OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS

:._‘.a’ i,* AUSTINBon. Fred Norris, peg8 2

d&putlaa, aaalatanta or olarka, atatlag by sworn appllaetlon the number naa4ed, the position to be filled end the amountto be paid. Said applloetlon ah811 be eaoompanlad by a atatenmnt ehoulng the probable reoaipta rrom fess, oonmilaalona end oompenaatlon to be oollaoted by said oirioe during the tleoal year and the probeble aiaburaemente Wloh ah811 inolude all aahriaa end axpanaaa of said 

### oiiloa~ and aeld court ahall leaks its order authorirlng the eppointmant 0r auoh deputies, aaelatenta and obrka end Six the oomp@naatlon to b4 paid them within the lfmitatlona herein praaorlbad and datermine the number to be appointed as in tha dlaosatIoo

or said oourt nuy be propart provided that In no case shall the ~Commlaaloner6~ Court or any member thereof
lttampt to influanoa the appolntmMt 0r any p4raon
as Qaputy, aa818t8nt or &ark In any offloe. Upon the entry or aueh order the orlloera applyfng for auoh aaalatanta, deputies or clerks ahall be authorized to appoint them; provided that said wmpanaation ahell not aroaad the maximum

### amountharelnatter sot sut. The oompanaation uhioh may **be** allorad to the daputlaa, 

### aa~latanta or clerk8 abovanamed for their earvleoa shell be a raaBoneble one, not to 4xoaad the rollowhg 8mourtta~

“1. In aountka harfng a popul.atlon of twantyfirs thousand (25,000) or lees lnhebitanta, firat assistant or 4hi8r deputy not to l xoa ad

ltlgbta an Hundred

(bl800.00) Dollero per annrrai other aasfatQata, deputies or olarka not to axaead **Flftesn Kuntlrrd**  ($1500.00) Dollars per annum l aeh.”

Thus ~8 ass that the oommiaa1onare~ eourt is empowered to either authorize your county attorney to appoint 

### Ip aaalatant

or to rajaot his applioatl~n for au& euthorlty, as the majority 0r the oourt may dasm wigs end proper. In oase the aourt datarmines that an assistant should 

### beallowed, neither the oourt nor any member thereof has any powar’ovar 

### namingthe lndlridual. Tarrant County v. Smith (Tex. Clv. kpp.) 81 5. K. (2nd) 557; State V. Johnson (T4x. Clv. kpp.) 58 S. P. (2d) 110.

In allowing the county attorney the aer~loaa Oren eaaiatad, or aaslatenta, ii your 00mtulealonara~ oourt does 

### 80, the salary to be paid by the wunty should be fixed in the order4Eon. Irad BIorria, page 8

in the 4ourt~a dla4ratlon 

### the salary m47not 

### “a~oaa4n the amount Btated in k%ialO bOWi, aupra. As nominimum la pr4aerlbad; 

### there la no prohibition of a salary as Low

### as $1.00 mr y~r. The amount of t&e salary would 

### rest v&thin the dlaoretlon of the *o&St.

ita know of no rsaaon baaed upon an9 provision of the statutes or Conetltution whlah rroul6 praolud4 the ootity attor

### nayfrom p&ng his aarlatant l $ditlonal aompanaatian from his

awn

### runda. Suoh ratter ~+ulld **bo** inths antuse oi 8

### private aontraot bafmaan 

### the parties.

four n4xt quration 

### la whath4r 

### ui eaalatant ocmaty attar

### nayla required 

### to make

### bond. Whll4 the 4tatuta8 provide that oartain.

### daputiar, 4mployasa an4 

### eaalataeta shall glv4 bonds, (a. Q-. sheriffa, art. OS?0 R4rlaod ~1~11 Statuka, 1986; tax oollootar8, Art. 

### 6881, ata.1, w4 rind no l u4h nqul~uent as to arrlataetr oounty 

### attemaIs* While 'krtlok b81, Retired airi Statutea, 19125, **reguiraa** a8 atanta oouhty.attamoy~ta her4 the
aa~~ 

### wpUalifj.eatlenam as th4lr prlaoi 

### alad wethink 

### itolaar the 

### taw 

### has raiaranoa to the “wtalliriaat on8 repuirti M l uoh P oounty attorney8 Uat4d un&r Art1014 838, 1.0.~ 

### @hall **be duly**  

### lloenae6 **&a**

### an 8ttomey **an& mutt** 

### raaldd **in** the 

### oouaty **where** l asvlng.



### Thardore, you

are 

### advised that

inOurapf&iiOn

l uob assistant, maynot be required to makebond.
loup Qaxt wish to kn4w whath4r, if th4 oaunty l tt4rnay joins th4 l

r4, ha 44ul.d 

### require the payment or him 

### l elary; also tha ,Hlary or hia 

### aa8lafant $4fa0, rQathar the sot of joln

### ing thi l



### nq rauld **be**

### a4urrioiant vacation 0r 

### the atiioa that the ~mi8alan4ra' oourt ootid 

### detG.arathe 

### ofilaa vaoant **and** RDDtiint 8new aounty attom4y. Olearly, It the 

### orrlee is 

### raoatod by auoh aotlan an the part ot the oounty 

### l ttom4y, the oounty would not owe the salary t4 4ith4r th4 prinoipal or t4 the aaalataut~ Onth4 other hand, if th4 ofilos 14 not vasetad, ff the county 4ttornay ratalnr the 44~~. thou@ 4nllatsd In the araiy, ho would be rntitlsd to its smo1uPrnte. Thesefore the all importmt question la whether the oo%miadonera* court fe authQriae6 to dealare a vaoanoy an& makean appointment.

In ths oaae 0r Iiamilton V. Xing (TSX.Ciir&?&L, lQZe1, 206 S. pi. 958, appellant Raaeilton wa4 sh4 duly alaotad county attorney or &&bin4County, had entar4d upon the dutl44 of his Ott104 @idhad appointad a deputy. 

### IisWRBinducted intm the army inHon. %redNorris, pa&e4

isarch, 1918f in September court doalared the otiioo of the oaomoyear the vaoant and appointed qqollee King oounty~attmiby, notwlthstendln& that k~U.Eon~s assistant had at ell times dis&arged {during appellant’c absscce) the duties Gi'the Office, opinion; go Quota.f~rt3.ue.nt perta of tbs oourtls

n

. . There oanbe na doubt or the ocrreotriolo of they appellant- that the UO2UU.i srlonersl oourt of c oeuEtr in this'stat has no anthoritP i)r power to remove from ottloo auy county ofiiolal or to declare a vaoanoy Ln anY ouoh offioe. but ouoh mthority Deems to bye tested alone in the dimtriot oourt. coMtitutfon f the State of ima Art, 6 Br?i It im proiidod by Seotlon 81 a! the #ame A&iols of the Constitution, howorer, that, in oaoo of a 

### raoanoy in the ottice of oounty ottoraey, tbo *nsmlorfonera* court of ouoh eeu~ty ohal.lhkeve powor to appoint a aounty attome]r until the a*rt genortil cleation. Sea Tao, 

### Bhlinger t. Rankin, 9 Ter.

be detewlnti is, not whs%her%hoaomi 1 Cir. ApPe 484, %Q8. W;S!Io. -theatiqet~o~~ to 9 oourt of Sabin6 County W&Iaothorlroa **to** deoloro

a vaeanw in the orfioa of uountlr tt0m0p of fiablne Oounty. but the ~tmstion Is: 11(authem a 06 to be tl1l.o

was oush vaoano~ shown **by** the pleading&in thro oaso?

*As stated above, It io alls6od by appellant that he MI a oltleen~ of 3abino Oounty, and that he wao only temporar,ily abrexit ~IWQCho oounty, and that he had never been fn any msrinor lprpeaohed by any oompetont aathhbrity, nor hio **(PII~G@** doolar66 vaoant by any euthorited tribunal, on6 **that** tho duties of the 0rfic0 *rem mti3.l boin,S dizohurged by Birothm ugh hio legally oonstftutod assfotant. Ontho other Send, the ohowing~made by appellor, In his answer wals, net thateppallant had removed permanently trem Sabiw Oeunty, but rim~ly that he
was absent ?romthe otmnty at the tima of the aotlon ofth.6 oorsnaleslonerrf court in deolarlng the oliioslion. Fred Norris, pa4e 5

vacant end appointing appellee the&o, end that appellant hRdbeen 80absent Wornsaid covunty shoe mroh before suck action on the part of the oormnieeionere~ court it September following, and thet eudh absswta w&a oauaed by the fact that appellant hadbeen inducted involuntarily into the Armyof the United States. This alla&Ion of the anewnr showed,of oourm, that eppellent

waeactuelly absant from Sablne County et the time of euah aotion on the part of the oonmirslonore* oourt; but as to howlong euohabsence would oontinue we not ehown, nor waeany faot alleged in the answer from which the dumtion of appellant’s absenoe oould be determined, other then the statemnt that he wae in the military service of the United States involuntarily.**Ilone** Prod **iiorri5,** page b

plsedinge in thLe oese upon whfch alone the dietrict judge 

### crlted In d,enying the temporary injunction, andfor that reaeon we

### are of the oplnion that, ae the pleadinee stood, appellant we8 entitled to the writ 88 preyed for, end that the dietriot jud soaring Our6

‘5 e erred in denying eem~,~ (UnderIt 1s our **opinion** thst **under** the fixate **eubmltted** by **you,** the comisalonere~ court of Polk Gounty my not declare that

a vaoanoy edst8 in the offiCe **of** oounty attorney upon hi6 mrely entering the army, endappoint a euooe8eor to the present inoumbent.

It ie our further opinion that **under** Be6tion M or krtiole S or the Conrtitutlon of Texas andArticlee 5970, et seq., Vernon’o Annotetad Clril Stetutw juriedlotlon te drtermine the setter of vaitaney in the ofkoe of oourity attorney ie vested in the district court. The cult Is in the neture of 8 quowarrento endmet **be** Instituted an6oonduoted In the name et the State of’ Texas by or under the direction of the dlrtrlot atbm*y. State v, Starnee (T.c.A.) !?Ab**S. W.**  **4Ma** lIewe v. Stats (T.C.A.) e!B Y. E. 677: Joh&on v. )r:ooney (T.C.A.) Ei41S. ii'. SOS:

Youare further advised that until avaeenay 18eetebl ed, both the co%ty attorney andi&i assj,stent “re- sntlqep_ .teht**0**Cdlthelr pay from the county8 the oounty attornsy to hi0 68tabli ad rtatu’tory sal@q and the e~srl'rt~knt to the salary fixed **by** the court **under** the prwiaions **of** Artiolo 3008, **$upra.** .Trusting the above eatiefactorlly answer6 your Inquiry,

weare ,. Yourr very truly

ATTOW rBp OENml. or TXAS / 

## B Ben&u&z C;ooball

A8siatant