Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1942 )

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I
OFFlCE OF THE AmORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN .
Honorable TclnF.
Count Attornw
AIdaa couat7
Lurkia, Tolao
a8 per oontreqt.
a boon roodrod aaa oaro-
0 puoto ram your ro-
dorkklag to ooa8truot
herewltb it 18 nooo8-
a aorer 0r land. The
Ot8 to thi8 had 8IId it
the8o abatraOt8 oxamin-
duty .or tho county Attoraoy to
rtrrot87 Should he be paid addi-
iOilfOt tb8. 86l'tiO08?"
have the authority to ooartruot llrport8
68 a0 mar bo llOOO88a~ for 8UOh ~W~08o8,
8eO &tiOl#8 h i, Yomon~8 Annotated Tons8 01~11 Stat-
UtO8 and UOWilllOk%~8Ihis Bill el6 and &UlatO Bill 398,
cL'lth'Lsgi8latW Of &Ui8. None of theaa arffolss or amnb-
meats provider tbet it 18 the dutr Of the County Attorney to
Wid~e th0 ab.YtreCt Or title On 3.~48 aO+ird bp th6 OORnty
ror airport gurpoasr. we are unable to find any 8tatute mak-
ing it the du.ty or the County Attcrney to smmine euch ab-
8tl'tiOta.
Honorable
utioia v, s8oti0n zl 0r OUT stat0 cotaituti0n,
declarrr:
l
The oouaty attorney8 shall r8pro-
mwlt tie%atO ELIa1l O(L808in th0 Di8ttrlot and
laforior aourtr in their rerpootlro oouatle'8;
but 'iia4~ OOuaty Phu bo lnaluded in a dir-
trlot in whioh thoro 8hal.lbe a dlrtrlot at-
toraoy, the rerpoetlto duties 0r dirtriot at-
tOrIley aad OoUlltfattOrlhq8 Sbu in mch
countle8 be regulated bl the Lsgl8laturo. . . .*
The abort gtlofad prorlalon or thr Coa8tltutlOn ha8
been Oon8trueb a8 not prrserlbing the dutie8 of the Dirtriot
AttorMr aor an7 dUtiO8 root COWlt.~Attornoy8 other tlmn 8uoh
a8 are rmgulrsd to be perronued ror the State. Bor d0'38 it
glro the County Attornoy authority to Institute a proceeding
eples8 he is given that power by rtatute. The term wdutlss*
a8 U8ed in the COa8titUtiOMl proririon above set forth ha8
been deolared to coaprehead the further idea of power or
authority; and honor tho County Attorney 1s raid to bars ao
lW.horltr to perrora auf aat la ra8est to W&oh ao duty
ha8 baan made to dsvo&ra upon hia. Spencer 1. OalTo8ton
County, 56 Tar. 3841 klar v. State, ZU 9. V. ESl; Dunoan
v. State, 69 9. N. 905.
30 Quote tran an 0pinion rendered br Hoaomblo
Scott Geine8, Zlrst asrlrtant Attorney otumral 0r rdxab,
- Jaauarr 2, 1935:
*unle88 the rtatuto provider ror tho oouaty
attorney to represent the oounty in a oiril aetlon,
it 18 not the duty or the oountyrttornoy to do
Ia oa8e8 rhsn tha oouaty attorney 18 roqulr-
Z'to represent the county aad no r6m i8 prorcrlbrd,
then the coapsaaatlon oi the countr attornq 18 ths
ax orrloio eonpensetlon that will be allowed under
Artlols 5695, oxoept in oases where a aartaln
amount or money 18 raoovered, then hi8 eompeasatioa
10 that authorize& by Artlols 555.
*In casea where the
law doe8 Lot repulre- tha
count7 attorney to repreient
the county, the boat-
pensation is that vihlch is agreed upon between the
county attorney and the coaml.~alonera* court just
in the same nmnner as if some other attorney had
bean smployad by the county.*
Honorabla Ton ?. Colmran, Pago 3
Thi8 de aitment hold in an oplaloa written br
Xonorab1.e Julius %ranki, h8i8tMt Attorney odneral, dated
September 11, 1934, that the Cond3810ner8t Court had the
tiplied atlthorltya8 general aalregerof oounty b~8lnos8,
to retain prirato ooun8al in the pro8eoutioa 0r olvll rultr
larolrlag county matter8 gsnorally and that there uero ao
8tatutosy provision8 making it tho dutr eZ tho Countf At-
torney to repre8aent the oounty in coAdM8stion pmoe8diagr
Or trO8m88 t0 trr tit10 and ia~lrnCtiOll 8Uit8, 8lld that
the Commlasloner8' Court had authority to appropriate
money out or the general fund or the Oounty to pay the at-
torney8 hir8d to represent the oounty in moh piooeobiagr.
Qplnlon IO. o-1040 of thi8 department: hold8 that
it 18 not the duty ot thr Couatr Attorney to reprssmat the
eowty in condemnation prooeedingrand that the Commls-
8loMr8' Court ha8 the authority to Oontwot wlth the Couaty
Attorney to repkesent the county in eaxh prooeedingr and
oozpensata him a8 por oontnaot.
fn the MS08 Or ~OM8 T. ~OltISMU. 191 8. U. 2J37,
ma lattimore,r. Tarrant County, 124 9. N. 205, it wa8
Court may lawfully -ploy thr
held that the COEEUiS8iOfldt8'
County Attorney to roprosoat the lntemsst of their oowitf
in any cauae where moh duty 18 not enjoined upon hla by
-.
law.
TOIAare themroro r88peotfuUy adTi8ed that it
18 the opinion Of this drpartmsnt that it 18 not the dot7
or the county Attorney to lmiao the abrtraot8 0r tit10 to
tha oounty alrport. Tha Caamis8ionor8t, Court would harm
authority to ooatraot with him a8 any Other prfvato attor-
nay to exqniae 8uOh lb8traOt8 and pay him for 8uah 8WViOO8
a8 per oontraot. ‘-.
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