OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
Gerald C. Mann AUSTIN
AlTonwr+omEnAl.
Eo-zo.po& Oledrrsj
b
mar slrr Oplnlon lo. o-ugg
Be: IJJD~@ faoto rubmlttod
Your letter of Fe
oplnlon of this dopartmnt on
read8 in Port aa follovo,
_
Bon. Joe c. Oladmy, p&a 2
barn ouvhlly 60xwd.m your mquwt in oolnwo-
tlon~ithOtDO~kb.0-~,0~00l~ o+J2# am3 tb
authorltiea 4it.d in mmh opla%oaa.
usdonotthinktbtolw0phlonIk.0-5024&aadug
apPllaat$ontu tbqw*tlom pmeentadlnyow%aquWy.Aa
atatad ip your btbr, thl.8Wmrtdbeat held b Oplnlon 80.
0500ltbt&~lr~,V~'*~tatedCiril8htubs
vao 8 Mlllty.
. .
Dlikrlot Attornmy," does not exist in t&se oountle8 oomlng
vlthlntheprovi.8lon8.or8aldartlo&.
Seation 21b .Wtlala 5, of tb 3t8te Constitution
provides tcr tb oiiioea 0rooa attom arrddi8triotat
toWJ. ItoxPro8slyauborizeBL~ioL~to~~
for tboleotionofdi8trlot,~ttommy8
in mohdlatrlota 86
may b deemd mcesaary. Paah of ulb offly puwlded for
p&e,meotioa of the Coastitutlon Is l o o nstitutio na l
Wbbn~8Olg~ot~8p~Oia~8~ntor~
distr& attcmmy," it la olear that It refom to.8 “dlatrlct
attoraey” vlth 8geolal f'umtlon8 OS povbn rrd dutle8. what&w
the orbulnaldl8telot atiarmy l8 attokmy vho8e duty ir 18
to 8enm8 "orlsllnuldl8triOtOourt,'orVfibtherh8 ia 8lmply
o m vhoser ve8eldlstrlct o o ur ot”
fa dl8trl.d o o isp ocsed
ra
single o o unty
itbla immutvneo er to adea
ur ylde.
Iaeither
ouae, the offloe webted ls a coastltutlonal offloe, ou9
sapresa4 author;zedbytbs Constltutiontobeoreatml by the
Isgl8lature aad such dl8trlct8 88 muy be deem moe8suy. In
Seotlon5a of Artlole 326q, tb Lsgl8lalam expire884 dlsuvowd
ths intention to oreate "any office.of district uttormy or say
otbr coastltutkmal offloe,"tbbmt farlmob88lty 08xX& be
oonstnaed tobe u~oxaraise of tlaefrgirlativepavertoomate
"a oonatltutloPeloffslie.*
Itls'~tbbrLrsldino~:~inlonO~l"thotfb,
Isglslutum doe8not have fM .povsr :tomate 8wh 8tututory
ofrloe lo aLad 8hun88ntlyoleaaintbd8olslonaf tb oouzd
of this stute. Aztlole Sb SootIon 21r of the Cfwtitution,
onates tb, 0Sfioeof oountyltto r m ud y b mb ltbtlm oounty
attormyths authority to repn8enttb State lnalloue8 in
thedl&rictaM iaferlorcovrts lnhlsoounty. Itl8only
vbn the Iaglslature-lse8 ths authority oonformd by that
wotlonot tbOorrrtltutionto~~tbott~ofd~~ist
Etto~yor~~dir~~t8ttonuyo~hoi tbreoartltu-
tlonal0fr10.8 thuttb orrlce cf oouatattorney My bs
abollab& or the pouera eaddutie8 0013lrmdby the Coxmtltu-
tlon upon tbr oounty attorneys &ri&o&~*
Uedo~tth~tbstitsur.kuidthat*bsnr
person runs for and la elected ta the o%Ylo~ OS %riminal
dicrtriat rtteney” uuler tb pmvZ8bn8 of Article S26q, that
ruahpsnon~rrovt&~oountyattor(uy~itucrrb6~ thut
8uohstatutev88 inrdlld.
Invievriwouroplnloxm &8.0-2p8lrrd O-WOland
ths uuthoritieroltad ths;csln,it la our opinionthat ths psrsoa
. * . ..
Bon. Joe 0. Ols8myb wei 4
vhovas.laotad "o'or~dirtrS.ctat~y"~ItuskCountJ
18 tWt th6 OOUBt~ attoraeyOf Said OOUItty.
Bmmver in rlev of ths rongoing fads and our
OpitAiOtt lo. o-D& it 18 OILC OpitLiOtt thht usmnova
dof~0tooountyatt0rv3y. Weeml.i~nhmwi iiia oopyof raid
opiaioaRO. o-3158. whathtuttuteasaldsboTeamveMyuur
StldfOUFth qU88tiOtUJ.
fi.l'St
b VO hBV9 MSUW'OdJOUPfint cad fOUt't&h
qVB8tiOd
itt tb St4lttWl’ ?JhOVO Stat& it beOOrpS8 -OeSWy to OOtt8idOr
your seaold atma thlrcl qUOStiOtI8.
VO t&Ulk yOU iOr t&B brlei SubPitted Vith JOUF CB-
q-St.
Yours very truly
ATTORBBYnmnaznr. WZlCXb
c^3;
BY
Amlellmlllcum
A8sl8tant
AWt8brrt
~losurr
APPlm~ApilxL16,1903
(slgml) wrald c. mmlt
Attoamy oemral OS muu
Approve& Oplnlon Conmltted
Byt B.W.B..~