OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

t.d . ..K3&l&4 

"$'* 

Your le 

opinion of this D+pazbnt bp t 

9, i$4 

in part ar f011ov9\ \ 

P 

ai? 

reQua6tiBg the 

Quss 

on6 stated therein 18 

\ 

e 332, R. C. ft.. 

rl elected ,to, and 

porrtlng bond whtob 

' Court and took 

orBoy oi mufl86in 

i8 xaufmn, Texal. 

iSiOn Of th8 

c0uBty.v. Sheppard, 

.Artlclm 326q, V.A.C.S. 

I am llkavise fan&liar with Attomey 

fMInSI'81 i48-'8 Opinion HO. O-5024, in vhioh APticlO 

~~~-11, V.R.C.S., wa8 held to be unaonstltutloael 8d 

. I am not l dvl8ed, howevm, whether there ha8 

ever been a deOi8ion by th0 Court8 OOn~erniKLg the 

oonstltutlonalit~ of Art. 326k-11, 8Ud would like to 

be adtllld whether tha above cited opinion of pour 

Departmmnt i.8 the orill interpretation of auoh 8tatUt@. 
1 1’ ‘( ’ i ’ 

Honomble Fred V; INerldlth, Page 2 

"I feel that IS the qwation ever oame 

before the OoWt8 that AH. 326k-11 would be 

held lnralid, the maob a8 var Art. 96q. HOWww, the Coml88iOmr8 Court of &uSman cow&r, 

w&r l uthozlty OS AH. 326k-11, by order dulr 

entered, ahanged the nap. of the offloe of County 

Attorm~ to that of Cx'iinilul MItriat Attorney. 

~tOrdOrha8 novorboanrevoked,n~anj~ 

0Ed.l' in tlli8 OOAWOtiOZ& 'mde. Thi8 W letterhead -8 printed before I q\ullSied ?a the offiCIe# r p d l BWbW Of OW OOw8int WAd iZkfWMtiOB 

fOPI Oarr?J the &8i@iMtiOB 'CX'~"'%Ml Dirtriot Attorney'. 1 WI l 1 Wt.d on the ballot a8 'County 

Attorn@ bO08U80 I SllOd that war, %B riw OS the 

abovo oitod Supreme Court deoi8lon and the above 

oited opinion of your Department. I qualified a8 

‘Connty Attomq’ . 

’ . 

"Qw8tionr (1) Are oomplaint8 8vorn to before 

QH a8 'Crininal Dirtrlot Attorwy’, and informtionm 

Sllod by 'no a8 'Cx'iminal Distl'iOt Attorn@, yalldly 

filed, or vould they be subjoot to motion to qiM8h 

Or to di8Pi884'19 

"(2) Should q offloial sots be po~formod in the 

name OS 'Cowtj Attorwyl or "Cr%mhal Di8trlet Attorney'? 

"(3) Should the t%lEBi88iCSlW8 Court b. adtired to 

rwoke the order ohanging thm naae or the County Attorney ofiloo to that of Criminal Dirtriot Attorney, 

or to ardor the name 0s the 0SSioe raustorod to that 

of County Attorney?" 

You Stat0 in hour httw that th0 &38II8i88iOWr8' Colt 

of nufman County acting wdor Artiole 326k-11, Vornon~r hnnokted 

Civil %dXlte8, b7 older duly entU%d in the dBUt.8 of raid Court, 

OhpB@ th0 BMIO Of the OfSiO~ Of COUntJ AttOXW~ t0 that Of 

Criminal Dlstrlot Attorney. You further 8tato in l ffeot that you 

vere elsoted, ported bond and took the oath of office, a8 County 

dtt0Fney 0s ksufwn county. 

Artiole 326k-11 Vernori'8 Annotated Cl*11 Statute8 

vaa held to be void in our oplnio~ lo. O-5021). It Wan 8tatOd in 

aaid OpinLon "The only purpose, 8nd the 8010 *ifOOt, Of 8UOh Aot, 
Honorable ZMed V. Werldlth, Page 3 

ii valid, is to change the name of the offiae of County Attorney 

iB Oerkin OOUAti.8. . i A.&lo10 326k-11 l ttwp t8 to ohange 

the name OS a @onMltutlonal ofSlcW. It i8 theroSO&e raid. 

Mate ex rel. XaPlilton Attorney General, v. Troy, Pro8eautlng 

Attorwy, 68 Pao. (2) 413. . ." 

You ark whether there haa bWA any COWS deai8ion 

InvalvIng tha qW8tiOA of the oOn8tltutlorulIty of Artlole 326k-11. 

%%rO ha8 bWA A0 OOUl't dWi8iOA b any Of Our Appellate CO'&8 

iBVOl*lry the qUO8tioo. of th@ o0A8 l ItutloMlIty of raid Statute. 

We an6wer pur qwlrtionr in rwor8* order. A8 heretoSow dated thir Departmant ha8 iwld in opinion lo. O-5024 that 

Astlolo 326k-11 la unoonatltutlonal and thesef~re void. Whew the 

CO~88iOAOC8’ f.%WFt of mUf-A COWty l Oting AAdOP 8aid StAtUtO 

ohangad the xnao of the oifloe of Caun~ Attorwy to t&t of Crlnlnal~Dl8triot Attorwy, the l o t of the Ooc~mIsrionorr,' Conrt wa8 

void. It 18 lt.11 eskblirhsd iB thi8 State thst the COml8%88IOl%Ol?8' 

Court8 po88err only suoh power and authority a8 18 given by the 

statute8 and COMtitUtIOZi and thO8e p-err and dutl.8 UOOO88arily 

Implied thuororm. ThWOfOW, iA UlWW t0 YOU third qW8tiOA, 

it ir onr opinionthatvhentho Courtattemptadto ohangetho name 

of the offloe of County Attorwy to that of CrlmIMl Dilrtl-iOt Attorney the Court aoted vithout any legal authority, and a8 8tated 

abwo, the order of the Court I8 void. It 18 LmMterlal whether 

the CommlS;bwrs’ Court revotie8 the o~e~~~haging the name of 

Cowty Attorwy to that 0f CrioirulDl8trlOt Attoao~. 

IA aB6WP t0 TOW 8OOOnd qUO8tiOA JOA AM l’@8pOOtfAll~ 

l dfi8.d that it I8 OUT QiAiOAth4lt yOU2 OffiO~l 8Ot6 rhould b@ 

perSf3'm.d w OU a8 COUAty AttaPwy aAd AOt a8 CI'iriMl DiBtPiOt 

Attorney. u Ai or the hot8 8tatul by you and thm l ppliaable rtatutw you are the County Attorney of KauSs8n County ax4 not "Grimirvl Dirtriot AttOl'Aey . 

WO AW oona1d.r JOUP ?IrLrrt qUO8tIOA. GOUeFally r-king, a oomplalnt muat be aworn to by the oomplainant~ OtheXWire, 

it 18 of no effeot and vi11 not support a proreautlon. A oomplalnt 

may be before the Dirtrlot or County A%w~ey, who are aprr88ly 

f 

;;” paver to admlnl8ter oath6 for thl8 purpo8e by Brtloler 30 and 

Vernon'8 Annotated code o f C&ulna1 Prooedure, or before 

of&r l uthorlaed by law to l dmlnl8t.r oathsi 

l tw 

and a oomplalnt 

oworn to before a de faoto offiow 18 valid. (Daw *. State, 35 

9. u. 661). A ooqlalnt m8y be made before an A88i8tant CoUnty. 
( ’ . 

Honorable Fred V.~ Meridith, Page 4 

Attv or a Jwtloo OS the Peaoa or a County Judge. (-lay 

Y. State, 224 5. If. 7711 Kelly Y. State, 38 s. w. 779, 39 8.~. 

1111 hrncaA v. Stat*, 279 8. W. 4573 Stepp Y. State, log S.W. 

1093). 

It 18 8ttbtOd In Tti8 SurI8prutlew6, Vol. 12, P. 585: 

?The jwat of tha ofrioer boforo whom the oomplAiAt 18 8wOl'A to 18 l rrentlala without it a OOmp~l4;:atally defeotlve aAd till not rupport an 

. The juratmu8tbedatodmd 8ignOdby 

the*OSSloW, and muat 8hOw his oSSloia1 ohanoter. 

If the OmlaiAt i8 8wOrA t0 befOl'@ aA a88;8taAt 

OQUAty l ttOl'B6y. the UMt mwt 8hOw that the oath 

Ya8 aa8tW8d b h and a jUMt 8;grud iA the 

Am80 Of th0 OOWty l ttOrA6y by the l 8818taAt 18 ln8uif iOi*At i 

roof 

"Th0 Oourt,~ before vwdiat, ati upon proper 

ii 

of thm Sa o tr fmy p wmit l ~ odtted jurat to 

6 added by amAdmsnt, or aay permit a jurat to be 

l mmdad by iruezN.Ag an Omitted date, or the MM or! 

the party ollking the oOAplalAt, or by adding the ofSielal oharaetes OS the offlow, 0s by oorreotisg a 

milltake iA tha name OS the affiant a8 8& out in the 

jurat, or in order to oorreot a Ai8tak6 in the date. 

But l AeAdaeAt8 of thla o&raster rey not be mud6 

l xoept under the ruthox%ty and dlMotioA of the oourti" 

GaAerally 8peaklng whore an objeotla 18 made OA the 

g r OUBd th a t l OoI@aiAt 18 AOt OffiOiallJ 8iapld by the OffiOW 

who took it l'a18@8 a 8rioIl8 qW8tiOA a8 t0 it8 Yalidlty. 

vi State, 160 S. W. 714). 

(C&AhA 

132 9; W. (2d) 404: 

We quote Sr= the oa8e OS Cook vi State, 

"It 18 a180 t0 b. A0t.d tbt the jLA'at oA 

8uoh oomplaint 18 defeotlve in that 8amo 3.8 not 

81@AOd oSSlolally by the perron whore naim 18 attaohed thweto. The oSSlola1 title of the offlaw 

8houl.d be 8hOwA thereon. See BMBOh'8 Peel Code, 

p. 249, Sea. 480, and authoritier thus oited." 

(IA OonWOtioA with the foXvgOiII&$ 8tateUIeAt 806 the fOlhWiAg 

oases: Shurbet v. State, 60 9. W. (26) 791; Stern8 Y. State, 

116 9. w. 38Jhj Stanley v. State, 150 9. W. (2d) 765; and 

Heely v. StirtO, 1.61 9. We (26) 294). 
( ( 

Honorable Fred V. Bieridith, Pegs 5 

IA Y1rW Of the ?OMgOi~ authol'iti.8 it 18 OUT 

OpfAiOA that OOlQlaiAt8 WorA to before you a8 %rLPLnal Dlatrlot Attorwy”, ESAd iAfOl78'ltiOAWfibd b7 YOU a8 'fh'iF8iMl 

Distrlot Attorwy” if objected to on the ground8 that the oonplaiat or intonation 18 Aot 0fri0i8iiy 8tgxud by the ofSlow 

who took it Pai868 P very SeI’iOA8 qU68tlOA A8 t0 the Yalldlty 

Of said oOADlainlAaAd iAfOl’I&iiOM. We mAAot aategorioallp 

86;l th’lt suoh OOAplaiAt8 aAd iAfOl'A&iOA8 are invalid Or 

subject t0 AOtiOA t0 qua8h or a 'WItidA tO di8IEi88. It 18 OUI? 

OpiAiQA th8t th. jUMt iA 8Uoh OOwhiAt8 OF iAfOrmltiOA8 8hould 

be oorreoted vrPda the authority aAd direr&ion of the Cortrt 

showing your OSS1Olal oharaoter whioh l8 CouAty Attorwy and 

AOt CrFPriMl Di8triOt Attorwy. 

ATTOIWBY CBNBRAL OF TEXAS 

By b-&L 

&dell William8 

A88i8taAt 

AW rF0