OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAG
AUSTIN
@#Dc.mAIm
--- AT
Honorable T. 0. Walton, ~raridmt
Agrfoulturaland xoohaaloal co&leg0 0
Collage Strtion, kxaa
8 a.8a minor aad requeat6d
p&d ?or this mm&or and
of furthor ruoh ftia la the
16 0onoernoQ.
Too have lubmitteQ to ua 4Aoag with your opinion
requert the oortifiod 00 y of ju&m+at nferred to. meor-
poreted in the Judgnuat fs a oopy 0: the potlttoa upon whloh
Hoaorable T. 0. Walton, Pass 82
it we8 burred. Brlrfly, the pdltin allegos that Kr. Lynoh
is wet alnetean years old aad under twwaty-oae. While it
1s alleged that he reslds8 in flameronOouata, TOraE, wherr
he hae barn llvlag with his brother rlnoe the 8uwbr of
1939, the reason glwa In the applloatlon for do8lrlng hlr
dlsabllltlee removed Is that hi8 mothsr and father are non-
rerld~nta or the State 0r Taxas, that whlla ho clonnldsra hIa-
6eir a resideat of lbxas, ho in compelled to pay the hhh,
non-resident student tuition aad that the fuade whloh he
ha6 available are rush that ke right aot bo able to oonplsto
his 00110ge tralniog if ha la nquind to &my th8 h&h tuition
fees ah&rued noa-mrldeat student8 @ad that thenfore from a
praotloal stand&at, lt 18 essaatlal to hlm to have hlr dls-
abllltles removsd In order that ha isay ooaploto his oollogr
eduoatloa. It 18 said la the patltloa that lf the oourt
will remove hi8 dlrabllltlrs, than ha oaa legally olala Tox-
as oltl?mrhlp* and aa ouch, be Irntltlodto attend the 8ald
oollege by p&g the oorqmatlvoly am11 tuition ohargo
Twxae rtudents. La th juafpient it 18 found that all 0r
the 8tatamats and ~allqptlon8 la 8uoh p8tltIoa are true, tket
m. yaoh r88ldrr la Oamroa aouat 18 bowmen alnoteea and
two&y--ona years of age, aad that I’t i8 adrl8able aad to air
suterlal advantage to have Me dl8abIlltles nmowd. It lr
also expns8lp fouad *that hi8 father and aother, Wilbur w.
Lyaoh, &ad norrio Lyaoh, am 8aoh of them llvlag, but are
non-r88ldontr or the state of Texa8.*
Subwotloa E of SIotlon 1, Art1010 SdMG, Vmma'8
civil $titutes, flxe8 the tultloa to bs oharged non-re8ldont
etudaatn, aad then oontalas the rollowlaer
A non-resident rtudaat ia hrnbr de-
flaed*&+'bi a 8tudsnt or 1086 than twenty-on*
(81) pare 0r a&e, living away fro0 hi8 f&U
aad whorrrfamllp roeidea In another State, or
ha8 reolded within thla State fWr
wboee rcanrily
a period of time less than twalva (le) month8
prior to the date or awglstratlon, or a student
or twaaty-one (al) years 0r ego or over who ra-
side8 out of the State or who hae rasided,wIth-
in tha State ror a period or leas thaa tw&vi)
(18) month@ prior to the data of regI8tratioa.*
149
Honorable T. 0. Walton, Fag0 3
Under the above definition,th8 student in quee-
tlon is Oltiatlya non-resldWit, ~ale88 ho has boon resaued
by the judgniont readers4 in the DiStriQt Court of Caaeron
couaty. ror the rea8on6 hereinafter appearing, w8 are of
the view that euoh judgxieatha8 not ohaa&ed the StlltUS of
this minor as a non-raeldent und&r the above rrtatute.
Artloles 5021 and 6922, Veraoa*o Civil 8tatute8,
read as follower
"Art:010 6921. Minors above the age of
niaeteoa yearis,where it shall eggmar to
thalr matsrla2 advantage, msy have tholr die-
ebllitlea 0r rlnorlty removed, Sd be then-
arter hold, ror all legal QUQO8~8, 0r full
age, oroapt aa to the right to vote.*
*Artiole 5022. The p<lon for euoh so-
f&Ovalshall stab the grounda rellod on,
whether the parents of the adaor am llvl.nq
or &owl, and the aama and rcridoaoe of 0aoh
living parant. Suoh potition shall k 8~0111
to by the fatbar or mother or rid minor or
by any other oredlblo pereoa oogniaant of Mm
faote, and shall ba tlLe4 in the Dlrtrlat
Court of the Oounty where the minor ra814~8,
and 8 hoarlng he4 on say day of any terniof
said Cotrrt,or duriag a vaaatlon of eald CO&~%.
Prov:dod that in DiStri0t Courts sf DicltrlOte
hwing ni0rethan one.00unty withi.5 SuOh DiS-
triot, uponthe riling of suoh petition for
naval Of disabllltlas, in the 00UBty inwhloh
8uOh minor resides, the DiStriUt 3Udge Of ml4
COW raryhold suah hsarinp;and ramwe the dlr-
8biliti.68 Of Suoh &OS, in anJ @XUlty WithhI
euoh Dlrtrlot wherein hb mey br then ho~dl~
Court or way be found. Am aiaendedAotr, 1939,
46th Led., p. 499, 8 1."
Artiole SSG3, Reviead Civil $tatutee, aontains
oert.ei,n
regulations pertaining to citation and prooedure.
The88 8tatut88 oOnertitutoall the statutory law in thil,
state on the rubjrot 0r reawal or dieabilitlm or 0lnore.
Th8 laot sentence la &rtiCle lfQO8-8 not ia the statute
uatll it was a&&s& by an eaend~nt amth by the Forty-sixth
150
Honorable T. 0. Walton, page 4
Legislature. Prior to such amendmmt It had been firmly
a8tabliehed that thm requirement oi Article S92& thut the
petltlon be tiled in the county whom the minor resided
was a jurisdlotlonal one. CUnninf&na V8. Roblron, IS6 S.
W. 441; Durrlll vs. Robiuon, 138 8. XT.101. Obvloua4 the
only relaratlon fro& the old atatutr made by the aramdnieat
was to permit tha proceedIn to ba had in mother oountr
in the sama Judioial district when the judge should k hold-
ing oourt or for come other masoa be found In woh oth8r
county. Bowetm, resldenos of the minor within the dls-
trlot was loft jurisdiatioual. Court decisions arising un-
der the old statutr are plainly applicable to the umnded
not, except aa above stated, and the qumtlon before us
does not involve that exosptlon.
We quote in full tha opinion of Chief Justice
Brown, In burr111 w. Robl8on, eupr8, a6 ?ollorrarr
“It appears from the juQF,wmt ot the dls-
trict oourt of Traris Oeuat~‘, purporting to
muova the dleabllitissof relator, that she was
not B resident of the oounty of Travis wlthln
the meaning of the mtututo. Her aopllcation
showa that she oam to TraYlo OOWity iOr the
purpose of gsttlng her dlsrbilitlee rexzoved,
and that sha intended as (100~3 ae she accoi?ipllshed
that purposs to rntura to Bl Baso eouaty. The
oourt reciter In its order that rhe is tempc-
rrrily a resident or Travis aountp. The atat-
uts provides that the prooeading must bo had
In th8 oouaty where the mfner malde8, and, It
appurlw upon $hs$aee o? the prooeodin& that
ahe Aid nnt reside in Travis eauaty, the ardor
is void. Ounnfngham v. Bobleon, 1% 8. W. Ml.
Being a &nor, the relator Is not qualltlad to
purchase ths kid.
Tt Is therefore ordered that the motion
be ovdrti~d, at t&o oo8t OZ the re’lator.*
lrroea the opinion ot the supreme Court in in Q. C.
a s. 0. Ry. co. IS. LmomI, me 8. w. 7s. w8 quote1
It la oortain that the Umaioilo and
r.a/d:;ro;if T. $. LomoBs, under any &.aSiJq
whloh may be usoribed to thoee words, ~66 in
Parkor oouoty until his m&oval. to Dollar and
151
Ronorabla T. 0. WiltOA, Pa@ 5
hle alleged e&fmoIpation; for T. E. Lemma, wae
living IA mrkcr county and that aae the domi-
oile or frloiether, end It la oettled law IA
Texas that the domicile at a &LAOS'child io al-
way6 that or the father, snC necossarlly ohanpss
with any om3~8 Or t.hs fdtkxs*s ao;ii0ih. RUtb-
8011 I. Randolph, 11 %x. 4b8; Fraaks v. Ffmoook,
1 Poecry,mrsp. Caa. 561, SOP?;Lm~l~g t. megory,
100 Tmr. 314, JlS, 99 6. W. 542, 10 L. R. A. (Hp.
s.) 490, 1eS An. St. Rep. 809; First State Bank
V. FFIiA,lb7 S. W. 4154. The XWasOn tar this
rule is given by J&e Whoalar IA tlM following
lbn&,mpe OS Judge Story ir his C4Pillot of Laws,
motion 441
~*xi~or8 are gtmerally bema inoap4ble,
proprio surte, ol ohanelog their dorsloile,dur-
ing their sIaority.* Hardy f. Da LOOA. Tex.
237.
aSchoular statme:
**The doxlcils zt or?,& raalna until
another i6 laWfully 40v;UixOdtf&Ad,siAUe ti~Crs
arm Aot 8ui juries, thmy m%y not change tbrlr
danioile dUrIA% their minoritf, though t&ey PJLJ
rhea Of 1~11 age.' sohoular*r Do;tsstIORelstions,
p. 313.
"It la obvloue that the diaablllty of a I&-
nor to errsOt E chaaga of doulCfle by aot of hi8
will rests at least in large mmm2e on his pro-
mmed lack oi oapaitp to fan tha the Intention,
WhIOh 18 t&8 all-iaportant rle3ent 10 lffecting
euob a ob'l@e, AAd the l&W mkes A0 bfSti30tiOD~
with respect to thi$ laok of ospacity at the rary-
Ing stage8 of ntnority; the presuuptloc being t5a
aaam at 10 ye6arsa8 et 18 &orths. BIAoe them is
AO important dlffarenoe bstwmn the intention re-
quired to srreot a change 0r dc~iolla and to of-
feat 8 ahanpe of r~sidmnce, wbdmvmr the word
*realUanoe*Is used io the 6enm of a 5cma fixed
by inteotion, ooAaurrIDg wit& bodily pmamIMa, it
au& be held that the di#sbllIty, whlob prevents
the plllnor,
through ,11&a?%
of capecit~lto hare the
53 Fed. 311; In h Catmon’a E8tat0, 18 Pa. GO. Ct.
R. 31E2,214."
3.52
Honorable T. 0. ualton, ~a(gr6
The oase of Laanning va. Oregiwy, 99 S. W. 549,
was a habeas corpus case involving the ouat0ay or a ohila.
FlVm the OplnlOn Of the Su~rsBm COWA th8r8iQ, We q'lOt8:
Ws answer the rlrat question that the
ao~lcile or the lnrant rouowea that 0r the
father, and, uson the change of the rather.8
a0nii0ih rrom ~eras to ~ouislnna, the in-
rant.8 aOrolciisW~IIlik~~i8e changed. . .
"To ths thlra Question we snswer, the
Ohild being in the lawful ourtody of the
rather, his a3ffii0iia ~88 in the atats or
Laulslana, ana the al&riot oourt or Bunt
oo\:ntyala nat acquire jurlsalotion or the
ohlla by raa~J.On of his temporary prssenoe in
the stat. of Texas. That oourt baa no authar-
ity to adjudge 0 ohangs 0r relation betwsen
the fsther and the child. Brown on Jurle- ... I
alotlon, 290." t;..,I ,,, '7
On the above point w6 olte also, Emnk 18. Fsln,
157 S*iY* 454; 15 T6X. JUr. p* 715; 19 C. J. p. 411; Wight
VS. Wright, 285 $. ‘VS.909.
The juagnmnt in the rsmval of alsabllltlee pro-
000aing shows up0n its raos that this younplmo*s paronta
w8re non-residents br Texae. ~8 8 ihatter or raot the r0-
03ra shows that It was the noo-realdsnoe or auoh psrente,
in V~SW of Art1010 Ea?Ho, whloh prsoipftatsa the ?rOOfJOaing
ana produced the advantage relied on tc obtain relier. From
the authorities cited above, lt 1s 0,lear that the minor*s
resia8n00 0r doJ2icm was test 0r his wrem3. Laok or juriti-
diction 1s thus arflmativsly shown in the order it5eir.
From Cunningham vs. Roblson, 138 9. W. 441, by
the Su~rena Court, we quota:
*The author1t.y here aonfarred upon the dls-
trict court is not judicial ln its charaoter,
but 1s a ~pealal authority, oxtside of the Oon-
Btftutional gowertl of tb court. In such alar8
of OUSTS the jud@wM or order entered by the
GQUrt iS not 8ntithd to ti38 prOsuptian Or Vu-
ity, 08peaially a23 to the juriedlotlon 0r the
court, aa would be th8, O~Y(I where the tuAOtiOA
psrformd was that of the ordinary juUlcla1
poverir of the court. $rown v. Gheal.ook, 73 Tax.
153
11.0. %dton.
Ror;orclbls page 7
385, 12 S. S. 111, 8U: %:arIco 0. k'oElroy, 67
kiss. 547, 7 South, 4G8; Iilndrmn v. C*Conzor,
54 Arc. t27, 16 S. W. 1052, 13 L. Fi. A. 490.
. . ."
Cur oglolcn follows that the order of the Dls-
trlct Court of Cm&r00 County rrttet.pting to rm0ve the die-
ablll:ies of thla &nor Goes not affect hln status as a
non-re&3ent under 26540. And, olnoe hs 1s under twenty-
on8 years of OgS Und his parent8 reside Outrrlde the Stat@
he Is a non-resident -#ithinthe meaning of the statute and
subject to tko payment of the rae8 provided In sub-par+
graph 2 0r Section 1 or sala.Article 26540.
Yours vfsrytruly
ATTORNZY UBiZiIAL OF TEYA‘Z
Glans R. Low18
Asslotant
APPROVEDOCT
25, 1940
u++--Ll
ATTORNEY GENERAL
OF TEXAS