OFFICE OF THE AlTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
I GROVERSBLLERS
mToR”FTGMtsw.L
112
"1 wish to rutmit for your opiaion the quea-
tion whether an oSSioer or mallsted man in tbu
TUXRS State Guerd, under elthor oS the above tgpea
of aativity, ir pmsonally llabla and rubjeot to
m&it for pwBoMl injury or prapertg dawo by
reR809 OS his 0porRtion of mator voh%oles or otbar
eqtipumt in porweeion 0r tha T-B Hmto orvrd
mxd operated byhimunderordws oihis oommnnding
0f~lA%*SW.
"-#ahRv; bean info& unoffialallythe u paw-
oubnto&m )mtolvedaPrmber oftheFo~r Texas
National Wardin Rllaa, Tox&8..
mIneidontaUyl the Tmrae Etato OUSNI Us boon
rcoorded reao&tion by tha War Doprrtaent as the
orwod mllltis OS the stRta, purmuwxt to federal
lawi and &marally the motor rslrla1.a or other equip
numt wa db yitrmabern ia lqtiipment tmmd by the
United States and Surnlshed to the State Sar tr8lnJ.ng
und porforning the aotiw duty of the iilitir."
Arti 6768, VWWKl*S Annotated C&V%& StRtUtelS, aa
auwmledby Xouue Bill Flo.56S, anrctrd by the Bortr-e,i@;hth
ra&alnture, reada a8 follorrr
'Tim rllitti OS thie State shall be divided into
two (8) olasbsls,th* aotiv* and ream-v. mllitIia*The
wctito militia shall waulrt of orguiired end ml-
formed lailitarySorom OS thir State rbieh shall be
knom a8 the TOXRS 3IatiosmlQuwd orthoQurr State
Guard, RI the cum r;3a~a: tho ree8a-w militir rhp3.l
curls1stof all those I-iatileto 6oniai In the lRUitl&
but not siwvinp,in the Texa8 Xotlon& 0~~x4 or the
Tewa state suard."
*seotion 1 (a). Authcrlty and muno. whenever any
part of the RutfonRl ward OS tw.8 state
18 in aotivs
izeileral
servioe, the @overncr la hereby ruthorlz.odto
113
\
orgmiw end maintain tithin this St&a duriy:
suah period, under 8uoh regulatianaOS tha :eam-
t&ry of War of the -UnitedStats8 may prsaoriba
for t-hairorymiration, stAndarda of trainlui;,
l.nstrwtionand disaiplti, lueh tilitary fcraoa
M tbo ctovwaor any dwaa aeoeaeuy to deS6nd thfa
state. 4 8 +
*(II) Such fowos shall be e part of the katlve
ailltia uad a ocmponant of the Ililltw!~ Forttes OS
Texas end aheXl. be additional to and diatinat from
the !iational13uaa-dand shall be known &IIthe !l'exarr
Stata Guurda Pmvided, hmevar, that mambma of
the Taxaa ~IJutionalGumd W!IOma not at t&e tlum in
Fedw6l SWV~O~ my be used, undo the authorit of
tlm AdjutantGenar& ts omna~@,lnatruot, train
and administer all or any ecmpment of tha xilltary
Pa-a.8 of this St&to. inoludlng~ auoh State Guard.”
“800t1cm8 (a)* or!&aaLutbQ.Rule8unaam-
thns. The5o~ermer is iawebyuuthwisedto wrlbr
ma lesld regalatlonsnot lnaonsi8knt with tr
visloas of this Aot governing the lalldimeat, es-
ration, ,+3mbliatmLtion,tmlfosna, elcruipsmt,l8abte-
au&a., cawuad, tninlng and dlsolpllzna OS auoh ~ox8.a;
provided such rules and regulations,in 80 frr aa he
&aem~ prrotionbleend deetiable,8hal.loonforrpto cbx-
lsting law ~ovorn%ng and pertrinlag to tha XatiaMl
Guard and the rules and re@.at$ons promulgated there-
under.*
Ax-tic10s838, Yeraon~a Annotated Civil Ststutos, as
amem by said HOUM Bill Woa 5B6, provider aa Sollows:
*Aotive mllltia service. The military forcea of
this Sate when oirlledfnto active aarviee of this
state in time of war, inawroatlon, invahion, or h-
n&mnt danger ther*of, or the prevention of i.nvacSlon,
thou durlrq their time 6s aorvioe, be entitled to
the sme pay, rations, md allouanoes for elcit~~i;
as fs now or my hereafter be qttabl.iaiisd tiJ t!-m 2.awa
for the ensy of the m-&ted States.*
T&me 18 no provi8ion in thr law8 crouting th. TexU8
st0t.emmrd ommpting any member tboreof f'rum0ivl.lliabiliby
for t:m death or Injury to anoth8r parson or from property
damp~0.
The authorit U'o ray mowor in r4gunt to tha Oivil
llabllItLe8of mmber8 of the m%lfti& Frar i&8 dro18ion8 of
the Pedwul appollata oourlx (FodwU Digeat, Vel. 46, tIW.8
Y;IlIt&.a,
key mtnbar Is] WC note that it Ia ~eimtiy rCoo&nI8ad
that a mmmbor of the mIlIt%a nmy be 01vIlly 1lablC for tort8
aomlttod bybk.
PCIQUQk hrcrpvOlUU8 68, kl84PtiU2&W18pX%dCnC9, 34JC8
f&s4466, a8 follor8r
“see. ll6. Pec8oxu4 LIab%llb of Pwwru in Kill-
trrf 8W'ViCO.--It18 l Td&-O8tab 3 i8h& &‘ti*thUt par-
8ON engugad ia tha mlllWry 8CPVIC8 of the Itate or
nation are not lkblo %fka olvll atit for dmmgC8 for
U0t8 done in th8 C-80 Of thati mtlikry dutlO8, in
ObOdiOIlOO to thC larful CPdCr8 of a 8up8rICZ Of~ioW,
0F, U8 8tat.d b 8-0 udhO~itiO8~ in obedlenuo to
o r do r 8wh i0h lr4 apparently luwful or not apparently
&wftal, but If 8uah or&m8 8~4 tll4gu1, or apparsntl~
izis%az~~~~~~~~ ~dz3i$~x~.
th6y afford no Ju8tiffoUtionfor th8 Wrongful act.
+ 4 4.0
+4044*
'A 801diCl'18 W38pon8ibh fOC dLUC@$C8fQr 4l& &4t8
dOnO by hln Without Ol'der8Or Out81dC Or ,ti8xC.88 of
hi8 Ol'dOP8. The mere faCt that on8 18 a ma&w of the
tilltury do08 sot give him liaCn8C to db thou i$h%.n$cl
wh%Ch a oirIltan mnnot do. G Q *.'
iz + 4 4 Q e
*sot. 17. superior or ccPl0wmung 0ffioerr.-Vihila
infrrior officer8 und 8oldime bomd to obey ordws
am protected in 80 do&& 4xoept vrkubr48uch orders
Hoa Aa IS. Kniehrbooker, page #S.
8hOw on thoip~faoe their 0wn 111e~aUty Or wult
of authority,a SuperIOr offlobr 18 hInIrlf an-
8Werable for all a0tr within the fair eaope of
the order8 given by him, and hia only &vaIlatle
defenee is that the order8 given by him Were
IAWRil. Tha gemoral rule 18 that offioere in
0ommand of mIlltary fORlO8 are not personally
liable for inju~IO8 r88ultIng frc5 theix offi-
0Ial rots in the4pro8eoutlaoof lawful mllltary
OpeMti0n8. Thi8 rub %8 rrubjeot, hOWeYOr, t0
the Ulnitatlonthat polronel 1Iablllt~ nrpybe
inaurred where the offloes a0t8 wuntonly, or in-
ths abmenae Of any rea8onabl8nOce88ity. 0 i+W
offieon who have mIlItIa In 00mmand may bo re-
8pOn8ible for d8m8g88 8urtaIned bg a citizen re-
8lLltinginmath praoticr.Of firin& &UX8 by
m5bor8 of the llcSlltIa under tholr charge and
at th e ir o o nma nd. l * *”
Themefore, we oonolxxh that a wmber of tha Torar
Stats Gwrd, eng8ged in either of the @908 o f lo tivltier d+
8oribOd by YOU, I8 rO8pOMible for wO8, tn rOllpO0tt0
elthor pr8onnl injUdO or property duukgo crrwmd~by hI# Mt8
of mgligenoo, whothor with or wIthout ordora BF In Ox0888 Of
hi8 OrdW8. 156 Mar es, 9L viepoint out, houov*D,tbAt
oompllanoe by a prlvats 8oldiea with an Order 6f a 8upwior
oifiosr I8 suffioiant juatiflaatlonfor the violation Of a
trwffitio
rule 1~1le88 the order 18 80 wpably -Wl’ul that a
rea8onableman in the poaitton of a perron obem it would
p8r0OIve it8 unlawful quality, and that an order to keep *
motor oonvoy together, even If that involved oontinu%n& in
the face of a red light, althOugh lllogal, oannOt ba deemed
palpubly or obvIou8ly Illegal to a roldior charged with the
operation of one of the tntck8 In the oonvoy, but it doer not
follow that a private soldier would be oxowed by such nn order
fram the 00n8eipe~e8 of neglimnoo in m oth&r@rpeot tbma
the vi0lafion of the ordinanoe. a8 65 eamGlZ35Ilure to
alow dqm or 8&p if h&k&t to have forO8bsn-tbt there ~a8
danger of a cgllI8Ion, and that an order to dlsreyard li&bt8
would not bogquivalent to an order to drive reckler8ly or
to 0OnditIm8 other ulan li&ht8, and
to the truok driver beyond it8
Hon. A. El Fnickerbboker
Truat~ that thQ
t1ona, we are