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? reQua6tiBgthe 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, .Artlclm326q, V.A.C.S. I am llkavise fan&liarwith 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-11would 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 tlli8OOAWOtiOZ& 'mde. Thi8 W letterhead -8 printed before I q\ullSied ?a the offiCIe#

r pd l BWbW Of OW OOw8int WAd iZkfWMtiOB fOPI Oarr?J

the &8i@iMtiOB 'CX'~"'%Ml DirtriotAttorney'. 1 WI l1Wt.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 qualifieda8

‘Connty Attomq’

. ’

.

"Qw8tionr (1) Are oomplaint88vorn to before QH a8 'Crininal

DirtrlotAttorwy’, 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 offloialsots be po~formod in the name OS 'Cowtj Attorwyl or "Cr%mhal Di8trletAttorney'? "(3) Should the t%lEBi88iCSlW8 Court b. adtired to rwoke the order ohangingthm naae or the County Attorney ofiloo to that of CriminalDirtriot 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 CriminalDlstrlotAttorney. 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-11Vernori'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 CountyAttorney iB Oerkin OOUAti.8.

. i A.&lo10 326k-11 

### l ttwpt8

to ohange the name OS a @onMltutlonal ofSlcW. It i8 theroSO&eraid. Mate ex rel. XaPlilton Attorney General, v. Troy, Pro8eautlng Attorwy, 68 Pao. (2) 413.

. ."



### You ark 

### whether

there haa bWA any COWS deai8ion InvalvIngtha qW8tiOA of the oOn8tltutlorulIty of Artlole 326k-11. %%rO ha8 bWA A0 OOUl't dWi8iOA b any Of Our AppellateCO'&8 iBVOl*lrythe 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~revoid. Whew the CO~88iOAOC8’ f.%WFt of mUf-A 

### COWt y l Oting AAdOP 8aid StAtUtO ohangad the xnao of the 

### oifloe of Caun~ 

### Attorwy to t&t of Crlnlnal~Dl8triot

Attorwy, the lot 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 authoritya8 18 given by the statute8and 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-iOtAttorney 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'iriMlDiBtPiOt Attorney. Ai

u or the hot8 8tatulby you and thm 

### l ppliaable rtatutw you are the CountyAttorney of KauSs8n County ax4 not "Grimirvl DirtriotAttOl'Aey

. WO AW oona1d.rJOUP ?IrLrrt qUO8tIOA. GOUeFally r-king, a oomplalntmuat 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 admlnl8teroath6 for thl8 purpo8e by Brtloler 30 and Vernon'8Annotated code ofC&ulna1 Prooedure, orbefore of&r l

uthorlaedby law to l dmlnl8t.r oathsi ltw

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.

## ( ’

.

HonorableFred 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 defeotlveaAd till not rupport an

. The juratmu8tbedatodmd 8ignOdby the*OSSloW, and muat 8hOw his oSSloia1ohanoter. 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 

### Am8 0 Of th0 OOWt y l ttOrA6yby the l8818taAt 18 ln8uif iOi*At i

roof"Th0 Oourt,~

before vwdiat, ati upon proper ii of thm Saotr fmy pwmit l~ odtted jurat to 6 added by amAdmsnt, or aay permit a jurat to be l mmdad by iruezN.Agan Omitteddate, or the MM or! the party ollking

the oOAplalAt,or by adding the ofSielal oharaetesOS the offlow, 0s by oorreotisga milltake

iA tha name OS the affiant a8 8& out in the jurat, or in order to oorreota Ai8tak6 in the date. But l AeAdaeAt8 of thla o&raster rey not be mud6 

### l xoept under the ruthox%tyand dlMotioA of the oourti" GaAerally 8peaklngwhore an objeotla 18 made OA the grOUBd that l OoI@aiAt 18 AOt OffiOiallJ8iapld 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 oomplaint18 defeotlve in that 8amo 3.8 not 81@AOd oSSlolally by the perron whore naim 18 attaohed thweto. The oSSlola1title of the offlaw 8houl.d be 8hOwA thereon. See BMBOh'8 Peel Code, p. 249, Sea. 480, and authoritierthus 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).

# ( (

HonorableFred V. Bieridith, Pegs 5

IA Y1rW Of the ?OMgOi~ authol'iti.8 it 18 OUT OpfAiOA that OOlQlaiAt8WorA to before you a8 %rLPLnal Dlatrlot Attorwy”, ESAd iAfOl78'ltiOAWfibd b7 YOU a8 'fh'iF8iMl Distrlot Attorwy” if objectedto **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 OOAplaiAt8aAd 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 iAfOrmltiOA88hould be oorreotedvrPda the authorityaAd **direr&ion** of the Cortrt showingyour OSS1Olaloharaoterwhioh l8 CouAty Attorwy and AOt CrFPriMlDi8triOtAttorwy.

ATTOIWBY **CBNBRAL OF**  **TEXAS**

**By b-&L**  &dell William8 **A88i8taAt**

AWrF0