4aJ :,..
OFFICE OF l-NE AlTORNRY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Eonorablo gl.K. Hoopor
tmmty Attorney
Toakum Qounty
Plalnrr,Texlxu
ment upon the above
r Forgory, & le
8 neak LIometiar.
in population,anilhis
have been nb3ae to &et hipi to re8lg~ w&h he
refuees to &J unless the Forgery o~unt~~) are
~t~i86ed whloh ie, of couree, out of We QWIB-
. An emergenap existts.
Honorable Ii.HI.Hoopar, Page 2
"1 have advfssd the Commleelonert~Court
that alnoe there are only 4 juetlce prsolnots
in the county, they bare a perfect right to,
for the pub110 benefit oreata a new juatlos
preoi~nctcomposing the east one-hialfof the
preokct for whioh this man 1s Justioe. A
Commissioner oontande that this osnnot be
done and a new Justice appointed for the
reason that the Present Juatioe reside8 in
the said east one half of the present pre-
olnot.
"1 have based my opinions Article V,
Section 18 of the Constitution, as wall as
upon artlales 2351, 2377, and 5970, and the
cleolsionacited thereunder.
"1 would appreolate your opinion as to
whether the Commissionera Court has the au-
thority to establfsh euoh preolnot wlthout i
regard to whether the present Justice residea
within the bounds of the newly organlaed
praoinot."
Article 3, Sectfon 18 of the Constltutlon, and
Art&e 2351, subdlvlslon 1, Veruon'e Annotate6 Civil Stat-
utes‘ require the Oommlssloners* Court of saah oounty to
lay off the oounty inteajuatloe preoinote not lass than four
nor more than eight In nrnnber.
The ease, State v. Rlgeby, 43 S. W. 271, holds
in eifeot that the Commlseioneret Court In the exerOis@ of
its powers may merge txo preainots into one or may re-dsflue
the boundaries of the tivoprecinots of E oounty, leavfng
the other precinota unohanged.
The oaee, Basting, et al Y. Wowusand, County
Attorney, 136 S. W. 1143, holds among other things, that
the Commissioners* Court haa power to change the bouuda-
ries of the justice preoinot at will.
The oaee of Brown Y. Meek, 96 5. W. (26) 639,
holde that "the Commlesioners* Court has peer, when law-
tha aounty
lnt0 new 1ustlce or the pesos preoia*t* to be00nm lrr00-
tivc In the ruturo and that the Comt&caiunera*Court baa
*or to orsate new juatioe proolnota for the ocinreaionoo
or tke yeopla.”
Burthermora,ohanfem my bo macleitithe tsrrl-
tory 0r
the preolnot durin,gthe tam 0r orfi0~ or 6si elwe-
rd Justicrm. Texas Juria, Vol. 26 p. 793. (Also a.0 the
*a*8 0r rlardv. Bond, 1058. u. (2af 590.)
In view oi the foregoing author1 tlea, the Oar-
)plsolonora* Court hca the powor end autborlty to mi~r@a
justi preoitaot~, re-ddYo8 tke bowbdariea or said pm-
r lneta l ,to., at UI~ tlms within the diaoration ot t&a dor-
Jealon~rs* Court, prorldod tht tho numhar or Jiutloa
prmelMt8 shall not ba 1888 than rour n@r more than ligkt
Innumb a in
r a nyo o unty.
In th eev8Bt fk8 Cdr do nua ’
Qourt l new justleo
c?atebiiabaa praeinnot oo?rpoa~d ot th0
cleat 0ne4au 0r the pr0aOnt prO0itiOt x0. 2, ~rd tea or
~aal~na a MWand aifrurat prodnat numbor to aa $6 ml.7
ratabliabe6 raiolnot,thn would be no &stloa of’ the
pa*ao ror 08Pd preolaot, notrlthatanblng the raot t&t the
pra8mt just100 or the ~~00 0r pr00inot HO. 2 n~l(r~ in
WI. B&W pnohot. The Oomlmionora’ Uourt ~~14~ be au-
tker&#d by virtue or Artiole 235s to rppoint a Jwatioe
or tkw pa00 for the new preoinat.
‘Se le ~01082~ beremltb l oopp Of our oplnloa
20. e-2361, toubklng u.08 a reoaaoy In tko 0rrl00 or j\utioO
Of t&e &oar**
Ardoll Wlltlaaa
Awletcmt