OFFICE OF THE All’ORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Hon. Thana A. Wheat, Pa&3 Z
"1. When 00dttOa upon M offioar in
the lawful disoherge of the duties of his
aiiioe, ii It 16 known or deolared to the
ofrmhw that the person assaulted ~186 en
offloer disoherging en oftlolel duty."
Moat of the coeea that have been filed un-
der this statute hr:oeinvolved e peace offioor dis-
oharglng hia offfoiel dut l!har(l'ie,
however no
rs2gnrentrenoon for limitf x' the ai)pli.oatlo~
ai this
statute to penoe officers. The lenyap of th0
6t&ute *an orfloer in the lawful Aiaohhrge of the
dutie6 of his offioe* :6 very &enaral. In SAX&X
vu. STAri 2 trim. Re 4513 the tollowing langua&e
winsueed h interpretf ngthf6
’ statute:
99x3 ten3 offioer, include6 all persons
legally authorized to parform publio duties.*
It is neoensnry then to derins the tern
~offioer" and me if a Codnty Commissioner w.0~16
ooms nlthln thle da~inltlon. In the oose of the
CO~&ZSS~ONF.XSCO-m OF LIXESTONE CVm, et al V6.
OARRLTT, aS6 S. W. 910, a Comlssion of Appeal8 case
adopted by the Supreme Court of Texee, the meaning
oi the word noffioerw waa discucsed In,the follow-
iax manner:
*The most lm;;ortantoharaoteriatlo w!iioh
dl8tlngulaha6 an oftios.from an umploymmt
or oontmot is that th8 oroation and oon-
ierring of an offloc1involve6 a delmatlon
to the individual at come oi the 6oVereeign
funotlone of government to be exeroised by
him for the bansfit ai &e publlqs thet
portion or the 6overelgnty of the ooun-
,slther leljislatim, e%eOUtfWJ or jtii-
ror the time being to be
LOX ihe public bmetl* * * *
**Publie ofrioe i6 tM right, authority,
an& duty orated and oonferred by law bp
Bon. ThcamasA. Pntaat,page 3
whloh, for a given period either fix& by
law or sndurlng at the plej:sure& the
oraating~pcn6ir an individual is lnwated
with home aortlon of the sovereign funo-
tlon6 of the SoYermuont to ba exaroised bp
him for the beneftt or the Publid.' The
oorreotnem of this daflnition La nowhere
questioned, so far a.5:';akn9w, ~2ndit is
uoaleos to bda supportdq3 aMWn3.tfes.
lpllbr~ughv. Born6tt, 93 Tex. 310, 55 84.
. U.
"A man is not the less a publio o?fi-
oer wbera Ns autkorit is confined to
namOW limita; for it f8 the duty df hi6
offloa and tha natura of that duty w:iloh
mike him an offioer, and not the extent of
y~ut"~orlty. E%ohemron Fublia Officers,
!l?ha
pertinent part of Artlolb 8, Seotion lS
cd'tha Coaetltutlon of Taxas read8 aa foll6war
7iaoh county shall in like manner b%
airiaad into four aomm.is6loner6* preoinots
in eaoh of nlilohthare shatl be alacted by
tha qualifisd voter6 thereof one oountg
ocmnnis~&oner, who shall hold his office for
two years and until his mooeesor shall be
alsotad and qllaliflsd. The aounty OclmniS-
sionsrs 80 ohosen, with tha oountp judge,
a.8pE66iding offloer, ahallOompOs6 the
County CommleslcaIersCourt, whioh shall 6x-
eraiau attachpowers and jurlediatlon over all
county bUSin886, 06 i6 OonfeITed by th.i.8
can6ltiutionand the law6 of the State, or
a6 may be hereaftar praaoribed.*
mrbher, in Title 44 of the ReYiRed Olvll
Statutar 6f Texas, ws find speoifio powers delegated
to th6 Oacm.i66icmersaburb. An oath and 8 bon6 am
alao raqulred of them.
E(on.Thme A. Wheat, Pnpnge4
ft wcluldmm clear then thet a County Ccn-
missloner would be oomidered m officer I)Rdefined
by the Supreti Court in CocnniaslonereCourt or Lime-
stone County VS. Osrrett, t3upl%ir
You are therefore re8geotfiUp advised that
a County Conmissioner doea a&e within the meaning
of the word *officer* ci8used in subdiolstor?1, Arti-
cle 1147, Vernon’s Annotxtcd CrUinal St&&as.
BP
Fmderik 8. fsely
Assistant
/a/ @mild C. Mmn
ATTOmGmEML GI1"l'EXAS