Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN IlonorablsC. 0. Hurdooh oounty Atwrllry UmnarU, Texan Denr Sir: n Your letter a? 8001V#ii,Whbh PX'O- pouadr the fallewing l i.8 Indio to d fo r a r ly Irrtta1e 226 t t&l@Dirtriot h e a me, u nder ta o a o f th e sta te CLolr v, Beation 8, of tha Cons t ehall hare orlgbml $arlr&h- 08ues of the pa&m of f*lonf) fn of the @tat@ to reoever pmmlttrr, of dtrorae; heatst of all 011.868 of nvolttng offioLa1 81~oontuot." 228 of the Penal Co&e pretlde8r *Any judge or other oftLow at (LILrleotion wh0 amirts any voter to prepam hlr ballot exoapt uimn L voter 16 unable to prepare the 6aae . . . or who ahall nib suoh vater by using my other thm the FI~$llshlaa- gungo . . . or &all preparm the b&lot othemrier than salt3voter shall direot . . . shell be fined not letas than @SO. nor mom than %WCL, Or by oonflflsaan0 in Jail not leee thaCtwo nor aace than twelve Ioat&a, or bath.C I Banarable C. 0. Urbooh, page 2 In the early oa8e of Hatoh t. State, 10 Cr. rtep. 515, the def8nd.antWOB tried for parnlttln a prlemer to e806n8 which offenee ia a 8tImlameanor.the 8ourt held that 8in& ch8 offenee involved offlolal mlroonduot the defendant OOUM b8 trl8d only In the Dlstrlot Court. In Bolton v. Btate, 154 8. W. 1197, the tax ~l180tor ~88 oh8rged with a mt8d8meanor In that he had failed to pmperly mke hi8 report. He wan triad in the County Court in ml.8 Qounty and oonvloted. The Court of Crlalnal Appoal8 h81& that 8lno8 the offen Involved offioial ml8ODIl~uCtth8 County Court had no Jurlsdlctlon to try the defendant becauoe under th8 Conatitutlon the Dletrlot Court alOn h8e that Jurl8blotlon. In slmpeon v. Stat8, 137 S. w. (26) 1035, th8 hput, 8&rlff lndloted Sor alebeaeanor under Artlole lib? of the penal t3ods ua6 tried in the County knmt aIla Oonvlot8d. Tha hurt of Crlslnal Appeal8 held that 8hBO8 th0 rot Ohargad againat the offloer oon8tltuted offlola m~SOo~~u0~ the Dlrtrlot Co-t alone had Jurlrdlotlon. It 18 ther8fore our op~nlan *hat ufrsr8 an 8180tlon Judge 1s indiated for rlolatlng Article 226 Of the Penal C&8 th8 Dletrlot Court has e+uslve JurIrdlotlon to try the aafa+ Uant . SOUPS very tNly ATTORNEY GENERAL OF pn ..