THE Amroam~~ GENERAL
OF TEXAS
Opinion Ho. O-3163
Ret Naettmr or not an attcrnsg, who
has not pdd~ hia mesberahipfee
to ttm s&its z&Jrwithin tlm
t&n43requind by law, and in 8a-
Oordsncsewith the rule8 of the
suproar, oolm, m8J prelotfes his
profsa8ionin the oourts.
178beg to aakmwledig rseelpt of your letter of
February 13, 19&l, propaundl.ng
Sor a le@l opition the fol-
loane,r
99 ha06 been oanfrcmtsdwith thie probinsl.
The13 am 0 great msnp lawyera who attempt ha
prtmtloa in thr oourts la Tarrant Cowrty who
have not paid their $4 awtbombh.iRfW iI8the
stats bar, It 1s tileopinion or this orriae
t&et unlrmr the & mcmbmrshhipla paid in aoeerd-
Rnae with Artiels 32OA of Vorn6n1s AMokted
Civil Stntutea of Texee, a43well am the alo*
ponntlgatedby the FuprauncCmrt of Toxaa OQ
February 22, 1940, that the nttorneg should not
be aIlowed to praaties in our courts). Pie8hould
ba ~l.ee%ed?iohero your &WI."
%ation 3 of the State S%r Aot, (Si.C.R., Vornon*a
codimt3ti0n, ATtlalla3aoaj pwide%r
*All peruom who ure now or"shall heretUtor
M lloenmd to practtioslaw in this 33ite rJheU
contltltuteend be att*hblsre
or the ::tataBar, and
shell be raubjaotto the provisions here& ana
the rule8 edopted by tba rQmme Court of Texas;
end ail person8 not mmbera of th* ~‘tateBar ime
hereby prohibitedfrcm prsotiolu law in thle
ftate."
Yeotion 4 of t&2 Act dealareer
tht3erc30tive
vithifi SIX (6) m0nth,asrclc:
dote of this .:ot,en& Sromthe to tPmo there-
after, RS to tke court nag scan proper, Chu ‘SU-
prmc Court of %xnc shall prapnra and propose
k”... . ... . d .*.. .-. “‘W..U, \. . 1 G-l&O c
rule6 and reguls4tPona
ior dtioipliniag,suakp~nd-
in& and dfnbarriagmttvrnspa at law; for the
conduot of tb+ Xate X&r; aad praaoribhg a ooda
of et&lea t-overnbg 9~ profess3.oml aonduet of
sttorncys et law.
=The Supraas Court is ftwther em&wm%Qend
ft &G.l be its duty to prsaaribe iasr not 6x-
caedi~~ Four ($4.00) Poller8 par maus per person
to be paid to the Clerk of the .%prarm Court to
be helirby him RIM expended by the Court or Under
its direatfonfor the purpose of the acklnistre-
tion Of this3Plot. Any person lioensed ant?rec$s-
tared my pay to the dssIpn%teA treesurer‘a BUBI
OS r~0nc.y
frw whiah the fees owed by ruoh person
lrasbe tsken ironitilssto tlae a5 they beaoae due.*
:'eotlon
5 deolsrer:
"'The3qn%!m Court of Texas ohin11not adopt
or ~mxaulgatsan3 rule or regu:o’latfonctbrogatlng
the right of trtul by jury ia diabeme~t prwtmd-
ingo, in the county of tht,rasideuae of the de-
r~md..~
euoh r443WIthin tMrt$ aup Bherultrter,hr &au:
Wa80 t0 t14aSl4HbW,but 6h6=%4 niBStat&
upau psyllmntof the sea3 duo at the tba5 b
oee64d to be a mW., together With SW6 Sar
th4 ourrent gear. IS at tha end OS niwtf tiy6
aster June 1, a,aaeaba*&ae sot peid to the Wmk
matbsrshzp tan for th3 c0mtnt year, th4 me
shell strike from the roll.3oi the stat3 B4r th
mm4 .orthe dsllnquentmmber,
mn. iimrvln.t:.
mown, dr. Yqg8 4
a8 to Whcthar he shall pap his dnee and x-e-
lndividnalBlwslber~
main a nambar QT refuse to pey und be nuspotiod. It will Ee
note6 that the supreme Rurt LPesmm3 no further thfm to sue+
pm? thsdslinquentmaxbar from ncnbershlf!lr,thi ;"tate 8.1.
Tke r&&t to praotiae law by a wapanded nelsberis
denied not by tha %~pre.rqCourt, but by t
A;tla
L.,,.,,,.,.
~eotloa 3 of the AOtl, %5d all p*ir'sone
not ~lesdereof the
ctste 3Rr al-6hereby prfah~lbit&frcm ,praotlcin&law,in this
cta#.*
%O~IOIIS 5 and 6 of the ‘tata SW yjet have no ap-
pllavtlon to the paynant of duea. The suspa~~io~ ;-rov%ded
ror in tht;sustmtionc aygliea only in proeeedinf?s
for the
ill:-bwmentof an ni.torneg.
x:ado not thee *Yhrfocm he nny daub+,6f the au-
ttority 0r th "oprw20 Uourt to enma CIrulctatrt~wtloally
sunped.1~ a naaber ior fellure to pay h:r:clrlla'~. !tsl~ydrQlesa
or the utatutory authority aonferre+I upon the ~uprrcneCourt
s,omke all rum3 r0r tkt oonduct of thartata tiar,s1wthink
th6 oourt poareo8as lnhcmnti power to suspend nn ettoraeg of
theeCtate Bar la the rbscnos of E d.ntute to tD:eamtrary
r&we 103 attorneys me 0rfuert3 0i’thst oourt. Ttilspuwer
In ctl~~oui~~ed~
in In re Fete, la7 r:"'.(26) 359, A miomuri
%861#IrQm wbluh we qu4Bter
“Tdb %ipP8m &#art Of the at&43 i3f fa~5sOU~
hna the tnhcrent power to Afubm attorneys grill-
ty of the violation of ito rules or of aondwt
a lrwyer. In tha ebsence of oonati-
uak+3oom.lag
tutional or statutory resrxlut~om P awrt of
aupertm or gmtsral juriadlotlonhaa authority
to easpnnd en ettorney from the preatlce (IS8uda
or to strike Cram the roll.@UJI attorneyOr auoh
aaurt Upon proper gS0tmdS l3aoaaSeettaFnejrSW
ofTiorra &? the court Zn uhloh they are abritted
to preatlo*. The puwer to atrike Prom tka rolls
1s Inherent in the court Itself. Ko stetnto or
rule lo neeesasry M ~the~3ze the puaishment in
proper owe*. .%etutecrand rnla8 nay regulrte
the power, bat they do not oreato it. It is 11866&
snry for the :~sotsotloa of the oourt, the proper
0Cwlnletratlon of justioe, the dlgnitg ran&purlt~
0: the proferrelon
end r0r
t ha publio good ati bar
tha proteotloa of aliants, that aoarts have aa8
ntlan thla power.*
nil the craaes.holdthat the L&slature has the
power to abmaa a rim Rgeiaat the rambars of a Ptata '3~ to
teke oere or the axpun&@ or ext'o~i~ the Bat. In cer Mb-
son, 4 Tao. (26) 643, and aucharities theruin aitad. In oaf
state the power to aa8eao the faa in confw,srodupon the %-
;1rme Court by th@ Legleluture end, thorefor-o.wa think the
Gibeon on80 that;t,lopower to
holdin::0:'tks aourt in ttip:
BREBBP~the rw aerriw with it the 15oidental. year to (up-
set a rueaaneble penalty for kta non-peg#watIt:applioable.
‘2~quote Tyw the Gibson east:BY follomt
_.... e
,
t
..
.
pkr Bited irw~~'~~tehnginto litigfstisnfar the
protwtion of hla rfghts, by reasacot the OOP
soquwees to the tnteratitaof ellaatm tit& my
be jeopnrdtiedin 8uoh lltlgatian end thst t&g
snioreemmt M the penalty provlah?Adwisu to
respondent5the eqtml protwtion of the lmwa
snd Is e deprivetim of property wfthout due
prrrowe or 1-w in TiolPtioa of tha Pcwrta8nth
f%uWdmeAtto th6 Ccm6titAtianof the United.
of wotion
Etetea 4x8~5 18 of erttole 2 of the
%nstitutlon (d the I-the of #WI &x&m. But
Sf the pow6.rto impooe ths too be aonhbded, oi
whloh trethink there aen be no doubt, then a
~KUiitF ~8&@H.Yi t30:4ly t0 WlfOl-00 itti ‘@SgA6At,
end .whiahwy be ~:voidedaltogrther by psymnt,
1Aoc3.dnot ba held void 1)sarbitrary or unr@lt-
sonmb1.e.
*