. 

. . .* 

OFFlCE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 
893 

_’ . 

-pro-tampor@ Je.” For the puFpo888 Of uua oplnlon u* asSW0 that 7% h8Y8 refecsnao to a Ppeaial OountJ Judge. we 

karr bw ua8bla to Sin4 8ay authoritq vhatsoeru authoritlng 

th 8mOiatovllt 'Of 8 ~O-tWJQOF84 O-t7 j-0. -Of&? 88 lf8 

hsve been 8ble to drtumiae, t&a p8iUOn Or ottlO* of protel3JKiPe 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 Anrtotated ClVU %ltUt98,, ana Artloles 554, 555, 5,d and 537, vsr20n*s cod8 d caah8.l Pracmdure, putain to the seleotian, 

-&3CtiOll Or 8~OfiltMllt Of 'I&%'Sial OOUllty j-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~.. 

lie are encloring oopio¶ of these opinion8 for yaw ooaT8niano0. 

22ersscre Ire &em it unMorsrsry to qUOt8 t&88e arbiolea at 

k@& in thi8 opiniO% 
. 

!cnor6bb W. P. a-8, Jr., w 3 

Weqwtefurt~r frooT&xar 

:sae8 306-308,. ar Sollwsr 

894 

JuHsprudoaoe, Yoluao 25, 

1 

. . . . 

'%m od8atiOn Or 8ppofntMnt Of 8 apudQ1 

jaQa .ls propu anly qon thm conditiona apeclaed 

22l tba 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 &Zld M 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 tinrs appointed far holding 

the court or shod he be abrent dur2z.g the tua or 

*unsbla ~r'uwi~ tc hold t& oourt.' Tao faregofag ai-8 tie only EL-oumstaaasr In weh'tki aelaotiOn Of 8 SpC%+ OOUZlty Or d.btriCt j-8 is BUti3cri.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 

~;c 15 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 4 1 hsa 811 tba a utho r ity o f a 

PeglllU jU@m l&i k8pOt 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 buaisinars OS t&i oourt. An elected speoial jtige my prerldo - 8vmn Bt a speotal 

zens of court - in all ca%es lo vhlah ha ia not disijusltiied; hl8 authority ir not llxulted to t3m trial 

al cases In vhlah ths rtmalu judge 1s not disquazFfied.. 30 may dtlS5lOS8 cif t+ 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: 

vaudate aatr or hlzls prodooessar. 

and ka may 

Lt aecns, havever, that a special Judge has no authority beyond 

the ~tioular court Vhlch he is ci1ootod to hold.* 

“A judge amointod spoolally ~to try one aatme 

zay not trJ any othar uause ,mndl.aa In tho aourt unlera he be appointed for that purpose by tba gu-tiaa 

to t&l4 slat. Hcmevor, s-h a Judge haa ml1 authority 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 appointed to try a oauee vhich haa been consobia~~d 

nith othera ha8 jurlsdlation ovez eaah of t&3 consoIKda%wd Causes, but ha nray not oonsolid8te the 

cnse that he haa been emlooted to try witi o?kue'~ 

per&q oasesi” (Texas Sudsprudence, ?olmsc 25,’ 

;jazs 32d, 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 fudge to. prealda o~gr- or aat as .a zhimber~ OS ‘the aami3- 

Lacers’ court.. Therefore, it ~1s’ our c@.nhn, that no spalal 

x&y ;udge caa be wleoted OP appointad to pszlars such dutlw. 

‘de nori’ a~nsldar YOW bacond &rtiou. hrtlcles 2354 

r.ci 7045, Vernon’s A;motatvd Civil 3tatutev;‘read ar Sollovlr: 

“Art. 2554. Bo county- tax’ shai~ h levied wxcegi 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 Comptroller 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.4 and 

zajeast the taxes lovlwd In their reapwotivs cormties far gwnoral purpose8 to the taxable valuas 

3&m 3~ th4 asressmnt f011s.” 
. . 

d 

. . 

. 

lIoAor8ble 

Statutes, 

167 s. W. 

that . 

W. P. Henna, Jp., pS84 5 

Yerno~~a AMotated Civil 

aaao OS Cramer v. Sheppard, 

'To our mfnd2, It Is illo&al to cont4Ad 

tho aonatruotion 484 have give43 th4ae3- conati- . . -_ 

tutlonal provlslona VoUld malm It lmpoaaible for 

a co*uuty oam4ia~io~43rs~ oourt to Six tax rates, 

if a menber th4reoS should bo absent for th4 aanm 

reason Judge f)iron'vaa ahrent, 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: 

. 

'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 limitatiOA8 as to the mode of fJapoafng taxes 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.” 

5. w. 430) 

(Free et al. v. 3carborough, 3 

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 Craznwr x. +ep- 

.nzd, aUpra, ia AOt applicable to thW quWatiOA pzssented iA 
. - 

a. 

. . 

. 

897 

Honorable W. ?. Hems, Jr., page 6 

your Lnqulry. St is our further opinion that 

Broocks v. State, and the care of Free et al. --. __ . . 

the 0880 of 

v. Soarborough, 

supa, are oontrolllng regarding tna quertlon undw mu&deratfon, which is the levying of a t&x. Therefore, the four county commIssionera o&mot levy a taz In the absence of the county JuaSe. 

In oonneotion vith the lOregOing statements Ye 

dlreot your attentbn to Senate Bill So. 245, Bats 48th Legislature, 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 County 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.njrogulat 

ten of the Co=lmi8slonsrs Court when a quorum o? 

it3 nerabers are prsaenti Thla section shall be effective until the dar;e set out l.E Section 1. 

“380. 3. The Commisaionnrs Court of the stvtral ’ 

countLea, all the ntembers thereof 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’he Comptroller 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’eepeative count&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 County 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. 
. - 

. 

. . . 898 

iionorable W. P. Rernu, Jr., page 7 

‘Sea. 4. The’crowded condition of the calendar 

oreater M ,emargenoy and an imperative pub110 neeeseit;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 eifeative 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 canaidersfion 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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