Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1939 )

JWZIUWU HRLD TO RAV6 It0POULH TO SUSPHD W1B W TRXA3 SY IN-VOXItlQ URTIAL SAW 0plnlon oonrtNln# Artlola 1, s0otion '?a, Md Art1010 4, seotion 'Ior th0 aomitution 0r the std.3 or m.00, Md hOldingI 1. Oorrrnor 0f Toxar not ompcmr0d by the Oonrtitu- tlon todaolar0 nartlal law for the purpors 0f eurpondiag Stat4 law. 8, Coartltutlon wstr in the L0glalaturr role pmor of ~r&wull~ thr lmur ot the Stats of TOIAS, OFFICS W TW ATTORNSY ORNERAL F'rbrobry9, 1939 Hoaomblr W. Loo O*Danirl Oorwnor or Tour Awtln, Trul’ Ihar Oorrrnor O~Dlnlal: 0plnion uo. O-308 Ro: Power of the Qorsmor to susprnd law8 of the State br invoking mrtlrl lar. In your letter oi February 8th you a8k the o~lnlon or thir Department upon the roihdn6 qurstiont "Will F0u plrrrr 0drlr0 DI at rour r0rllw.t opportunity rhrthrr or not undrr thr Qoaatltutlon and laws Of thir Stat0 I harr the authorlt l8 Oovrrnor to inrokr mart101 law in 0 limit0d or ma I rioted pmre rot the purposr of rurpondlng the IWM thousand pound truok limit lw sob 011``1 the OrdrrlF novmont or prrl0habl.r oitNr fruit0 and vagrtabl00 trqa the Vrllry thrwgh the Str tr Of Tars in’order to prorrrro ld ooaaw~e thlr valuablr orop and in order to farrant laOurrOotloaL, riot snd bloodrhr4.a In oonnrotion wlth thin quortion you make the iollorr- *It lnr 0100 brur lx p la lnr d that to IPI tranrpor- trtlon by motor tmokr of thorn fr u itr l$ wll a# rage- tablrr lo tb Vallo 10 not profitable with the Drr8mt rrrtrlotloar imp000i by thr aeva thour0nd pound tNOk REPRODUCED FROMTHE HOLDII~GSOF THE W. La. O'Danlal -Z- February 9, 1939 llmlt law and that unlsw~ thla tNlt 18 SilOWad t0 be mo~sd by tmok in lorgar quantltlee It ~111 be impoa- rlble for the growawsna produoarr to tranaport or dlrpoao profitably or (1 major portion or that rwlt. "It has further been oxplsined to ms that there 1s a sarlour likelihood of iasurrsotlon, rlot and blood- rhsd baoause of the ract that growsrs sod producera ss wall as truckers sra determined to move and ars moving and Will OOntlnus t0 UGVB fNit by motor tNOk Out Of the Vsllay, Over the highways of this Stats in loads grestsr~than that permitted undal*the sawn thousand pound truck llmlt law, end that beoause of the enroroe- ment Of that low by the ofilosra of the $tsts sad other subdlrlalons ot tha Stats thara 1s e groat probability that ofthor the otfloara or the groware and produoors and truokarr will brooms inrolrad in phyaloal oombat, and that #arlOus prraonal injury or death may be ln- flloted upon some of thosa lnvolvad." Thlr IMpartaent has no dlaoratlonary powers. we must and do as~me an antlraly lmperronal attitude in lntarpratlng and rnforoing the Constitution, and the lawa of tbls Stats an thsy are plainly nrittao by tha Laglalaturo. EaargenOlas of this nature must ba daalt with rlthln the limltatiOn8 Up00 the ponerr Of the various branOh of the State gOTaRuaent lmpo~ed by the Constitution or ths Stats or TOX8C.. An lmer g e nowill y not suthorlza the usurpation by ona brsach of State governmsnt or a powr expressly oonfermd by the Constltutlon upon another branch or ths Government and dsnisd to all other breaches, in the absence or sn sxprars oon- rtltutlonal prorlslon parmittlng suoh power to be sxarolied by other branohra unbar spoolfled olroumstsnoas. Upon the question or the powar to suspend the law of this State, our Constltdtlon~hos spoken in such dlstlnot and unmistskabla language tliat thsra exists no room for intarprrta- t1on. Arti 1, Saotlon 28, of the Taxas Constitution prorldasi =?qopower or uue.pendlnglaw in thla Gtate shall ba lxsrolssd axospt by the LsgiSlaturs." The Governor la empowered by Xrtlola 4, Seotlon 7, Oi tha Constltutlon, on11 forth the mllltls to alsouta the lawa "to '. 0r the state, to suppress lnsurraotions, raps1 lnrsslonr, and REPRODUCED FROM THE HOLDINGS OF THE --... ^ ~_.__ ." L^ Hon. W, Lee OIDanlel -3- February 9, 1939 protaot the frontier from hoatlla inouraionr by Indiana and othar predatory banda." It thua appears that the Qoraroor lr aspowered by the Conrtltutlon to daolara martial law only for the purpose of ~nforoing the laws or this Stats, and for the purport or quelling lnaurreotlonr against thorr laws. The Constitution arprrraly ooafarr upon thr Leglalaturr thr power of auspandlng laws and danlaa that power to any other branoh of the Stata gorarnmant. Ha tharrfora sower that the GoreNor may invoke mart181 lar for the purpose of axaoutlng the provlrion8 of the law involved and for the purporr of aupprrarlng or preventing any lnrurraotlon against ruoh law; but that the pwer and the rrsponrlblllty or auapandlng the operation of mzoh law la Teat86 lxolualr~1y In the Laglalaturr of thla State and nmy not b elxerolaad by the Oovamor. Toura vary truly mTorom¶ ORNRRAL w TEXAS R. II.Falrohlld *aalatant Thla opinion her bran oonsldara+ in oonferanoo, approved, and ordorrd raoardad. REPRODUCEDFROM THE HOLDINGSOF THE TIXASSTATEARCHIVES