OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS'
AUSTIN
Eonora~e L. P. smallin
Asr3atarh8 OcmntyAuditor
e&i8r~oounty
S&20, Texas
out. ot the otnulty,
edbre and by whom
ssor ~appdnted?
aboveQw4tIon mill
rifff6 Jri W6 818Oted COUnty
County and served for the year
the latter part of 1942. w66
t oppoai,bionfor,a 66oond term.
,.. but.before the general efeo-
and entered Govern-
11a6 !i'eE(Llt,
8 ap&bOilld hi6 6UO@686oT~ b&Or6
leeviqg, and refusea to tssigm without the a66ur-
an08 that his oholoo ~666ire the ,aWfntmeat.
!fh%sa66uranoo has not been given and hi6 apgointee
1s aotiiag 5.nthat oapaoitiy,
"The cOEld66iOll8C3 (%xmt asked ms to get pOW
Opifk~Wla8 t0 the 18igdlity Of tili66&UWiJltlaemt,
485
486
%b68&lO8 oilbW%lW66 Of th8 stat0
Or Of the
United statme,6hal.lnot tarrestaZ'8bddellO8
on00
Obtaind, 80 as to doprlte any one of the right O?
6uffP6438,Or Of beIn$ OhOtOd Or appointed to any
~t~~~~r the exoeptiona oontaI&ed In thie Goa-
6~8tlon 4, Artbl.8 16, of th8 State Oonatitotlon
pZOTid86i
*All ol+ll offlOer8 ahall reside dthfn the
6ttlt8fand a df6tI'iOtOr 08UUty OfflOOr within
th8iT di8triOt#of OOUtktiO6,Md 6hhallkeep their
offion at 6uoh plao86 a8.w be repaired by law;
and-fa%luro to ooqly dth tL s oondltion &all
raoate.'thooffloo so hold."
With IF8forbWe to Seotion 14, Art1010 16 of the
%6t8~&%l6tItilti6u, it IS 6tat8d in th0 0680 Of Bafingor et
aI* Vi'.Jtank@,,299. w. 2fqt
:. ". . . phi6
prO~16fQll Of th0 0066~tUtiOll, in
110~'fEe
as itsrelatsa to the phO8 of roi?&leno8of
th6 88VOZR1 Otat8, eli6tdOt, f3ild OOWlty OffiO6l.6,
ir rdlr-enaotl
i tl9n t9 put it
n og the oonatltution
Is oxpresa in d8olariDg
t Wwty Offloer6 shall roeId within their
adonti86. m6 prcoTi6iOn.ovideBtlJQOfi66that th8
66uuty mentiawd irrthe oounty inrhioh the ottIo6r
M 618@t6d& %%6~ ?O~OWS the d86&W6tiOn, in of-
feet that the f6ilUre to 60 rOSid8 in eaid 00tWy
ehali raeate the Offi08s The oonetittrtionIs ox-
pm68 upon thI6 point. It deol6are6,in 8ff8Ot,
thnt ramare to rith it6 term with rofor-
@We t0 rOaid8IiO8W btiag about a taaanoy in
th8 Off$OO. If (1l1OffiO8r remof from thb OOollIlty,
aad estabXi6hor a ro6idenoo elemhore, this Is a
feet that, by roamu of the ~pmvialon of the oonsti-
tution quoted oaoates tho offioe to whloh he wa6
8186t6d and $0 nhi6h he ha6 qu6lIfIod. If th6
mawal exists, and it I8 pannanent In oharaotor,
the oonatltutlon deolaras that a vaoanoy oooura.
ff.,68 a faot, a vaoanoy has ooourred, rr00r what-
aver oauee It may arlae, the oommIsaIoners~ court
f
t
487
ftwth8rWtW Of the pU?&iO tatO?96t. The 6w8t6.
‘eiolwi’ ,wta+hovQ not the mthwlty to fudlo~
detamlne a rl&t (pfone to an ofiiua, or to re-
now a legally qurziiI6d offSoar from hiu offloo,
lbr the $wi86iatton in.bhir matt6r Uor,wltUn
th6 MmaBivt, ob(psblMe6 air th6 al*triot oourt~
me owwur 4 thh 0880 that sets up the Judg-
nent of W oonmias~onep3~ oabrt drolsrbg that
tJ& apprll66 had vaoatodhisi.offioo preeohtsno
yaltd gr'legal dofon6o, 66 that oagrt had no juri6-
diotion ta adfudloato thle,q,mzsstfon,esoept In $0
far a6 it rPa,yh%W b88Il WOOEWJPY t0 60 iat this
faot in ardor for the oowt to aatlefyItself that
a o~oimstanoa~ had,arisen the@ authorI68d or re-
&red it to appoint 88 offloor to an offfoe they
were reqpsred to fill, If a vaoaaoy in faot oxldstod.
But the anmar.inavemiag the faotthat the ap-
WlQO @d ZWOV84 iron the OOUUty Of hy8tt0, and
had,thinby vaostodhis amoe, and tint the court,
upbo that fast had~leg@lyamoInted th8 t%PPOllad
m-et; and bt he had duly quallfled as auoh
ap of&e* ~pro00ntOd00 ieaue Of faot, If true,
‘hi ehro Pii
w d h6V8 a?&hoZ'iadlthe OOPrt to ap&ht
m to the,offioe, and ah&oh would author168 him
&J r&bdmaud hold it oga46t th8 olaIa6 OS am8llee.
The a&t&n of tb6 66~66iOm3@8’ ooUrt In appoint-
the @p-mat la t0 be detrraain6d by tha thsn 8xi6b
aad if thy .OhOwthat the app8l188 hod
y rWWV8d fmm the wwty, then a va68IIOy
m&t8d,~ 6nd tlm oourt had authority to fill it
by a8 appointabnt of Ehlfagor. The amber in this
ro6peot pr668nted an f6SUS or faot, and the Ql66tIon
to be d~~xq&n& ?rOm th868 tWWUi%Ut%fa, had the
appalls* raro*edf~atho~aetmty? If al8 ll66
txul, a teoeaoy &IIthe offloe rosultod by virtue
of %h8 ShOtbn Of the OOIiIBkihItiOn dfaoU66e6, and
it bsoamo tlm duty of the.00ami68:01~~m' oourt to
fU1 the vaoanoyl~The quortton of vaeanoy,in the
iUab$ $6 6&e Of ?Wt U Wt!808 under thie provi..
d9n.Of t!k'69n6~dfon~ 66d, if +hi6 ib~@%6 66
a faot, appdJ.86~ Rank& shorn no tight t4 the
0ff206, *.+"
~th8r9ieaWWUkoJt inthe oiiiticb CormtJAt
ttw fhmd66hn%m~ Courtia.authorIzod and It is ltr
~ZC 2, appolat 8 8Uooe8eOF to suoh ofiloe, Hovi%ver,thi
quetitfonof VlroeaOr,@ thhome&n, is 008,of faot, as adsas
mdor Bs~tlon 4, Artiole 16, of the CtitItutIon.
YOW6~V~t~ '
&i.4?hYO&
APPROV-XE~Y 20, 19% Ardexl~~
A66i6tut