Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1945 )

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Your let.d
...K3&l&4 9, i$4 reQua6tiBg the
opinion of this D+pazbnt bp t "$'* on6 stated therein 18
ai?
in part ar f011ov9\ \ \ Quss
P
e 332, R. C. ft..
rlelected ,to,and
porrtlngbond whtob
' Court and took
orBoy oi mufl86in
i8 xaufmn, Texal.
iSiOn Of th8
c0uBty.v. Sheppard,
.Artlclm326q, V.A.C.S.
I am llkavise fan&liar with Attomey
i48-'8 Opinion HO. O-5024, in vhioh APticlO
fMInSI'81
``~-11, V.R.C.S., wa8 held to be unaonstltutloael 8d
. I am not ldvl8ed, howevm, whether there ha8
ever been a deOi8ion by th0 Court8 OOn~erniKLgthe
oonstltutlonalit~of Art. 326k-11, 8Ud would like to
be adtllld whether tha above cited opinion of pour
Departmmnt i.8the orillinterpretationof auoh 8tatUt@.
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Honomble Fred V; INerldlth,Page 2
"I feel that IS the qwation ever oame
before the OoWt8 that AH. 326k-11 would be
held lnralid, the maob a8 var Art. 96q. HOW-
ww, the Coml88iOmr8 Court of &uSman cow&r,
w&r luthozlty OS AH. 326k-11, by order dulr
entered, ahanged the nap. of the offloe of County
Attorm~ to that of Cx'iinilul MItriat Attorney.
~tOrdOrha8 novorboanrevoked,n~anj~
0Ed.l' in tlli8 OOAWOtiOZ&'mde. Thi8 W letter-
head -8 printed before I q\ullSied ?a the of-
fiCIe#r p d l BWbW Of OW OOw8int WAd iZkfWMtiOB
fOPI Oarr?Jthe &8i@iMtiOB 'CX'~"'%Ml Dirtriot At-
torney'. 1 WI l1 Wt.d on the ballot a8 'County
Attorn@ bO08U80 I SllOd that war, %B riw OS the
abovo oitod Supreme Court deoi8lon and the above
oited opinion of your Department. I qualified a8
‘Connty Attomq’ .
"Qw8tionr (1) Are oomplaint8 8vorn to before
QH a8 'CrininalDirtrlot Attorwy’, and informtionm
Sllod by 'noa8 'Cx'iminalDistl'iOtAttorn@, yalldly
filed, or vould they be subjoot to motion to qiM8h
Or to di8Pi884'19
"(2) Should q offloial sots be po~formod in the
name OS 'Cowtj Attorwyl or "Cr%mhal Di8trlet At-
torney'?
"(3) Should the t%lEBi88iCSlW8 Court b. adtired to
rwoke the order ohanging thm naae or the County At-
torney ofiloo to that of Criminal Dirtriot Attorney,
or to ardor the name 0s the 0SSioe raustorodto that
of County Attorney?"
You Stat0 in hour httw that th0 &38II8i88iOWr8'
Colt
of nufman County acting wdor Artiole 326k-11, Vornon~r hnnokted
Civil %dXlte8, b7 older duly entU%d in the dBUt.8 of raid Court,
OhpB@ th0 BMIO Of the OfSiO~ Of COUntJ AttOXW~ t0 that Of
Criminal Dlstrlot Attorney. You further 8tato in lffeot that you
vere elsoted, ported bond and took the oath of office, a8 County
dtt0Fney 0s ksufwn county.
Artiole 326k-11 Vernori'8Annotated Cl*11 Statute8
vaa held to be void in our oplnio~ lo. O-5021). It Wan 8tatOd in
aaid OpinLon "The only purpose, 8nd the 8010 *ifOOt, Of 8UOh Aot,
Honorable ZMed V. Werldlth, Page 3
ii valid, is to change the name of the offiae of County Attorney
iB Oerkin OOUAti.8. . i A.&lo10 326k-11 lttwp t8 to ohange
the name OS a @onMltutlonal ofSlcW. It i8 theroSO&e raid.
Mate ex rel. XaPlilton Attorney General, v. Troy, Pro8eautlng
Attorwy, 68 Pao. (2) 413. . ."
You ark whetherthere haa bWA any COWS deai8ion
InvalvIng tha qW8tiOA of the oOn8tltutlorulItyof Artlole 326k-11.
%%rO ha8 bWA A0 OOUl'tdWi8iOA b any Of Our Appellate CO'&8
iBVOl*lry the qUO8tioo.of th@ o0A8l ItutloMlIty of raid Statute.
We an6wer pur qwlrtionr in rwor8* order. A8 hereto-
Sow dated thirDepartmant ha8 iwld in opinion lo. O-5024 that
Astlolo 326k-11 la unoonatltutlonaland thesef~re void. Whew the
CO~88iOAOC8’ f.%WFt of mUf-A COWtylOting AAdOP 8aid StAtUtO
ohangad the xnao of the oifloeof Caun~ Attorwy to t&t of Crln-
lnal~Dl8triotAttorwy, the lo t of the Ooc~mIsrionorr,'Conrt wa8
void. It 18 lt.11eskblirhsd iB thi8 State thst the COml8%88IOl%Ol?8'
Court8 po88err only suoh power and authority a8 18 given by the
statute8 and COMtitUtIOZiand thO8e p-err and dutl.8 UOOO88arily
Implied thuororm. ThWOfOW, iA UlWW t0 YOU third qW8tiOA,
it ir onr opinionthatvhentho Courtattemptadto ohangetho name
of the offloe of County Attorwy to that of CrlmIMl Dilrtl-iOt At-
torney the Court aoted vithout any legal authority,and a8 8tated
abwo, the order of the Court I8 void. It 18 LmMterlal whether
the CommlS;bwrs’ Court revotie8the o~e``~haging the name of
Cowty Attorwy to that 0f CrioirulDl8trlOt Attoao~.
IA aB6WP t0 TOW 8OOOnd qUO8tiOA JOA AM l’@8pOOtfAll~
ldfi8.d that it I8 OUT QiAiOAth4lt yOU2 OffiO~l 8Ot6 rhould b@
perSf3'm.dw OU a8 COUAty AttaPwy aAd AOt a8 CI'iriMl DiBtPiOt
Attorney. uAior the hot8 8tatul by you and thm lppliaable rtat-
utw you are the County Attorney of KauSs8n County ax4 not "Grim-
irvl Dirtriot AttOl'Aey.
WO AW oona1d.r JOUP ?IrLrrtqUO8tIOA. GOUeFally r-k-
ing, a oomplalnt muat be aworn to by the oomplainant~ OtheXWire,
it 18 of no effeot and vi11 not support a proreautlon. A oomplalnt
may be before the Dirtrlot or County A%w~ey, who are aprr88ly
;;” paver to admlnl8ter oath6 for thl8 purpo8e by Brtloler 30 and
f Vernon'8 Annotated code o fC&ulna1 Prooedure, o r before ltw
of&r luthorlaed by law to ldmlnl8t.r oathsi and a oomplalnt
oworn to before a de faotooffiow 18 valid. (Daw *. State,35
9. u. 661). A ooqlalnt m8y be made before an A88i8tant CoUnty.
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Honorable Fred V.~Meridith, Page 4
Attv or a Jwtloo OS the Peaoa or a County Judge. (-lay
Y. State, 224 5. If.7711 Kelly Y. State, 38 s. w. 779, 39 8.~.
1111 hrncaA v. Stat*, 279 8. W. 4573 Stepp Y. State, log S.W.
1093).
It 18 8ttbtOdIn Tti8 SurI8prutlew6,Vol. 12, P. 585:
?The jwat of tha ofrioer boforo whom the oom-
plAiAt 18 8wOl'Ato 18 lrrentlala without it a OOm-
p~l4;:atally defeotlve aAd till not rupport an
. The juratmu8tbedatodmd 8ignOdby
the*OSSloW, and muat 8hOw his oSSloia1 ohanoter.
If the OmlaiAt i8 8wOrA t0 befOl'@aA a88;8taAt
OQUAty lttOl'B6y.the UMt mwt 8hOw that the oath
Ya8 aa8tW8d b h and a jUMt 8;grud iA the
Am80 Ofth 0 OOWtylttOrA6y by the l8818taAt 18 ln-
8uifiOi*Ati
"Th0 Oourt,~before vwdiat, ati upon proper
roof of thm Sa o tr fmy p wmit l~ odtted jurat to
ii
6 added by amAdmsnt, or aay permit a jurat to be
lmmdad by iruezN.Ag an Omitted date, or the MM or!
the party ollkingthe oOAplalAt, or by adding the of-
Sielal oharaetes OS the offlow, 0s by oorreotisga
milltakeiA tha name OS the affiant a8 8& out in the
jurat, or in order to oorreot a Ai8tak6 in the date.
But lAeAdaeAt8 of thla o&raster rey not be mud6
lxoept under the ruthox%ty and dlMotioA of the oourti"
GaAerally 8peaklng whore an objeotla 18 made OA the
OoI@aiAt 18 AOt OffiOiallJ8iapld by the OffiOW
g r OUBd th a t l
who took it l'a18@8a 8rioIl8 qW8tiOA a8 t0 it8 Yalidlty. (C&AhA
vi State, 160 S.W. 714). We quote Sr= the oa8e OS Cook vi State,
132 9; W. (2d) 404:
"It 18 a180 t0 b. A0t.d tbt the jLA'atoA
8uoh oomplaint 18 defeotlve in that 8amo 3.8not
81@AOd oSSlolallyby the perron whore naim 18 at-
taohed thweto. The oSSlola1 title of the offlaw
8houl.dbe 8hOwA thereon. See BMBOh'8 Peel Code,
p. 249, Sea. 480, and authoritierthus oited."
(IA OonWOtioA with the foXvgOiII&$8tateUIeAt806 the fOlhWiAg
oases: Shurbet v. State, 60 9. W. (26) 791; Stern8 Y. State,
116 9. w. 38Jhj Stanley v. State, 150 9. W. (2d) 765; and
Heely v. StirtO,1.619. We (26) 294).
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Honorable Fred V. Bieridith,Pegs 5
IA Y1rW Of the ?OMgOi~ authol'iti.8 it 18 OUT
OpfAiOA that OOlQlaiAt8 WorA to before you a8 %rLPLnal Dla-
trlot Attorwy”, ESAdiAfOl78'ltiOAWfibd b7 YOU a8 'fh'iF8iMl
Distrlot Attorwy” if objected to on the ground8 that the oon-
plaiat or intonation 18 Aot 0fri0i8iiy 8tgxud by the ofSlow
who took it Pai868 P very SeI’iOA8 qU68tlOA A8 t0 the Yalldlty
Of said oOADlainlAaAdiAfOl’I&iiOM. We mAAot aategorioallp
86;l th’lt suoh OOAplaiAt8aAd iAfOl'A&iOA8are invalid Or
subject t0 AOtiOA t0 qua8h or a 'WItidAtO di8IEi88. It 18 OUI?
OpiAiQA th8t th. jUMt iA 8Uoh OOwhiAt8 OF iAfOrmltiOA88hould
be oorreoted vrPda the authority aAd direr&ion of the Cortrt
showing your OSS1Olal oharaoterwhioh l8 CouAty Attorwy and
AOt CrFPriMl Di8triOt Attorwy.
ATTOIWBY CBNBRAL OF TEXAS
By b-&L
&dell William8
A88i8taAt
AW rF0