--_"-.1



### :rrIHlE A'T"'I"ORNEY GENERAL 

### 0111"**~"'EXAS**



### sonorabJ.:e 1[. 1[. 

### Smith 

### Oounty Atterney Oarson County 1'anhand1eI Texas**De~r** Sir: AUSTIN 1.1., TEXAI!it



### OpinionBo". 

### 0-6640 

# 175

:Bel ' 

### Author1tyof oounty judge or oth,r offioers other than Justices of the peace**~o** hold 

### inquests. , from your letter 

### of**reoe~t** 

### aste we are apprised,that in 

### your oounty at this time

### " you**hav~** no legeU:! Ilu.sl!f!_ 

### sud**~v8ilable ~ustic~~**  of**~he** 

### peace. Y9u submit the followd.ng questions (as,

### restated by us)s

. ',' , I .• ' ', •. , 1. 

### Where there is 

### no quslified**~ustioe ".** **or** 

### ,'\Ihe pea0,, and it beoolles necessary to 

### ho14 an' 1D.tuest"**~.n** 

### the

. 

### oounty judge 

### perform this**funot1~nt** 

### ' 2. If the county 

### judge would 

### not 

### be a' uthorh,d 

### to

## ' :1 hold an intuest uncler such oircumatslloeaaa

. ' reterred tom**ques~ionl,whst** oth$roff1cer, 

## if any, would

. be 

### authorized. to hold'the 

### tilquestt ll!i, tle**l~** of 'tme Code 

### ot Criminal ProoedUl'e of 

### Texa. (.A:rt101e8 

## 968- 996) is the authority for 

### the b,01d1ng of 

### mquests in this 

### Stat., both over dead 

### bodies to determine the cause 

### of 4eath and**~** 

### afire inquests" to**e;xam~e** into the 

### unlawful firing of bl.UU.dinga.

### In every 1utanCl)e in. Said Title 

### 13 where reference 1& made as 

### to the 

### !:diVidual holding such 

### inquests it is a "justice of the 

### peao .n**~** the 

### reference 

## fa not**gene~al** 

### - it is speeifio. JOr'

### j,nstance, in

### ~e verY' 

### first article is 811i4 

### 'itle , providiJ?g,Vb.en 

### inquests over Bad bodiee 

### are to be held, the lamguage 

### l"eadsI

.. A11'3' Juetice 

### ot the**~t~C.!** 

### shall be authorized:, 

### and 

### it shall be**~ ~uty**  to hold 

### inquests

hout 

### e jUry wi

### thin his oounty," 

### etc. So on through 

### the suoceeding 

### :h;lales

### re~tive to

### ~d1sinterm~t of bodies, the oalling 

### in of" a 

### Sioiaus, the facts upon whioh the offioer may aot

. , 

### the issuanoe

### o~d servioe of 

### prooess, the

### pre8ervat1~ of

### te.t1mo~, the 

### keep1ng 6'1'\ recortis 8n,.d the oe:r:t1fioat10n of pl"0oeedtnga, 

### the person aot1ng 1s 

### s.lfeaif

### 1ed es" 

### the Justice", 

### "a Justioe'l 01' 

### "justices 

### of' the peaoe." )0 

### as to fire inquests

-**~en** 

### an affidavit 1s made 

### by e 

### oredible

arson before any**~ustice** of 

### the peaoe," etc.

# 176

Honorable H. H. Smith

- page #2 

### (0-6640)

No other officer is mentioned in any article of the Code 8S being authorized, required, or permitted to serve in the capacity of the justice of the peace in holding inquests.; nor is provision made for substitution of any other officer to perform such duties. The object of the statute providing for inquests is to aid in the enforcement of the law by the the detection of crime, and in each case, to determine whether an offense has been committed. This is the sale purpose. Polk County v. Phillips, 

### 92 Tex. 

### 630, 51 S. 

## w. 328. The authority of a justice of the peace to hold an**~quest** is derived exclusively from the provisione of the Code of Criminal Procedure we hBve mentioned. The acts of the jUstice in such cases**~re** official acts. When a justice of the peace performs official duties in connectioll ther'ewith, his allthority faows from the statutes and must be in conformity with the statutory regulations. See Aetna Casualty 

### &Surety Company v. Love (Tex. Comm. 'App., opinion adopted by Supreme Court) 

### 132 Tex. 

### 280, 121 S. W. 2d 

### 986. We have carefully examined constitutional and statutll>ry provisions relating to the office of county juQ,ge. Now here do 

### We find provisions for his acting in the c8'pac1ty of a coroner to hold inquests. Nor do we know of any provision for any'other officer to exercise the prerogatives and to perform the duties imposed by law'iri this respect. Justices of the peace alone appear ,to have the duty, right, power and authority to preside at inquests. In Texas Jurisprudence 

### (34**Tex.~Jur.** 

### 439, 440) appear statements, amply sllPported by cited authorities, \rhich we deem applicable to your questtons we quote: 

### "* * * Power and**d~ties** are coextensive, and an officer has no authority to perform an act in respect of which no duty has been made to devolve upon him. 

### "*

# * * "Public officers 

## * * * possess enl.y such powel l'S as are expressly conferred upon them by law or are necessarily ipWlied from the powers so conferred. They cannot perf@rm acts net authorized by existing law) and the repeal of a statute**a~thorizing** an officer to do a particular thing, or of the statute that creates the office, necessarily revokes and terminates his power. It (Emphasis supplied) Therefore, we answer both of your questi<;>n8 in the negative.Honorable H. H. Smith

- page #3 (0-6640)

In the state of affairs existing in your county, the only solution,we are able to offer is to direct your attention to the fact that ample authority exists for the filling of the vacancies in the several offices of your justices of the peace. See Article 

### 5, Sec. 

### 28, Constitution of Texass "'IE' 

## * * vacancies in the office of County Judge and justices if the peace shall be filled by the Commissioners Court until the next general election for such offices." See also, Article 

### 2355, Revised Civil Statutes, which prescribes the method of filling the vacancies.



### :m:za./ldW APPROVED JON 27, 1945 s/ Grover Sellers

..**A~ORNEY** GENERAL·OF TEXAS APPROVED



### .OPINION COMMITrEE BY B. W. B. CHAIRMAN Yours very truly**A~ORNEY** GENERAL OF TEXAS 

## s/ :aenjaminWooda11

By BenjaminW ooda11 Assistant

'-.



## ,