OFFICEOF~EA~ORNEY GENERALOFTEXAS 

AUSTtN 

-D.- 

--- 

Hmorable P. If. MIntor 

County Attorney 

Jim Eogg county 

Hsbbrawllle, Texae 

Desr Slrr oplnlat x0. o-3732 

Ret mere a d8rwt is cc&lvlateJd 

an a wmtplciat in a juatiae 

a0uH Md 18 8ervlng hi8 tine 

and wart8 ln jU1, may he be 

tried m inseaity ohqps iswed by the jwttlos court when 

hobeoaea insane? 

*A8 perte1ophrxle umver~tloatodayvhsre 

defendtmt oonvleted an oaetplalnt in uatioe 

aourtls 8emingfirre andooetln j ail mad beOorSe8ineMcbaS~hObQtcied~in~t7188lWd 

by &xetloe Court mder title Twelve, 0. C. P." 

Artlole 921, Title 3.2, of Vt?rnara8 Annotated Oode 

Of Cri8tinti Procedure prOYlde8 a8 fO110Wlt 

*fPstutytlnta after ocmlotlonandby 

the murmur and method a8 ~hereiariter provided, 

it be nrde kuoun to the budge of the Court in 

vhichthelndiotmenthaebeen~tumed that 

the defendaut hsa beoome lIZL88rl0, SinOh emvlatlon, a jury stall be empeaeledre in ordltt&Fy Cri?lLitWl aa t0 ,tw the Qli88tim Of insmlty." 

An lndlotnrentmu8tbe pPO8G<edW returnedbythe 

gcand jury to the di8tl'lCt court and not to the aounty oourt 

or en inferior tribunal. Article 393, V. A. C. C. P.; 23 

Tex. Jur. p. $594. 
mmlmble P.W.xlnter, Page 2 

The jUPi8difltioa, pWer rpd 4LutkuSlty Of $l8tiO%8 

df the peOOe ace 8uah 88 UT8 flsed by the &Xl8titUticar and 

8Wtut98. Artlole 5, Seation 19, of the Tex8a OaPlstltutlm 

provide8 ln part ae follawst 

*&StiOe8 Oi the me Sh8,ll bVe jUr18,biCt.iaD in CPlabti Prtttn'a Of Id1 We8 where the 

penalty or fine to be imposed by lav may not be 

more than for tvohundreddolliwr, . , . . 

A 8lmllar provi8lat 18 fowd in hrtlole 60 of Venrm's 

&lIOt~tedCOde Of~l'~l~oOedUI'e. b 8trteddtthe OpiniaSr 

in the 018e of ffinnOOhl0 Y8. S-to, 18&w. 82, theword 

umtl irr the C~8tltUtlw wh%eh acmvey j~lsdlatl~ uptm the 

justicea Of the p-8 *are 01Qr, 8tl'Ulg and mtlz'ely utmntblguoua." 

It 8ppelW8 t0 be Vbll 8Otthd in f#blw IS808 ia 

Texa8 that, Under A&lOle gal, th0 M8tzlet OaUrt in vhlch a 

defcmduitwrs mnwlotedhm l urlwlvo jrtria,diotlaatotrythe 

108ub Of iIt8tit.y 8ft.P O~*lOtlQl. Ibc pelFtO mwdn, 299 

8. W. 4331 IDt parto Davenport, 7 8. If. (ad) 5891 JC8oue VI. 

State, 227 S. W. 483; Bland Y8. Pltate, 132 5. W. (2d) 274. 

We h8ve baa unable to f&&d my 9~x88 c%ue vhlch 

either hold6 0 dl8ou~8es the l ffeot of Artlale 921 in l aas0 

where thedef~~tbewm88 ltmanetafterroawlotimln the 

jwtlo* oourt . 

we8reortheopmPLthatlnlxliagthev~”j~ 

Of the OOI&Linvhi& the iJldlOtlWBIt~8 bemNtIlF¶ed," ti 

ktlole g!211 the Ugislatwe 2ntmded to llmlt the rppllaatlm 

Of 8Ud &tiOlO t0 O~YiOtlUt8 ti the di8trlOt OOUPt. ~OrhsX'e 

in OithOP OUP om8titutLm Q 8trtUte8 18 th.m M y l UthOFity 

or jurlsdlatlaa acmferred ian 8 ju8tlOe oourt to deter&n* the 

1881~ of Mnity vel ncm or to uandwt luwy proaeeding8. If 

the bEagl8lhtUIW had intended tb Oaif8r 8uch %mbmI'tMlt new 

powam upal jumt1ae OOUl’tS under the proYiual8 or AHale 921, 

it 1s onlyrersambla, to resumthatsuoh lntontlmwwldhave 

been expre88ed ia alear and unmWgtmu8 terns. 

&?tlolO 34 Of %WIMlr8 &ttXOtXt@Bd PtQtWl OOde PZ'OtideS, 

among other things, thatt 
Honorable P. W. Minter, Page 3 

"Ho perSOIiVhobecamCr8 lnauleafterhe 1s 

found guilty eball be puulshed vhile ia such 

condltlon." 

Aa ve uuder6tand the faetr submitted to u8 In your 

telephone oanversatlan and conflrmtd by your telegFrphic reqU68t for OUF OpiplaO, the d8feXIdaUt 18 PCU 8erving OUt in. 

jui hia fin* Md 008tl a88e88ed OIt hi8 WWiOtioPr in jU8tiOIt 

court. You ftwther state that you are lnfortml att reliable 

authority that the defendurt la nov insane. It fO11OV8, th%FOfore, that he 18 elltltled t0 hi8 8tatUtOl'y Pl@ltB rbleh 8&itle 

him to lnmmlty Rrom f+urther punirhmmt while he 18 h 8UOh 

(~1 Imrortmate oonditlm. 

Wills Ye are 0s the opialon that Art1010 921 le not 

applicable, for the rw8otut hereltmbove mmntlaaed, v8 feel that 

the 168lM or hlo in8aIkity vel neii Imy be detemlned under th8 

prOYl8loPrS Of Title %! of vOIWXk'8 dnnotated OlYli at&tUt~8 

relatingtothe r*gulu jitdlalalpme~in ~68 oflvmaoy. 

asittedbyJoU,hs8 ?HQ OCUpiotedad the jUd@WXtoi OQQYlOtim ha8 booam rbu, Ye emi 0s the oplpian that he i8 no 

laxger *ohuged with a ttrlmlnttl off8fme' tlthln the a8a&lng of 

that tow as Used in &tiole 5561a. He 1s aen8equently subjeot 

to the l~azaoy prooeedinfl 88 provided in Title 9. 

YOU are rO8~otirilly dvi8.d that it 18 th6 OphliC4l 

of t,hls department, mder the hot8 8trted, that th8 188Ue Of 

insanity zany not be tpled by the jU8tlce oourt ln whlah the der84ant va8 eanvloted and that lrald 5881~ may only 88 determined by the oouaty judge In the mtmer propided for in Title 

g2 0s Vel'Ikm'8 ¬ated Olvl.l Statutes. 

Verytrtiyyoum 

J