‘.* -::: . 

I OFFICE OF .~ 

.2; 4.,?2 

l"ms mT?RTL'EY ~GEm= . ._. 

. . ,.i., e.' 

AUSTIX.TEXAS 

Honorable .Jim .D; Bomeri : .: -..Opinioa V-278 ~. 

County Attorae y, . ‘. : 

Bell county, .’ ,. :’ 

Belton, Texas, .: 

._. Rer YU’glblllty of Peri ‘~. 430~18 ~005vioted. or 

’ 

.: Febrral. felony toqualify a8 tmatm 

Dear Sir: “ ’ 

or oommoa rohool 

dlrtrlot. ‘A..’ 

- .,. ~. 

we refer to Job setter or reoeat -date 801 

knowledged by the Attorney General oa June 16, 1947, 

ihere%a ydu~repueet.sn oplaloa.of this offlae ooaoering the allglblllty .df a :perroa to be a frwtee of a 

oomoa ~ohool distriof who hae been oomloted of a.,,,Febera1 felony. . .: . . :: i 

-In your letter uad aroelleat brief thereoa, 

you pretreat, la substaaoe, the tollowlng iaots: ~. ., 

A perBoa was eleoted truat6e’of a 

oomda aohool dlstrlot who was oonvloted 

aad e85tenoeU by .a Federal Dlstrlot Court 

oa thaw oouatty ,eaoh of whloh lr’made a 

felony by Title 86; Beotloa 8003, 8820 

aad 8856, U.S.&A., the Federal UQuor 

Taxlag Aot, served four month@ la a Federal prison and who paid (600.00 la ilaea 

pureuaat to mob seateaoe. On twb of the 

aouats he oould h&w been ooaflaed & maxlmm OS two yeam; oa the t+lrd oouat , a 

maximum of five yeare. 

‘. 

Title 18;Seotioa 541, U.S.U.A., de- : 

flaee Veloayn au aa ,oSfeaee whloh may be 

ualehed by death or Lmprlronmeat for .a 

-~ .. term exoeeUlag oae year. .‘. ._~ 

Artiole 8745; Se6tlon 1, V. C:S;, ~p*oviUlng for the eleotloa of trusteee of oonmoa rohoal’ bintrlots and Sor their auallfloatlo~s reads, la part: 

* . . , ~Provlclhg 50 pereoa rhall ‘be quail- 

,Metl as truatee ualosrr he 1s a property 

1. 
‘422 . 

HoaorablO Jim D. Bawmc - Page S 

taxpayer la the dlrrtrlot-to wbloh he 10 

elootod a~~3 othorwlw a qualltied totsr 

la 8Uoh.dlrtrlot. . .Allw1oaaale88hall 

be rlllea by the ooanty board of trusteoa 

for the remalader 6r.tho term in rhloh 

the r a o a a oooo y ur 9.- l î 

prorldes:' 

Artlole =,~8eotiO5 1, 0oa8tltutloa pi Texa8, 

"The Sollowlag ola8868 of pemoae 

8ball.aot be allowed to vote la thl8 

State, to-wit; 

(1.'. . -'- 

*FoUrth: .&l per8oacl eoavibtod of 

aay rolonjr, 8ubjeot to 8Uoh l oeptloar a8 

. the bglslattarc8hall ra$e." _ .,... .' 

.Artlo&~ 8954, V. C; S.., pq?ride8,la part: 

"The roiiarriag ola89e8 of per8oa8 

;ha&5ot be 9atltled to roto,la thi8 

. . . 

1) 

.-.. . . 

%. ' @I' er8oa9 oen@ited ofuty 

feloay oroept e base restored to foil olt- - 

.;;zt8hjp and .rlght ~f,.8$fmge,'.or pardOa- 

: 

. 

. Ia aoddrdaaoe 'dth thk prwl8loae~ of '.&tl01s g745,.Seotloa 1, tie88 the perebn'ls a quallfl6d 

voter in the dl8trlot, he 18 sot ellglbl6 or quallrled 

a8.a trU8tee Of a oommoa 8OhoOl dl8triOt; alld IrtiOle ' 

VI, 6eotioa 1 oi the Uoastltutloa prorlde$,'la 8Ub8tWiOe, 

that all perrroalr ooavloted of akq'tolow 8bell not-be-allowed to rote in thi8 State 8Ub,jeot to 8uoh eroeptloa8 

a8 the ti ielature ehall make. The Logialature ha8 kade 

a5 exoopt f oa $a Art1010 8954 'rbioh proYlde8, la BUb8taaO0, 

that those person8 oowloted or emy felony Iho.have been 

,reirtored to full oltleeaabip aad right 6r Wfrage,'or 

pardoned d0 not tall within the prohlbltlo~e of hrtlo~o 

VI, &+otion* oi,the Ooarrt$tU~~~a. 

* 'Should th6 abow &ed T&a; #lawr~laoor&- 

atlng the.$angtmge, *ooavloted~of say $elonJ", bo ooa- 

,. 

\ i 
Honorable JimD. ?naner-Page 3 ;' : 

.8tr~ed to dS8franohlee also those persona who havb been 

ooavlcted 0s a Federal felony a8 well a8 thoee persons 

who have been ooavloted of an offea8e defined a8 a reloay la the Texae lawe?:We think they 8hoUld be 86 ooa8trueq. We oannot tibeorlbe to the~propositloa that 

the ftiIWr8 or our Oonstltutloa lateaded a tblng 80 anomalous, lllogloal and unjuet a8 to say that%hose gullpy 

of oertala orlmes against. the lane-of the United State8 

and Bleter State8 are eligible or qualiiied to Vote la 

Texa8, while those guilty oft certain orlmer agalaet the 

lane 0s thla etate are ineligible. 

. . 

In Harweil v8i Morrli, 143 5. W. (2d)‘tiOQ, 

an election ooqtest oaae deolded by the rlrmarillo Court 

of Civil Appeals, wherein it was proven that a person 

was ooavloted in a Federal oourt for vlolatlo'iYof the 

Harrleon Narootlo Aot, and hle pUti8hmeat was a88e8md 

at 81x months in jail whloh wa8 8USpeaded for two year8, 

it nae.hela.that 8uoh pereoa was aot qualiflea~to vote' 

in the primary eleotloa beoauae under the provieloae of 

the applloablq Federal law he could have been oo&fined 

la the Federal pe@.teatlary by the Federal oourt. The 

punlebment actually aesesrred by the oourt'opoa a trial 

doe8 tit control the olaes 0s the otfease. R. Y. [zorden ~8. State, 135 Tex. Grim. Rep.., 438; Attoraey Oeaeral'e Opinion No.:~0-4121. 

In several other State8 iihloh have ooaetltUtional and~.utafUtory provl8loae similar to the Texas 

laws herela quoted under Article VI, Seotloa'l'of the 

Coaetltutloa, and Article 2954, it ha8 beea~held'that 

a ooavlotloa of a felony in.a Federal ooU.rt, or a'oourt 

of another State or country, reader8 that pereoa ooavlotea lnellglble or 618qUali?$68 hlm~to vote .la sledpk$ held la the State. See oltatloae la ,I49 A.L.B. 

. 

.Aooordingly; it 18 imr opinion, that a p&- 

8oa who ha8 been oonviot,ed ot a Federal felony whereby 

he is deprived of hla right to vote under LLrtlOle VI, 

Seotloa 1, Con8titutloa of Texa8, and llrtlale.2954, ' 

v. c. s., i8 laellglble or ai9q~liriea to 89X70 a8 

truetee of a oommoa eohool 618trlOt by rea8Oa of the 

provleloas of Article 2743, Seotloa 1, V. 0. S., uale88 

and until he ha8 been reetored~to full oltlzenehlp and 

'right 0s suffrage, or pardoned. 
4 ~~~lrtuw or:fhe provlrloa8~of Artlole MU, 6eotlon 1, Artlola 08543. 0. 8., 

~-4 brtlole VT. Seotloa 1, Con6titatlonar 

yaxacr, a-per8oa who ha8 been oonvlotea nf 

Q telory, FedOr8lQr &ate, l.8 laellglble 

or not ~wiri0a to 8orw a8 trmteo of I 

0olpo5 #Ohooi di8triOt Unle88 UU3 U&ii hd 

-8 bOO5 XV8tOXVd to 'fall OltiSOMhip urd 

tight 0r ourtrage, or pr(L0004. 

@80tTB 

sr 

dhe8tor1..Olll 

A881 8tant 

.1on.