Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1943 )

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OFFlCE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
893
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-pro-tampor@Je.” For the puFpo888 Of uua oplnlon u* as-
SW0 that 7% h8Y8 refecsnao to a Ppeaial OountJ Judge. we
karr bw ua8bla to Sin4 8ay authoritq vhatsoeru authoritlng
th 8mOiatovllt 'Of8 ~O-tWJQOF84 O-t7 j-0. -Of&? 88 lf8
hsve been 8ble to drtumiae, t&a p8iUOn Or ottlO* of pro-
tel3JKiPe OOUIit7judgO dOU8 ~OtUbtMdUth8IlilV8 Ofthi
.
stota l
368tiCCI 16, Artiela'v Ot tha state Coimtf~atioa, pro- .
yidm In -#t 88 fOuW81
Artfolaa 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934 VernaQ1r Anrto-
tated ClVU
%ltUt98,, ana Artloles 554, 555, 5,d and 537, vsr-
20n*s cod8 d caah8.l Pracmdure, putain to the seleotian,
-&3CtiOllOr 8~OfiltMllt Of 'I&%'Sial
OOUlltyj-8. we h8Ve
;uotd jnd &isoua8ed the80 artioler in our OplaSsns Bob O-3991
.ad O-457a rektive to qumrtiona involoed in u;Ld op;htar~..
lieare encloring oopio¶ of these opinion8 for yaw ooaT8niano0.
22ersscre Ire&em it unMorsrsry to qUOt8 t&88e arbiolea at
k@& in thi8 opiniO%
. 894
!cnor6bb W. P. a-8, Jr., w 3
Weqwtefurt~r frooT&xar JuHsprudoaoe, Yoluao 25,
:sae8 306-308,. ar Sollwsr
1. . . .
'%m od8atiOn Or 8ppofntMnt Of 8 apudQ1
jaQa .lspropu anly qon thm conditiona apeclaed
22ltba corutitution Qnd atatuto8. Acoordlq to
suahcaaldltiarua speolaloolult~or dl8triOt judge
aep.be selected by consent of the parties vhen the
28aUbr jUd&S i% disquplffiedj &ZldM Cl8OtiCU Of :
a spus0l8ZL ,juQ8 bjattoamys is proper si%olrlda
district. judge 'fail or rstuse to hold ths court,’
or, in tha care OS oouilty Judgss, is the judge
'falks to sppmar 8t the tinrsappointed far holding
the court or shod he be abrent dur2z.gthe tua or
*unsbla~r'uwi~ tc hold t& oourt.' Tao fare-
gofag ai-8 tie only EL-oumstaaasr In weh'tki aelao-
tiOn Of 8 SpC%+ OOUZltyOr d.btriCt j-8 is BU-
ti3cri.sad. . 4 .
With refermae te tha pavers and duties of a speelti
j'ud@ 8hOtd bg th 8fiOrIIOpS of th8 bS.r,~tMLQra~l~apou
~;c15 8t8t8d iX&%%USS ~UriS``mdmaCS, ~O~SZU 25, pWm 3258
Qrfng the contltud absenao ai the regular
j-8, or his ooittlntaed tmVS1~88
to a8r08, 8
sptoi8l fudga elacted by ~#a 8ttoPnsy, is, vitun
the lm!lld.ZQ Of t&3 cCtl%titUtim and 14V8, 8 jU&e
of the oowt l a 41 h sa 81 1 tb a a uth o r ity of a
PeglllU l&i k8pOt
jU@m t0 Oa8@8 tbilt ~O~Plp
caw before bin, or, at least, he ha8 suoh oi the
regular judge’s pwus 88 8re nece38ary to ensbls
3.m to'tmnsaat the buaisinarsOS t&i oourt. An elect-
ed speoial jtige my prerldo - 8vmn Bt a speotal
zens of court - in all ca%es lo vhlah ha ia not dis-
ijusltiied;hl8 authority ir not llxultedto t3m trial
al cases In vhlah ths rtmalu judge 1s not disquazF-
fied.. 30 may dtlS5lOS8 cift+ unfInirhed business
:r the r8&uldlr lnolmllbent or of Qnothu SpeC~Ql judw;
.
895
bacrablo Y. I?.Hama, Jr., ~a 4
kw may adjourn aowt irem day to day: and ka may
vaudate aatr or hlzls prodooessar. Lt aecns, hav-
ever, that a special Judge has no authority beyond
the ~tioular court Vhlch he is ci1ootodto hold.*
“A judge amointod spoolally ~to try one aatme
zay not trJ any othar uause ,mndl.aa In tho aourt un-
lera he be appointed for that purpose by tba gu-tiaa
to t&l4slat. Hcmevor, s-h a Judge haa ml1 author-
ity to hear and d&e-, not only the @articuUu
suit pendiq, but alao any litigation bstveen #a
aama parties miq out of the suit. A JLlOgb ap-
pointed to try a oauee vhich haa been consobia``d
nith othera ha8 jurlsdlation ovez eaah of t&3 con-
soIKda%wdCauses, but ha nraynot oonsolid8te the
cnse that he haa been emlooted to try witi o?kue'~
per&q oasesi” (Texas Sudsprudence, ?olmsc 25,’
;jazs32d, fazr~-)bericti milvay co. Y. cabill,.
3, v. 2321 Dsa``i vi i?ridga~,32 a. if.qx; %rfki _
v . :.1wgrave, 3 5. Y. 90)
ds hazetofore otaied tha ‘ielectfcn or agcolntzent of
3-pal.Shl County. jUd43d’ 1.a pr’mer Oe. UNB tb COllhitiCIU 33e-
;i’izd c.0 thw C4Jurtltutlon and statutwr.. Ii0 fail to ‘and &y
tokit suth3rira tlia,elaetioq or appointxbmt of a 3geaial
‘;uty OS ‘the aami3-
fudge to.prealda o~gr-or aat as .a zhimber~
Lacers’ court.. Therefore, it ~1s’our c@.nhn, that no spalal
x&y ;udge caa be wleoted OP appointad to pszlars such dutlw.
a~nsldar
‘denori’ YOW bacond &rtiou. hrtlcles 2354
r.ci7045, Vernon’s A;motatvd Civil 3tatutev;‘read ar Sollovlr:
“Art. 2554. Bo county-tax’shai~ h levied wx-
cegi nt a reguUz term ot the oourt, and vhen all
t;embers of said c0m.t are pwsont.~
*Art. 7045. The c&arlanePr oourts OS t&J
several counties, all the mqmbers thereof being
3ressnt, at withor 0 re@ar or sjHalal se8sicm,
say at any tism aStar the tax aa8essors of their
respective countloa,havo Sorvardbd to the Comptrol-
ler thw said certfficate ad prior to the tfG4 ulna
20 tux collootor 0:’ suoh aounty shall have begtg
ta nak4 out hi3 rb08ipta, calculate rh4 rat.4and
zajeast the taxes lovlwd In their reapwotivs corm-
ties far gwnoral purpose8 to the taxable valuas
3&m 3~ th4 asressmnt f011s.”
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lIoAor8bleW. P. Henna, Jp., pS84 5
Yerno``a AMotated Civil
Statutes, aaao OS Cramer v. Sheppard,
167 s. W.
'To our mfnd2, It Is illo&al to cont4Ad
that. tho aonatruotion
. . 484
-_ have give43th4ae3- conati-
tutlonal provlslona VoUld malm It lmpoaaible for
a co*uutyoam4ia~io~43rs~ oourt to Six tax rates,
if a menber th4reoS should bo absent for th4 aanm
reason Judge f)iron'vaaahrent, because Artlola 7045
of our Civil Ytatut48 requlras all au&era of auob
courts to bw present uhaa oounty tax rates are
fired. Certaidlg a Statute cazmot ovwrrida the
Constitutioll. #hSrW the COilStitUtiOl3 FWllXitS 8
nomber to be absent, a atatirta Cannot require him
to be present. It follova that in auoh inatauoe
Article 7045, aupra, camotbe appliwd a3 to th4
member absent by aoaatitutLana1 authority."
& tha case af~Broocka v. State, 41 3. W. (2d) 714,
it is said that:
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'The 0caiaai0ners~ cmrt ~y~lwvy taxes c~ly
at a regular term with all nembera prwaent."
!I%w Suprenw CoUrt of Toxaa LI ccnstmlng tiLlale 1517
(which is Aoy Artiole 2354, supra), said:
'Art3014 1515 gave a power to levy taxas for
cmnty purposes, and Aotlole 1517 imposed limita-
tiOA8 as to the mode of fJapoafngtaxes as iolloliar
Xo county tax shall be levied except at a regular
term or the oou.rt,,ti vhen all the mmbera of such
court are Fl’WS4At. OnqUeatloMbly, the lagfalatur4
had the povor to r&m this rule. The limitation
admits of no ooAatr.uut.ioo.The iaeanfng is clear;
courts cannot altar it or dlapenae vitb it. A tax'
lwviwd at a called seesian oi! the aourt, or witkout
the prwawnoe a? the full nemberahlp, ir not leviwd
accomk?sg to lea, and ournot authorlao tba tax
colleotor to 441x4 and S4Ll prop4rt.y to enf033e
its colleatian.” (Free et al. v. 3carborough, 3
5. w. 430)
In th&matter under ocmsidwration the county judge is
.A absent by &waiasion of.the COAatitUtiDA. Thwrwlorw, it is
kw OpiAicA of this departmwnt that the aase-of Craznwrx. +ep-
.nzd, aUpra, ia AOt applicable to thW quWatiOA pzssented iA
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a. 897
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Honorable W. ?. Hems, Jr., page 6
your Lnqulry. St is our further opinion that the 0880 of
Broocks v. State, --.
and the care
__ of .Free
. et al. v. Soarborough,
supa, are oontrolllng regarding tna quertlon undw mu&dera-
tfon, which is the levying of a t&x. Therefore, the four coun-
ty commIssionera o&mot levy a taz In the absence of the coun-
ty JuaSe.
In oonneotion vith the lOregOing statements Ye
dlreot your attentbn to Senate Bill So. 245, Bats 48th Legis-
lature, Regular Sebrlon, 1943, vhioh reads as iollovrr
"SeQtlnn 1. The pr0viriOna of Artiole 7045
and Artiole 2354, Revised Civil Statutes ot Texas,
1925, relative to the levying of taxha bg the Coun-
ty Ccmmisalone~s’Court are’hereby suspended until
M3Y 1, 1945.
'Sea. 2. So county taX shall 3s lirvied exoept
at a regular term of the court, tiead
vhen ~21 nemberr
of said court ard present. ?rbvided, hovevep, that
if my ussaber ar me&mm of the CcmnZrai~nors Court
or the County judge is In aotlvs military or naval
sffrvic4,county taxea may be levted at a.njr rogulat
ten of the Co=lmi8slonsrsCourt when a quorum o?
it3 nerabersare prsaenti Thla section shall be ef-
fective until the dar;eset out l.ESection 1.
“380. 3. The Commisaionnrs Court of the stvtral ’
countLea, all the ntembersthereof be- present at
either a regular or ~peoial session, map at an&
tica after the Tax Asaearors of their rerpective
counties have iomuded to t’heComptroller the eaid
cerrtiricate, and pior to the time when the Tax
Collactor 0: such oountf shall have begun to make
out his receipts, oaloulate the rate and adjust the
t-8 Isvie& ln their i’eepeativecount&es for general
D,,WDO~e. to the table ValuS shown by the ae8eseL
zent rolls; DrOVlaUCi, however, that if aup member
or memberr,of the Comalsrioners Sourt or the Coun-
ty J&ge IS Ln aotive mLUtary or naval service,
cou&y taxes~may be levied at any regular tern of
the Commissioners Court when a qaor-um ai lta nwaberr
ax ,present. TMs Seotlon shall be offootive until
the date set out in Bectlon 1 of this bill.
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898
iionorable W. P. Rernu, Jr., page 7
‘Sea. 4. The’crowded condition of the calendar
oreater M ,emargenoy and an imperative pub110 neees-
eit;r that the Constitutional Rule requiring billa
to be read on three several dayr In each Rouse be
suspended, and said Rule Is hereby suepended, arid
that thlr Aat ahall take efreot and be In force frola
and after its paseage, and it ia so enaoted.”
Thin Aot.Osa approved Ihy 7, 1943, and becomes eifea-
tive 90 d&m after the date or adjournaent of the Legislature.
Thhi Act is not nov ei’feotive aad wads? the faotr presented
Ft vi.11 have no applloation to the quartfan umier canaiders-
fion as the county judge ia not in active militag or naval
service. I
Your3 very truly
ATTmRY OEemAL OP %Lxk3
AW:db
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