OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Honorable Bon S. Peek
bmpbrinterdrnt
WC0 &am How
li800,teur
Dear Sir:
.: . ; . :. : _.j ,
. . .
your aneuer to que8tion NO.
ld cannot be released, can a Me-
on a dependenq and
child to be re-
the Court having
Orh3iPel jurisdiction? Question X0. 2 is raised to
cover the came uhere the pareatr h8re rinc8 moved
to another oounty ld now are lttePlpting to bring
8Uch a proceeding through a renldent of the OOWA-
ty in order to have Court order the child released
enc? &laced in their custod.;r.
Honorable Ben S. Peek, page 2
‘3. A88uaing the feet8 to be the 8eme 8s in
- question lo. 2, but that the 8ppllcatlon is made 5,
8 vrlt Of hsbeas corpu8, ln8te8d of dependency and
neglect proceedinggs, oould the Court in the 8econd
aouuty effect th8 releare of the child ii it deemed
it to bo for the child*8 best inter88t8, even though
the original Dl8trlCt Court on Depend8may and Beg-
lect had Qommitt8d the ahild to thlr lo8titutlon
‘until Surther order8 OS the Court’?
‘4. Amsumiagthe ohlld v88 ooeritted tuatil
further order8 of the Court@, oould the Superln-
tendent and the State Board oi Control place such
ehlld, out Sor adoption end vould the conseat of the
Court oommlttlng the child to thlr laetltution be
-aDmD;88”y Inlditio nto that OS tb b 8uperinterrd-
“_
.‘
!‘5. -Would‘he .&o&se& OS the parent or per-
ent8 OS. 8Uoh child ‘p&oed for adoption urrder th8
oondltlona 8pe~lfied lu Quertloa No. 4 be required
before the ddoption could be properly conaummeted?”
.
The genkral kle IS t&t juiirdict~on hart& ittach-
ad on the filing of a ,8ult, it caauot be taken avay or 8rrest-
ed by rubrequeat proceedings In another court. ‘the juri8dio-
tlon of a court once loqulre~ oaaaot be destroyed, dlmlnlrhed,
or rruspended by any one OS ,the partlee bringing 8a 8ctlQn in
another court, and any Judgment or order of the 18tter court
18 void ro~far es,lt coafllcts vlth any Judgment or order of
the court first acqulrlng it, Clovelend v. Ward, (Sup. Ct. 1926)
285 s. u. 1063.
Artlde 2335 states that vhere a “child sh81l be
found to be a dependent or ne lected child” that, such child,
thou& its “care end custody f shell be committed to) any suit-
able-person or any suitable-institution . . . (shali be) . . .
subject to at all times to the order of-the court.” (Paren-
thetical insertion and emphasis ours)
Nov Article2337, es emended Acts 1943, 48th Legis-
lature, page 300,chapter 194, j 1, vlth reference to the par-
ent’s or guardian’s llablllt~ to rupport of an 8dJudged de-
pendent or neglected child “uhether or not the child ia com-
mitted to the custody of his own parent or guardian, or whether
Lionorable Ben 3. Peek, page 3
to ini other person, agency, or InstlWtloa' FrovlCes that:
"fhe court 8hnll have power and authority to alter or chewe
such judgmentr, or suspend the 8ame,' a8 subsequent condl-
tlona or clrcum8tanoer varraat.
'The graeral control, wm8gewat aad dlrec-
tioo or th8 aHaIrs, propmty ludbU8ti88 of (the
Sta te’8
lleemO8Jlrary) in8titUtiOll8 18 verted In
the State Board OS Control.' Artlelo 3174. (Par-
lathetieal lnrertl?n our8)
Seotlon2 of Artlola 3259 provider that:
"HO child 8h11 be di8mi88td frol'the Ma00
Scat8 How Pot11 8OW rultable homwhar been found
for it,. Mu it b8 b.COw 8Olt-8tIJQO~tilt& hod Odly
th8n upon the written recommendation8 oi.tln 8upeE-
lnt8adoat -to.th8 btrte,Board'or' Control,. or” vh8n i~~~
~..
any uard’camaittt~ to raid Hamab8 beoow wrr,ibd ..
rlth tbo ton8ont of the Board aad tuptrinttadtat.
Cbllbrtu 8my b placed iOr adoption 0aly la-home8
approved by the DlVi8lOn Of Child welf8r8, State
Daptrtwut of~Publlc Welfare. . . .(I
'o+tlliid'in
ThiprOkQdUrt Seation 2 of irtlale 3259,
8upra, pertaining
to the rtlea8t of a child from your home 18,
in our oplnl~n, an lddltlonal requirement and doe8 not do avey
vlth the necrrslty of the consent of the comittlng court.
We aasver your flirt question, *HO.' The child cad-
not be relee8ed vlthout the approval of the committing court.
k't als:, 8nSVtC your second end third qutstizms, "KD.'
The consent of the comlttlag court must be obtelntC3, ualezs
the Jud&mtnt of comzltcel Is vold.
hs ta rsur fourth question: IC Is our 5~inLon til:t
t5r present eCo~tion Statutea, Article Ma, + t+ Ccpezc‘c;‘.t
azid ntgltctt~ chllCrtn statutes, kirtlcles .?330ta 2337, end
nrtlcle 3259 rtletlag to the &co S;att Rome should be rteA and
construed together. Under Section 3 of Article 468, Vernon’s
Annotated Revlstd Statutes, It is 8peClflCRlly provided that the
Court shall not great a petition for adoption until the chll5
has lived in the Hoxe cf the petltlmer for 8 pzrloC -f six
maths, vlth certain corixr! excc~tlx-3. Section 2 of brtlc3,F
noaor8bla Ben 3. Peek, pge 4
3259, Rmrl88d Civil btatuttr, provide8
tb8t "Children pltced
In the Yaco 3t8t8 Home m8y be pl8crd fo r ldoptloa on17 la
home8 approved by the Dlvl8lon oi Child Welfare, State Depart-
ment of Public Welfare.' Uh8a the above rtatut88 art construed
togother it 18 OUCopinion thtt it 18 not Mctrury to&ala
the aollrrntOS the aommittlng oowt before the ohlld 18 placed
la a hou on trial, So adoptloa.
The lM ver to our iiith qU88tioli 18, "MO." Artlalo
468, tiCtiOll 6, 18 t8 i0 I 1OV8:
%XCept a8 othervlre 8pMifird In thL8 StC-
tloa, ao adoption 8hall be permltted rxcept vlth
the vrltteo content of the living prenttr of the
ohlld. Ia the Ot88 Of l Ohi& iOUPt.dB ttF8 Of
8ga or ov8r, the eotmbnt of~,ruCh ohild aI,0 @hall ~'
bo roqulrod and 8u8t br .glvtn In vrltlng 1Cthv :
ted oalr ‘on aoostnt of the Sup8rlntead8nt or the j
Homa or bahool, OF of the indirldual‘to vhom the-,;,
ewe, custody or guardlanclhlp Of 8uCh ohlld &a8
been trawftrred by a Juvonllt Court or other Court
of Competent Jurlrdiatlon. In cart of a ohlld not ._
born in l~vful vedlock the conrent of the hthrr
rhall not be atce88ary.” (Empharlr ourr)
The cam of titthevr v. Whlttlo, (C.A. 1941) 149 S.Y.
(26) 601, Is directly in point, holding e i8Ct 8itURtiOn
ruch 88 you de8crlb8 that the *renta’ %rittra consent ves
unneceasery." (?rge 603)
Trusting that the foregoing fully ensvers your in-
qulry, u9 are
Very truly yours
j.,,
_ ..<’ David Xuntch
ii33lstant