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**OFFICE OF**  **THE ATTORNEY**  **GENERAL OF**  **TEXAS AUSTIN** 

Honorable

YllllamR. Edvards countyJudge upton county Rankln,Texes

Doar Sir: : Wheth& the Camrnlabion~s~ /CourteSuptonCountyjlas / th6'Rutho.rity

to employ en '\ **attorney to**  **advise** the Court apa the fknmtg oSSiolals dur- the ~,ln&%he~absenoe o? **the** present 'oounty attorney, 'oounty attorney,

who is in the

Your letterof January~l, 1945, requesting

the oplnlnn of this Department stated therein,is in Dart, as Sollovs::-.~

,' /<'. w&-~o have no CountyAttorney, Z'flnd it nesasaarg to ask for your opinion onbe Sollcwing

matter and In order that you might understand

vlll'go aomevhat

into detail. The County Attorney of thisCounty vas **lnduoted Into**  **the** Nllltary Servloe long about Nay OS 1944 and the County has baen Dollara.(

r fing him his salary OS Ona HundredFifty 150.00)a month sinoe that time, although It was ne&ssary to employ oounsel for advloe to the Court and the various ofiloers of the County. The present CountyAttorney vaa reeleoted

for the ensuing term but is nov somewhere in Franoe or Rngland and he has Slledwith the Comalssioners~ Court **a**Bon.Wllllam R. Bdwards,Page 2

bond in oorreot form, exoept that it 18 rigned, hIa by 8n agent and tba oath of offioe ir alao I signet3

by the mm ageat.

“QDBSTIOR "18 this bead a valid oru ml& 48 rbova ladloated

and lo the oath of offlao mubrorlbed to w hIa agent valid?
nDoea the Caamlaeloners~ Cmrt of Upton Countyhave the right to employan attornsfto advise the Court and the ofYloer6 during the **clb** senoe OS tlao

presentCountyAttorney?’ Under the prwIslo~ of Artiole4399, Vernon ’s Annotated Civil Statutes, this Department

1s prohibited

Srum rendering legal opinionsto County Judges, but, ln view of the faot that **you County**  **is vithout**  the **armloes of**  the **County Attoraey**  st the present,

ve feel it is appropriate to anmmr

your queetlon. Artlole 16, Vernonla Annotated

Civil Statutes,

provldos that eaoh ofiloer in this State,vhethereleoted or appointed &all, before enteringupon the duties OS hh office,take and aubsorlbe

the oath.presorlbsd by Artlole 16, Seotlon 1 of the Constitution

OS this Btatej and IS he shall be mqulrad by lav to give an offloial bond, raid oath shall be filed with said bond. Article 330, V. A. C. S., providesthat sash County Attorneyshall,besorb entering upon the dutloe of hle offLoe give bond, eta.

Article 5998, V. **A.** C. B., providesthat the offiolel bond of eaah ofiloer shallbe exeouted by him vith tV0 or mom goad ati sufflolent sureties

or solventsurety oompany authorized to do businessin this State.

Artlole 26, V. **A.** C. S., prwldes that all oaths,afSldavita

or afflrmatlons

may bo admlnlstorad and a oertifloate

of the feat given, If withoutthe United Ytates,before any notary nubllo, or any minister,oomlssloner or charge d*affalres of the bnited states,

resident In and aooredlted to the country

where the affidavit

may be taken, or any consulgeneral,oonsul, vice-oonsul,

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Honorable

WllllamR. Bdvard8,Page 3

oommerolal

agent,vloe-aomm8ralal agent,deputy oo~ul, or oonsuler agent of the United States,residentia suoh oarby.

Seotlon 1, Art1018 16 of the State Con8tltutioa, vld8s.the

form OS oath m lfflnsatlon to be used. Artlole%; V. A. C. S,, provide8for the maklq OS an aoknwlodgment or p&of OS an lnstruwnt of vrlting Sor lvaordbefoa% oertaln offlolals, and would hsw no applloatlnn to the taking of an orsioialoath. We see no logal **rea8on** why the persoavho tar cleatedCountyAttorney,aould **not exeaute**  **hi8** oiflolal be& while on fiilitary servloein **a** foreign oountry, and also tak8 and 8ub8orlb8 tb8 osth presorlbed

by the Constitution b8San any person authorized by Artlole 26 to admlnl8ter the sw. Tha bond ati oath of OSfloe filedby the County Attorney with th8 **Canmls8ionera~** Court appearsto be ln aorreat form, **exorpt** that th8 bond and oath of offloeare signed by an agent of the CountyAttorn8y. In viev of the foregoing **8tatute8 and**  the Constitution provision, it is our opinionthat the CountyAttorney must l xeout8 the oath OS offla8 in the Sozm presorlbod by the Conntltutlon. Iielther the Constitution

**nor the**  **Statute8** authorizes a pub110 offlolal to execute

his cath OS oifloeby an agent; therefore, ve believe that the oath of offloe exeouted by an agent is invalid. With reierenoe to the validityof the bond ve are oonfronted vlth a more serious

problem. Cenarally spsaklng,

urdlnarlly

a person may do by or throughhis agent what h8 aan do hlmeelf. We have failed to find any authority vhatsoever

pertaining

to the authority OS the pub110 oSflalal exeoutlng

hi8 oSSlola1

bond by and throughan agent. We oannot oategorloally say **whether** m not the bond **a8** exeouted by the agent is valid or invalid. It is our oplnlonthat the **County Attorney**  should take and subsorlbe the oath presarlbed by Art1018 16, Seotlon 1 of th8 Constitution of this Statebefore any persaaautharlted by A&lo18 26 to administersame. It vould b8 saferpraotlaeSor the County **Attorney** to also exeoute

his bond by signingit personally.
We nw oonslder

your question

with r8ferenoe

to the authority

OS the Commissioners 1 Court OS your County to employ an attorney

to advise the Court and the oounty offloials during the absenoe of the County Attorney. It Is stated in Texas Jurlsprudenoe,

Vol. 11, P. 575: "The aommlssloners~ oourthas pwer to employ attorneys

to assist the regularly oonstltuted

ofifoers of the oounty lnthe proseoutlon of its alalmsEon.WilliamR. EdVSl'dS, PSgS 4

Slid **SUitS,** Snd **t0 p1y**  fC@ ruoh **88l ’**  **ViO88 Out**  **O?** the oaunty fund8. It seams,hovever,that the commlssionerr~

ocurt does not h8va the pwor to deprivethe ocuntyattomey of his rightfulauthority ln this regmd. The employnmnt of aouase1 18 reatrlot8d

to sp8aiala88eavlxu-8 the *errvloea of SO attorney are r8qulr8d~ nor h88 the oaurtpweP to m8k8 an ordervhloh vlllvwrant the pupobntof oountyaaney to an attorneyfor seroloes

neitherr8qulred

nar perSorm8d. ’ (Adams 0. Saagler, 250 3. W. 413; Qlbson Y* Davis, 236 3. W. 2021 Terre1Y. Greene, 1 5. Y. 631; t3rooms v, AtamOs County, 32 3. W. 1881.

**Under** the holdlng8of the **abwe** maatlonedoctaes, it is apaarent that the Camlssloner8 ’ **Court** b88 the power and aut!zorlty

to employ

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ttornepsin the proseoutlon of its olalmsand suits and pay for suoh servloer **out** of the general fundr OS the county whezle the aaunty,

an a whole, is interested and effected by suoh **proo8edings.** Artlole 334, **V.** A. C. S., provldtsr

"Thedirtrlot

and oountyattorneys, upan request, shell give Sn aplnloaar sdvio8 in vriting to any oounty or preolnatofSla8rOS their dlstrlot or oaunty,tauahing their offlol81

duties." The faregoing

**statute** lmposea

upan the dlstrlot rod countyattorneys

the duty to give opinions and sdvloe in wJIlting to any aauntyor preolnat oifloer of their dlstrlot or oounty. The aountyand preolnot ofSlolol8

of your county may request pcur dlstrlat

attarney

**for** opinion8

and advloe in vrlting tauohlng their oSSlOla1

duties. Speolfloally

ansverlR$

your quastlon

regarding the employment

of an attorney,

it bC our opinionthat under the Soots SE&S I

**0~ a&**  **the** foregoing **statutes and**  the rules of laws n our Opinion Ro. O-4979, 8 oopy OS vhiah is enolosed SW your oonvenlenos, the Cunmls~nors~ Caurtvauld ?1ot have the authority

to engage oowel to perSorm the duties OS aountyattorney of your oauntg, but that it would hsve the authority to engage onrasel

to advise the Ccxmlnslm!ms~ Court,btlt w&d not bve authority

to employ**an** attorney to advise oountyand preoinot ofiloials,

aa it has been held that Artlole 334 was intendedto impose the duty upon the oounty and dlstrlot attorneys,

and not as a restrioticm

upon the Commlssi~aars~ Court in the emplog-Hon. WllllamR. Rdvarda, Page 5

**ment** OS SttCrMya t0 8dYl88 l nd rWkdeP 88~~lO88 to th8 **County in**  **~Ol ’**  **tSllt =ttWS**  **Oooing b8fOl**  **’ 8**  **it fW**  **it8 OOMid8~8tiQli.**  Olbson,et al. Y. Darlr, et al, 236 3. W. 202.

Vlth referen to th8 8ppolata8nt of oounty**attorneys pl**  **’ 0**  **tW Snd**  other **MtteFS ml**  **’ tau**  **t0 th8**  **d@ttS Of**  **tb8** **C-i*-** slonerr~

Court in 

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mployln3

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ttorn8y8

ve **dlrrot** ymr l

tt8ntloato oplnlozl

EO. o-4979.

**fOUF8 VSrj**  **tmrl;J**
ATTORm **G3E5?AL oFTmA** 

**7 T&g**  &dell Vllllam8 ,~ ..:.,.. ti8iSkZlt AW:fo **-0.**