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> OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
; AUSTIN
Honorable Paul Ponald, Chairman
Uomaittee on Judiolal Distriots
Eouse of Representativea
Aamtin, Tews
Dear sir:
reoefved and
quota f-m your
General Fund of
pleaee advise whether
l 326m, 16 valid aad
Aerlstant dietrlot attorws? in
strlot and salary.-380. I.
Diatrlots ln this State oom-
81 in whloh the agy?e&ate pop-
rlat as shown by the Bedoral
ney shall have the right, with the consent of the
SuQs of safd Distrlat Court to appoint an Assist-
ant Dlstrlot Attorney, who shall hold his offioe
one marr
Donorable Paul Dahsld, Uhslmmn, Page 2
“*ave. 2. The Aealatant Dlstrlot Attornay
provided for 1s Seation 1 of thfe Aat ehall M-
aeive an auhual salary of %3,000.OO to be paid
monthly out of auy money not othcmmiue appropcl-
ated, uj9on ttlc 5warn saaouut or auah Assistant
Distrlat Attorney appromd by the Diatrlot Attop-
my aad the Ju%0 of raid Diatriat. (Aota 1929,
l+lst Lsg., p. 065, ch. 297.)’
R ...l*
Artials 5, ssotlon 21 or our 31at0 Oonatltution
prorldwlY:
*A oouhty attorney, for aauntlss in whloh
there 1s not a r0sld0ht oriminal distriot arttor-
1107, shall be eleatsd by th0 qtmlltl0d +otors of
eaoh aounty, who ah411 be ooiupisdoned by th0
Govermm, end hold his off100 for the term of
In 0aae of vaosnoy ths samisrlonsrs~
$XXhe oounty ihll hav0 power to app0fut
a oountp 6ttaruey tmtll th0 next gsssrsl 010stion.
The aouhty attorvmys shall represent the State io
all oases 1x1 ths Matriot and lni0rior oourts in
thvir reepsotiva counties; bat if any county shal,l
be lnoluded in a df8trlot in whfah ther0 shall bo
a dlatriot attoraep, the nepootiro duties of &is-
triat attornrpe and oauaty attorneys shnll IQ mmh
aountles be tegulated by Lha Le@sLaturs. The
Lsglslature 1~07 provide for the elootlon of d&s-
trios attansrys In suoh dlstriots, as may be daemed
neoeas*ry,~eillil a;aks provision for the Oo~p0nsption
or dlatrlat attorneya, and Qountf attomsyta; pro-
vided, diet&at attorney8 shall reoeive 0t1 annual
salary of’ floe hundred dollars, to be paid by the
Ltat0, ana suah fsas, ooinakiselaas and psrquisit0s
ss may be pravtct0d by law. musty attorneys shall
reoslve rw aornpenwtion ooly euoh fees, oorimlaaions
anti perguiai~ea aa znay be preaaribsd by law,*
titdaL0 )I ~aotion 56, of our state constktutlcm
provides in part as follows?
“The Legfsletura shall not aaoept es othw-
wise providei in thle Uanstituthm, pass snp lima1
or apeaial. law, authorlslhgt
“. . . .
Honorable Paul Donald, ahairnvn, Pa&e 3
Wrest ing ~ffloes, or presarlbh tho powers
Construing the above quoted provlalons of Artlole
3, se&ion 56 of ow Stats Conetltutlon, it; the oaa6 of Oom-
laism&mkrb* Court or Llmeotone Counts v. Garrett. 236 S. w,
974 Texas Commleelon of Apmels, the o&&&d:
Weotlon 56, Art. 3 was a part or the or&-
inal Constitution of 1874. There Is nothing in
the language of t&t reotlon su%gestLte of a llnita-
tion of ths effeet of the prorlalon against orea-
tlon or orfloes by looal or rprolal law to my
olaa8 or olassea 0r offloe nor Is there a sug-
ueetlon of suoh Umltatlon in am other wtion
Under Artlole 5, Seotion 2l, of our State Constf-
tutton, supra, ths Lsgislatun tm &as the pewor to oreate
ths off100 of dletrlot attoruer in such dlstrfota as It ay
do~o~ryar~ an& to define ths paror and dutirr oi auoh
Thle seation of the Constltutianwould Qso au-
thori% ihe Legislature to oreak the offloe of dietriot at-
torney in a speolfle juaip%al dlstriot by its name or my
other formof dsslgnation aud by ths saae Klein It would au-
therise.the Leglelature to allow the dlstrlot attorueJ of a
partioular named dlatrlat to employ assistants.
It 1s our opinion that our State Gonlstiktlondoes
not pmhtblt the Legislature from enaoting a loaal or apeoial
law oreatlng the offioe of aaeietant distrlat attorue)r.The
Oomtltution doss prohibit the oreation of OwQtjr olty, tam,
eIeotlen dlrtrlot and sohool diatrlot offloes by i ooal or spe-
olal law. The oaab of mller v. $1 Paso bounty 150 23. Y.
(2) 11300,Texas Supreae Caurt, and oases alted brein, would
not apply to Brtlola 32615, V. A. C. 9.. because the offlos
meeted under Article 326~1,V. A. 0. 6. to wit; asmlstant
distrlot attornsy, net only Is not prohibited by Artiels 3
Sect&n 56 or any other portion OS the Conetitution, but i.
me speslf~oally authorlsed by Artiole 5, r;eotion 21 or our
Nate 00nst1tuti0n*
ikmoreiblo Paul Donald, Chairnan, Pam 4
'ye therefore hold Artlola 326a. V. A. C. %, -Wa,
to be a mid and oonatltutional statute.
very truly yours