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OFFICE OF THE AlTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Eonorablr 0. g. aIrron
oountf Attorna~
mtor oount~
Odraaa, To188
Dear Slrr
o va ltatod
o of Toxaa road8
, or Jodgo 0r any oourt,
ndor authority of any gen-
law ot thla Stat@, or eny
LegIa.latara, ahall. appoint,
or oonflrm thr appolntmont
ir, poaItIon, olrrkahlp, em-
ploymoat or duty, or any poraon rolatrd
within the aaoond dogroo bf l rilnlty or
within thr third dogroo br oomangulnltf
to the poraon 80 appointing or 80 toting,
or to any other membrr of any auoh board,
Honorable 0. f. Carron, pago 2
tho Laglalaturr, or oourt of whioh luah :
paraon 80 lppolntlng or voting may ba
l ma mb a r ,whan tha salary, foaa, or oom-
prnaatlon of luoh appolntoa la to ba paid
for, dlrqotly or lndlrootty, out or or
rrom pub110 fund8 or roaa or orrioa or
any kind or oharaatar whataoavar.w
Artlolo 3902, Ravlaad Civil Statataa oi Taxaa,
prorI4oa the aeana br whloh a dlstrlot, county or pra-
cinot oiiioar may obtain tho arrrlora oi Uaputlaa and
tho pertinent parta tharrof lra aa rollowar
Whenaver anr dlatrlot, oountf or
proolnot oiiloar #hall raquire tho aar-
vi088 or Uaputloa, laalatanta or olsrka
in tha pcrformanoa of his dutlca hr
shell apply to tha County Commlaaionars’
Court of hia oounty ror authority to
appoint luo hUaputlra, raalatanta or olarka,
ltatlng by lwrn applloatlon tha number
nardod, tha poaltlon to be iIlls ‘an4 thr
amount to ba paid. Sal4 application ahall
ba aooompaniod by a atatamant ahcwing tha
probabla raoaipta rroa raaa, commlsalona
an4 compensation to ba collected by as14
orrior Uurlng tha rlacal fear en4 tha
probable ,Ulaburaamanta whioh shall lncludo
all aalarlaa an4 rzpansas 0r se14 0rri00;
an4 raid court ahall aaka it8 ordar auth-
orizing tha eppointmant or auoh 4apotia8,
asalatanta an4 olarka an4 fix tha oompon-
aatlon to be psi4 than vzlthln tha linlta-
tlona heroin proaoribod an4 daternina tha
number to br appointad aa In thr 4Iaoratlon
of raid court may ba propar; prorIda4 that
In no oaaa ahall tiho Commlaaionars* Court
or any mamber thereof attaapt to influanoo
tho appointment or any paraon 88 Uaputy,
asalatant or clerk in any ofilor. Upon
tha antry or atich order the orrloara ap-
plying for suoh aaalatanta, 4aputIea or
olerka ahall ba authorlzad to appoint
thorn; prorid that sai4 coapanaation
shall n?t axcaa4 the aaximwa amount hara-
lnaitar sat out. Tha ounpansatlon which
73
Honorable 0. r. Oarron, page 3
My bo allowad to the doputlos, la a Ia ta nta
or alarka above. nnw4 ror th a lrlarrlcaa
ahal ba a raaaonablo one, not to lxoood
the iollowllrg amounta: . . .I
Under tho proTlaIon8 of Art1018 3902, aupra,
tho omnty orrIOar daalring daputlaa, aak;ra.tho l ppli-
oatlon outllnad In aald artIolo to tho eo~laaboaera*
ooort for the authorIt to appoint laoh dapatlaa. The
oonmIa~Ionara* court grant8 the authority to appoint
tha oifioar and rata the salary baforo the lppointiant
la mada. The a~I~aIonara* oourt haa no authority to
attempt to daaIgnato whom the offioar ah811 appoint
an4 Is apeoIiIoall~ forbIddon to 40 lo by thla artlolo.
The oommla lIonara * court doer not oontlrm the lppointao.
On Fabruary 9, 1932, thla Urpartaant held,
In an opinion by Honorable R. 0. Watera, Asrlstant
Attornby OBnOr81, that it waa not a riolatIon ot tha
napotlsn law for a tax eollaotor to appoint aa hla
aaaIatant or Uapatr a aon or a 00wit~ oornnIaaIonar
after tho oommIaaIonara* court ha4 authorized the
appolntmont of such Uaputr In aocorduaoa with Artlolo
3902, Rarlae4 Civil Skatntaa of Taxaa.
On Maroh 2, 1935, this dapartaant hold In an
opinion by Honorablo C. M. Kannody, Aaaiatant AttornoT
General, thet a deputy aharlrr who is a fIrat CouaIn
or ono or the member8 of tha oomIaaIonara* oourt would
not be prohIbitad from #erring aa auoh nor 414 hi8 ap-
polntnant by tha aharirr rlolato tha tarma Or Art1018
432, Penal Co40 of Paxaa, nor the allawanca of hi8
aalary by the oommiaaionara* oourt oonatituta a riola-
tion oi auoh nepotism law because the oo%mIaaIonara*
oourt did not appoint or tote for or confIrm the ap-
pointront 0r 8uoh dapaty aharlff.
On Deoaber 29, 1936, thie department held in
an opinion by Ronorabla William &craw, AttOrnbT Cbnbral
or Taxaa, that the arpolntnuit or an unula or one 0r
tha mahera of the comadasfonua* court 88 aaaiatant
diatrlot attorney waa not a violation of the nepotlaa
law or the State Or Taxaa.
Hoaorablo 0. I. Oarron, pago 4
Oplnlon Ho. O-00 ot thla Uopartmant ho148
that It la not e violation of tha nspotlam law for tho
dlatrlot olark to biro aa hia dOpUtT a daughter of a
0ountT oonnla alonar.
Oplnlor No. O-875 of thla department hol4a
that It la not a violation or tho napotian law tW tha
Ulstrlct olerk to appoint aa hla 4aputT a alatar of the
aoting comtT judge of the oounty.
You are thsrafora rrapaotfully adrlaad that
it la the opinion of thla dapart?lont that your quaatlon
should be anaware In tha nagatlta an4 it ia 80 anawarad.
Tour8 vary truly
0mA.L
ATTORWEY OF TEXAS
Wn. J. Fanning
Aaalstant
VJRLW
23, 1940
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ATTOFiXEYGENERAL OF TEXAS
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