OFFICEOFTHEAlTORNEY GENERALOF‘TEXAS

Honorable Waltw?Kurahtaon County httorney HaakeLl County Eaakell, Texas IMarSir:

loh minutes were 4by hia probepay uid ClorJc arniorr, aaifl ttorvpemfomr4 after

tha County Gle& to make rush inffex?

thl6 4+pertment.

Theapplfaable rtetutsr defining th$ dutlo6 of the County Clerk in relation to tbs Cam&asfonsre* Court are krtiolrs 1940, Z345end 2349, Vernon*a Anmtated Clril Gtatutss, which (tre a6 WllonarHonorable Falter ~~urchiaon, rege 8

*Artlola lQ4G. Thor shell be er-officio clerks of the ocm&iselonere oclirt." "Artlole zs4b. Thecounty 0101%shell be ex-officio Clark of the oOmmlaAIoneracourt; m& he shell **attend** upon eich term of acrid commla8iOnere **OOUrtt preserve**  end keep all books, papers, records an6erfecta belon&g thereto, issue ill notIae6, urlta end prooear neoeaum tar the prcpar axeoutlon of the powma end dutlea of the ecuamisalonera oourt andperform all auoh other **&tier** ea maybe preacdbed by lew.*

“AlWcle zi349. The oourt ahell require the county plbrk to keep AUitAbh book8 in whioh A!!mll be reoordrd the prooee4lnga of ecrohterm Of the oouti; which reoord shell ba reeO and rIgned artor s~oh term by the county Ju&e, or the &oazbArpmsldl6&andattemte$ by the clerk. Theolork ahall also 

### record all aWhorlA& proceedings of the court between t%naa; Andauah reoord ahall be read AndBigue& Onthe iirAt'dAy Or the tam nati after such proceedlags oeaurr&a.* 30 do not: ballwe these POVfBiOQAor the law or anyotherprotialona th6f raha*@ lcmable to find were 6 Intended to require bb alerk, or to: perelf the ocamiaaloJiers* oourt to iequlre the eou&y atirk, as A pert of the lOgA datba **Or hia**  **OrriOSi t0**  **OUT8 tha**  **dareotb OT**  **make up**  

### r0r the 

### derlclcnolrs br one whomayhave FZWOded him ln hi0 office. W6bAa0this oplnlon upon the &ooisIcn or the supreme Court of Texas. in Wiillla **Y.** Jouea, 11 Ter. 804. This **ia** 

### A@ARC

arhem%nthe **UiAtrht** Clerlt **Or** &ni@ee **GOUQtJ,** TBxea, in 1854 **wad** hla~predeoesaor ia Office for work parromea by hlai In ~,#&lrrg UEto date reoords whlah such pmtmeseor hadnegU~+.ly r6ihd aad: amitted to enter, au4 which the Dietriot Clerk bringi& the Auit had Yoluntarilt entered E

roporly and b, u&t downto dote. The Supreme Court he &thet he aoura not reooter fcbr tha meeon @en by Judge Lipso-b as roiionsrHonorable Welter )fwohi6on. Fa&e3

filllthoughhis decieion WANrendered e long ttie ego
**we hue**  **found** no **oaoe** And **no act**  

### 0r **the L~ioieture**  **overruling** it YOring i And, Although the dOOiaIpnwoe rendered In a cam inthe Dlatrlot Clerk wethink that In the ebsenoc or AII opinion 

### 0r the court or 

### or A **AtAtUtO to**  **the oontrery**  **the -0**  would be the aeae in cam of **A** Oounty Clerk.

It Is **Well** AettJed law In the.Stqte of TexAa that the ooxrElseIoner%’ court Is Acourt 

### or ltiited 

### juriaaictfon andderives lta paore only by ezpresa prorielona 0r the Con**OtitUtiOn en@**  the atetUte8 or from neoeseary hpliOAtiOn found within the oon%tItutIonal end statutory provisI&e. Ihe Constitution drtlole 7, Section 1.8, $IreA the ommI%sIoner%’ court jur~adlotlon over all county bualnera., 4. 1243x-t 0r seib SeotIon 18, 0r Mtlcle V, Conetltution of Terse, is aet out ea r0ii0m:

by this Colutltutlon end the ~AWA of the StAte, or a6 MY **be** hereAttOr preaoribed.*

wehate manydeolrrlonr 

### 0r the 

### aourts or Tnraa 

### a+ ployiug the phrase *oouuty 

### bualnebcw ea used In thla oonatltutlouel provlelon end there oplnlcna hors given many 

### varlourr defluItloua or the tern as it related to the partloular emttera and raota then bsrorc themtar edjudloetlon. not 

### yet hare, Bao+or, wedo

end perhapo 

### ILOYW ehell h*Ye, any oouiplete or all-lnoluslve aerinition that 

### 00ula be aaid to clearly Aet out the bounderiee 

### or the area of aotlon or the oommlAaIonorA* oourt, end of whioh It 03 uld be.aeId regardfag any oonoofrAble uituatIo~&ft%w$ch such court might be cdlled upon to take 

### AOtiO&I:
, or, this IA not, *oounty bualnese’

.”

**Tt ray**  **be** Mtely aald, however, that the ooem.iAeloners * **OOUe** IS the gc+erXXi~ body Orthe **COUBtY With**  **JUtiS** diction that touohee in ~omoreapeot almo%t every reawre or the county’fi buaIneAs, %e%Ehl.inger 0. Clark, 8 S. X. (Sd! 6661 and the court has full andgeneml ohvee of the bu%ine%A or the Cmty, Gusset v. ~ueoee County ESS8. % 687. Aad the taw **woounty** bualncas c ahoula be &en 

### Abzoad 

### ad liberal oonatruotion A0ae not to defrat the W.rpo%%aOfthe law. clem y. all.as County Emis **VAro** IslAnd t%vOOsfet., 875 F. 0:. 137-148.l3onorable %lter Eurehiaon, Page 4

y:ehave been unable to find any authority aptdrfaally aUthOritlIl$ the C&iiQ1S81Onam*Court to eaploy any person to index the rolnutee or the CaElal8aione~s~ GoUrt other than the County Clerk hlrreli. %ethink It 18 clear, however, in view of the opinion of the **Lupmme Court**  **in** sill18 ‘v. Jones, uupra, that it is not the duty or the present County Clerk to bring Ur to date the Indexso whlah his predeoeseor felled to mske. Wetake the view that ir it Is neoemsary ior the go06 of the ooudy, t,bt tJwm inQuo8 be brou+t up to date, andyour latter lndioetes **that** it 

### Isneoeaeery, the buslnes8 of arranging ror **thair** being brought up to date wwld be county **businssr** within the purview of the cOnstItutIona provlslon hemlnabove set out.

You are

ldvi8e6 that It Is the oplalon of thlr &eprrtment thatthe Ootamlssloner8~ Court could under the powam andjurialiatlon at oounty buslnesr conferred by the Constttut$on and the laws of thl8 State employ either the County Olerk, pr0v1QeUthe **work** ir done by the County clerk at a t&e the regular dUtle8 **0r** hi8 **0rri00** do not re ulre his attention; or by-.-athird patron employed by tha 8O&&S- .sloners* Court for the **r~soifio** purpose or making those **inbxe8** by and with the consent of ’the County Clerk. It **is** our 

### furtheropidon 

### th8f,sinae a8 pointed out.ebOvo, the bringlag up to date of theas **1566x0s** fs not a part of the duties l.qpseQ uponthe Wuatp Clerk by law, swh **o~mp6588-** tion as halaight be aid for this extra work pauld not bo ohargeable against h E10 acoount as part **0r** his fee8 **0r 0rrs0e.**  It should ba kept In alnQ that If the Con&ssloners’ **Court** eegloys so0e t&&r4pereon to prrfoXB thi8 work the per8on eo amloyed 8houl.dhave tha approval of, and &heCantisslonsmr eourt in BOengaging hlrm,should have the eonsent of the County Clerk ror the **maeon** that the County Clerk is the guardian and outatoblan of the reoords or hi8 offloe andhe is mepOn8ib&l ror the aam **ana** 8are-k6epiW 

## or the sam ~irmspeotfve of whonay be using th* or WTfom~iWt mrk upon the&

It should hem be pointe% **out that**  **thi8 OPbiOn**  **1s pradioated**  **upon the**  **Jbot** andthe rindim3 that If is not the Quty or the OountiyClerk to brinS to date inQsxes to ma **cotnei~fif~~~-~*** Court@e **l~inute8** w Yilah his pmQeoos8or rnile& to ~iak0WQ dmuld be **distinguisb3** rrapr **easas where**  in ths cOtmy Clerk ia mquimd as **part o?**  **the dUth8**  **of** his ofmae q& to raew andreplaos old SnQworn mtootds**Honorable** Walter 1^urahi8on, Fage 5

andindexeti. The8@ **last** dutie8 6m pleoed upon the County Clerk by the **atetutss** and **are part**  **of** the work ror which his 

## rest3or 0rri0a are paid.

It 16 only beoause of our view under the faots presented by you, that the rork here to be done is not the duty or the County Clerk under the law that the feats hem OPD be airtinguiahee rr05 the Oa88S or TPrmnt County v. Ragem, 125 C. :3. 593 (Sup. Ct. 135 5. Vi.1101, and Tarmnt County v. Butler, 80 S. ?t. 666, in both ot nhloh oaliea it waeheld that the Coen?lnsfonem ’ Court had no Fewer to mploy the County Clerk ant!to pop hima sumof moneyover and above the mgular foes or ralary of hi8 ofilce for making newand improved inQexe8 dnoe under the iaots in those oase8 it wa8the m@l8r logal duty oi the County Clerk to n&co the Indexes in que8tion.

**Your8** very truly

Robert P. Cherry

MSi8tUIt



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