COPY
.
.
: Authority of Couaty Court
to croorptplea.9of &Silty a36 ,:
la;rosasCrittCce! it vacatkC.
T&la will be in Psterezme to your letter o: ~arulary
84, 1041, roqusrting the opinion Or ttir Ibpnrttwnt as to tte
buthority of the Wmtf cO*t to acos;t Flras or guilty and
hawe mntmma in rraation.
,
As a-tad i5 11 TOX. J&W., F. 81b:
-‘&a aaasral rule la that all Wiatal busl-
~08s want be transacted by a court In tma t&e and
t&at 05ip 8U@h ~u~Jw~S C(LO bb 6iSpOSed Or $5 VS-
oation a~ ia lxpataly authorized by ‘theconrtitutior,
r5b‘8tatutm under \rt?lah the oourt rxiafis, 454 that
l jUd,p wtr tdjOUrmt5t Imy 5Ot, WitbUt ~IpmSS
authority, take my sotion or render arrgcrder uhat-
evtr.*
Jpticle 518 of the Coda of CrMnal Froctdure providt6:
“A plec 0r guilty in a 5i6demu1or aa80 MT
be rcedoeither by the br05a05t or hlrroouarel in
open court. IQ such oam, the derendant or hla
oou58tl &ty xaive a jury, an& the gaus~sh!&eQt airy
be asstssed by tt;saourt, eithbr u*woaor without
evidaoct, at tke dk2retloG of the aC?Urtr*
.
BoQOrable c. 0. Yurdoeh, gage 2
6 of tht Ttxas COnstitutlon 4513 held that plea8 or guilty my
b8 aoorptod by th8 Court only duricg a rtguler term. g88 ~180
21 part0 Oolllnr, 79 For, Grim. hp. 436, 183 S. 91.860; and
Kirk v8. Statt, 60 kr. Grim. Bsp. 172, 151 S. W. 414.
I5 2x pert0 Bill8 wt. 0r cr. App., 1987) 133 Tax.
Grim. Rep. 388, 111 S. 1. (edI 369, snb 2x parto Tense (Ct. or
Grim App., 1937) 133 Tax. Grim. Rap. 402, the court of Orim-
inal Appeala held invalid juhgmtnts of oonvlotion in tb-8coup- ;
ty Court ror sird~~44nor6 and in t&oh in8taooe 8aib: .
“suiriC0 it t0 8Sy thbt it appt8rS fro&%
the reoord heroin tbat app811Aatcs convfctlon8
oocurrad OQ dater nbtn the Court mea in vaoa-
tion. It rolloma that the judemmts of conrio-
tion art void.*
Coastquently, It is the opinion or tbllrDepartment
and you a r eldrirsd that a ~180 ot guilty to a mlllrdeuieanor
charge 8boulQ be sade 15 open Oourt aQd the County Court 18
not authoriztd to accept pitas 0r guilty and rtnder juQmtnt8
0r oonvlotion In vacation.
vtry trq yourr
Approved f8b. 7, 1943s
By 5.
OERALDClMMs
ATTCFS2Y GBh-BF& OF T'IMS
APPROV2DOMNIOXCOKKITPICB