oounty fo rwh io rhuo l hp g o lntmo & ama a tde.. A notaq to a pub110 otfioor. The oAlglblUsy of paraonr to be nOtark publio ia la?-4 n~ulotad bl eon- ltltutlonal or statutory prorlal0n0,~ (rut. Jur. Vol. 39, P. WI oanrnl4 rJmaklng,al&lbilitg te l rti00 klorrga lquoll~ Co lU prraona not •~011U04 br tho oonatitutlon or otatutar and not lxolu8lro4 o r lpoolSlo414 to pareone lnjoylng the right of 8ulfPqp. Tha LogiUaturo may not ohange or rdd to ~uOiiri0oti0n0 r0r 0rfi00, nor take 0~0~ di0quOliri0oti0n0, that are prerorlbrd by the conrtltutloa. The Conmtltutlon oi 1865, Art1010 3, sootion 14, provided that A0 perron rhould be llleible to My OSfioO who ber no t l rrglrterrd rotor of the StatO, but thoro lr no luoh proolrlon in the preoent oonrtltution. lst0ur0rr v. btatts 15 3. iy‘. 1100, 12 L. a. A. 364; tiarknadbr V. state 33 S, h. 117, Tex. Jur. Vol. 34, pe6.e 341) It la rtetad lr, tirlobn Jurlsprudrzioe, Vol. 42, pace 9071 453 Honorabla Claudr Iabell, par.0 3 -To hold a publlo offloa, One rurt ba lllglbla and poaaaao the ~uallfloatlona pnooribed by law, and an llrotlon or lppolntiaant to 0rfi00 of 0 per- eon who la lnallglbla or unquallflod glraa him no right to hold tho offlao. It la iropuontl9 a014 that mloor lxolud.6 tharaSr.m by mee &6aA (Ilr-. puaUfloatlon, 0U paraooa arm norm04 a ndlquall9 lllglbl8 to pub110 Offlao, that 10 CO layc lag014 quallflodSor of floa.~ It lr furthar rtato& ln liurloam Jurlaprudonoo, Vol. b2* pa?3 9171 ~Allana onjoy uay of the rlghta of oltlswia and on tho other hand, labor undrr oortaln dla- lb iiltlor. Thm9 lro not lll~lbla to wbllo ofilo, unlora tb prlrllaga la lrtandall to tha8 by atatuto a nda m r o r y o fta l axrludod thawtram by ooaatl- totlonalor ltatakaory rotimiona rhlohnrtrlot to llookra or tot&a La right to hold ofiloa or rhlah makoa oltlraarhlp a lon~ltlon of old- blU&y to offlw." It lr rtatad ln Oorpua Jurla Vol. 46, page 938; 'Citl~OnOhlp, llthOugh WUOl4 lXp~OOl9 raqulnd llthor by the oonatltutlon or ltatutea, rotid lou, in the lbaonoa of auah nqulmawzt, not ta bo a naoa8wry ~uallilratlon ior offlo*, but it hoe wmtlaar boon hold that it lo a naaaaaary quallfleaUon for llaotlro 0friw oven ln tho lb a o no aof a ronatltutlonal or ltatutory prorlalon to that lit0ot.~ It will 00 not&d that Seotlfxi 26, Artlolo b Of t2a Ztata conrtltutlon provider that -Oha quallrioatlon of notaarlea publir rhall bo prorotlbad by law.” U prerorlbinc the quallfioatlorr for notarlor publlo, the Leglrlaturo yro- ride4 that to be eligible for rppointmsnt a8 notary publlo for any county, a perroo ah811 be at leart twenty-one (21) yeara of ago, and a rcrldent of tne oounty ror whlo2 ho 18 s>polnted; prorldod thst where suoh parson reridar within the lisitr of luy lnoorporatod olty, town or rlUago looa ted in two oountloa, arid per&on may br a pointed notary pub110 for rlther of ruoh oountleB, but ah81P k authorized to not only in the oounty for rhloh ruoh rgpolntnant la aade. The rtrtuto (Alt. 59b9) dour not roqulro tuat * per- 8on must be 8 olti8.n to k rll~lblo for rppohitlount II a no trry publio. Tha rtatutr m