OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Honorable Oallan Graham
DietricotAttorney
Junetion, Texas
Dear Sir;
Your letter of Fob
opinion of tbie dagortmont
in part am followat
“I would like to
whether or no
h,of offios and it
'the Seoretary of
e reelgned from the,'
1939, W. 0. Jaokrroh
Judge Jaakeon'
ondtutlon, Art. 18, Si3otidn’2T(,‘&d
Art. 6, Section 20; aa comkuad by the Court of,
civil Appsals in the ~RDO of Niake ~0, Curl, et
al, 86 8. IV, 368, provfdeo that the oleotlon of
vi. c. Jaoknon in 1940 w.m to fill the unorplred
term OS Judge Montague, and a8 I understand that
Honorable Callan Graham, Page 2
deoleion it will be neaeaeary at the Novspn-
bsr election 1942 to sleet a Judge of the
112th Judicial Dietriot,
*The above deolefon, 60 far aa I harr
barn able to find, is the only one on thle
question and hae never been cited in any
other aa6e.*
ArticY.e19, Vernon’e Annotatsd Ulvil~Statuter, pro-
vidor t
*All racanolee fn State or district offloes,
-eereeptmembers of the Legislature, rhall b,q
tilled unleee othemies provided by law by
appointment of the Covsrnor, whioh appointment,
if made during ite oession, shall be with ths
advios and OOtWOAt of two-third@ of the Senata
pr~eIdalAt. It made duriw the reocleiof the'
Senate, the said appointee, or 18omoother per-
BOA to fill.suoh vaoandy, shall bs nonhated
to the Senate during the first ten days ,of
ite rseeion. ,xr rejsoted, said 0fri0e shall
immedlatslp~beoome vaoant, and the Owsrndr
rhall, without delay, make further nomfnatlk&s
until a oonfirmation takes pla6@. ~%ut,tahould
there be no'oonfirmation during thd see&on
ai the Senate, tha,Governor shall Aot'thsre-
after appoint aAy person to fill suoh VaOanQp,,
who hae been rejeoted by the Senatsl but may
appoint some other psreon to fill the vuca~a~
until the next eeeslon of the SeAate, or until
the regular election to said otfior, ahould
lb aoonex ooour. AppOiAtmeAt8 t0 WIOanOisO
'in offlaes eleotlve by the $eopls shall only.
oontinus until the first general alaotion there-
arter.~
Artials 20, Vernon'8 Annatatqb.Civil $tatutrr.,pro-
tldert
"All eleatlonrrto iill vaoam;e8 in offlor
e&all be to fill the WMSpiredteXlll only,"
Seotion 12 of,Articls XV of the State Co?#tituMon
prwidea in prtr
-. i
Honorable Callan cirabm, Pagr 9
“..., Eipgofntmentar
to mccnciell i’A
oiriar, eleatlvcl by the pa6pfe ,ehallonly eon-
tinus~until the firot general eleotion’there-
trd%r.”
Section 38, Article V of the State Constitution
providest
wl~auencleein the office of Judge8 of
the Suprsme Court, the Court of Criminal Ap-
ps~le, the Ctiurtof Civil Appeals and Die*’
triat Gourte 8hal.lbe filled by the Governor
until the next mmaeedlng genard. election;
ana vacancies in the offior of County fUd@j
and justices of the peaoe mhall,be filled by
the Comlsaionera Court until the next gon-
era1 eleotion for eudh ofPlcee.*
Ssotion 21, Artiola XVI of the State ConrCftu%ion
previdm:
“In all electiona to fill vhoanoiss 0r
+offiUe in thin ,Stat.s,it ahcAl be to fill :
the unexpirad term only.*
Artfcla 292&t, Vernon'r hnototsd Ci,vtlSthtatam,
provider:
‘From iid &fter tha sff&otive date hrre-
of ,the terms '0r office 0r all elsotivs State
and Dletriot ofrioare of the State of Teacar,
erocpting Oovernor, Liaut want Governor, Mem-
bers of the 0enste, and Uembere of th.etiuss
of Representatives, ahall b&n on the laf
day of J~.pqq~,rsextfollowing tke Cenaral’
‘Eleotlonat -&blobsaid respeotive ‘Stats and
District off%cerq were elected.‘”
The case of fpioisv. Curl, et,al.,eupra, in ooartru-
lng Artiole XVI, Section 27, ucd Artiole V, &otion ze\;aupra,
holda in effect that all elee,tionrr
to’fill vaoenoisr fn an
offloe shall be to fill,the unexpdred term only; and that va-
can&es in the offloelsof Judge8 of the DLatrSot Court@ &all
be filled by the Governor until the oert euooee&I $eheral
election and bhs Judge eleotod at the general eleo&ion in 1902
ia glace o? th,aJudZo regularly elected in 1900,’whase affloe
bece.msvacant by death, wns eleoted for the unexpired tarni@i
the dooeaeed Judge only, and not for the full, conrtltutiona~
term of four yeara.
Honorable Qallan Graham, Page 4
Whra Sr, Joe Q,. Montagua ma llrotrd Dirtriat Judge
in Nwembrr 19%3,~ the term 60s which hb’wal e2sotrb began
on January i, 1939, em4 weuld’~re s%pired on January 1 1948.
WhcmMr. Montague xe~igaed and, Mr. Jackaoti we* ~appolatcab Die-
triot fudge bi the Uovatrnor, he war appointed to serve a8
Dirtriot Juclgs until the nwit rnca~edin6,genimil elsotion whfoh
wa8 in Nwsmbsr of 1940 and unlemii slstlteb 0.t eaid general
cllsotion hi8 tsxm e? of&e onhez” the appointmsnt Wuld hare
expired January 1 1941,. but Mr. ikiekro~ wim bleated at the
$ewral alaation ia I.940 ‘ml by virtur of thir elrotioa wa8
entitled to h0ia the, offim of District Judge for the unsx-
p&e& tens of Mr. FKo~tagus. l’hersfsss, in. view of the fore-
going authorities we rsapsotfully am*or the ‘above ltatod
quortion in the aifiamatits.
touA
rcarf
trul?
,,,
A!PIQRNEf G&N~RAL OIF TIEAS