THE Amroam~~ GENERAL 

OF TEXAS 

Opinion Ho. O-3163 

Ret Naettmr or not an attcrnsg, who 

has not pdd~ hia mesberahip fee 

to ttm s&its z&Jr within tlm 

t&n43 requind by law, and in 8aOordsncse with the rule8 of the 

suproar, oolm, m8J prelotfes his 

profsa8ion in the oourts. 

178 beg to aakmwledig rseelpt of your letter of 

February 13, 19&l, propaundl.ng Sor a le@l opition the folloane,r 

99 ha06 been oanfrcmtsd with thie probinsl. 

The13 am 0 great msnp lawyera who attempt ha 

prtmtloa in thr oourts la Tarrant Cowrty who 

have not paid their $4 awtbombh.iR fW iI8 the 

stats bar, It 1s tile opinion or this orriae 

t&et unlrmr the & mcmbmrshhip la paid in aoeerdRnae with Artiels 32OA of Vorn6n1s AMokted 

Civil Stntutea of Texee, a43 well am the alo* 

ponntlgated by the Fupraunc Cmrt of Toxaa OQ 

February 22, 1940, that the nttorneg should not 

be aIlowed to praaties in our courts). Pie 8hould 

ba ~l.ee%ed ?io hero your &WI." 

%ation 3 of the State S%r Aot, (Si.C.R., Vornon*a 

codimt3ti0n, ATtlalla 3aoaj pwide%r 

*All peruom who ure now or" shall heretUtor 

M lloenmd to practtios law in this 33ite rJheU 

contltltutend be att*hblsre or the ::tata Bar, and 

shell be raubjaot to the provisions here& ana 

the rule8 edopted by tba rQmme Court of Texas; 

end ail person8 not mmbera of th* ~‘tate Bar ime 

hereby prohibited frcm prsotiolu law in thle 

ftate." 

Yeotion 4 of t&2 Act dealareer 

vithifi SIX ( 6) m0nth,a srclc: tht3 erc30tive 

dote of this .:ot, en& Srom the to tPmo thereafter, RS to tke court nag scan proper, Chu ‘SUprmc Court of %xnc shall prapnra and propose 
k”... . . . . . d .*.. .-. “‘W..U, \. . 1 G-l&O c 

rule6 and reguls4tPona ior dtioipliniag, suakp~ndin& and dfnbarriag mttvrnspa at law; for the 

conduot of tb+ Xate X&r; aad praaoribhg a ooda 

of et&lea t-overnbg 9~ profess3.oml aonduet of 

sttorncys et law. 

=The Supraas Court is ftwther em&wm%Q end 

ft &G.l be its duty to prsaaribe iasr not 6xcaedi~~ Four ($4.00) Poller8 par maus per person 

to be paid to the Clerk of the .%prarm Court to 

be helir by him RIM expended by the Court or Under 

its direatfon for the purpose of the acklnistretion Of this3 Plot. Any person lioensed ant? rec$stared my pay to the dssIpn%teA treesurer‘a BUBI 

OS r~0nc.y frw whiah the fees owed by ruoh person 

lras be tsken ironi tilss to tlae a5 they beaoae due.* 

:'eotlon 5 deolsrer: 

"'The 3qn%!m Court of Texas ohin11 not adopt 

or ~mxaulgats an3 rule or regu:o’latfon ctbrogatlng 

the right of trtul by jury ia diabeme~t prwtmdingo, in the county of tht, rasideuae of the der~md..~ 
euoh r443 WIthin tMrt$ aup Bherultrter, hr &au: 

Wa80 t0 t14 aSl4HbW,but 6h6=%4 niBStat& 

upau psyllmnt of the sea3 duo at the tba5 b 

oee64d to be a mW., together With SW6 Sar 

th4 ourrent gear. IS at tha end OS niwtf tiy6 

aster June 1, a,aaeaba* &ae sot peid to the Wmk 

matbsrshzp tan for th3 c0mtnt year, th4 me 

shell strike from the roll.3 oi the stat3 B4r th 

mm4 .or the dsllnquent mmber, 
mn. iimrvln .t:. mown, dr. Yqg8 4 

lndividnal Blwslber~ a8 to Whcthar he shall pap his dnee and x-emain a nambar QT refuse to pey und be nuspotiod. It will Ee 

note6 that the supreme Rurt LPes mm3 no further thfm to sue+ 

pm? thsdslinquent maxbar from ncnbershlf! lr, thi ;"tate 8.1. 

Tke r&&t to praotiae law by a wapanded nelsber is 

denied not by tha %~pre.rq Court, but by t A;tla L.,,.,,,.,. 

~eotloa 3 of the AOtl, %5d all p*ir'sone not ~lesdere of the 

ctste 3Rr al-6 hereby prfah~lbit& frcm ,praotlcin& law, in this 

cta#.* 

%O~IOIIS 5 and 6 of the ‘tata SW yjet have no appllavtlon to the paynant of duea. The suspa~~io~ ;-rov%ded 

ror in tht;su stmtionc aygliea only in proeeedinf?s for the 

ill:-bwment of an ni.torneg. 

x:a do not thee *Yhrfo cm he nny daub+, 6f the auttority 0r th "oprw20 Uourt to enma CI rulct atrt~wtloally 

sunped.1~ a naaber ior fellure to pay h:r: clrlla'~. !tsl~ydrQlesa 

or the utatutory authority aonferre+I upon the ~uprrcne Court 

s,o mke all rum3 r0r tkt oonduct of thartata tiar, s1w think 

th6 oourt poareo8as lnhcmnti power to suspend nn ettoraeg of 

thee Ctate Bar la the rbscnos of E d.ntute to tD:e amtrary 

r&we 103 attorneys me 0rfuert3 0i’ thst oourt. Ttils puwer 

In ctl~~oui~~ed~ in In re Fete, la7 r:"'. (26) 359, A miomuri 

%861# IrQm wbluh we qu4Bter 

“Tdb %ipP8m &#art Of the at&43 i3f fa~5sOU~ 

hna the tnhcrent power to Afubm attorneys grillty of the violation of ito rules or of aondwt 

uak+3oom.lag lrwyer. In tha ebsence of oonatitutional or statutory resrxlut~om P awrt of 

aupertm or gmtsral juriadlotlon haa authority 

to easpnnd en ettorney from the preatlce (IS 8uda 

or to strike Cram the roll.@ UJI attorney Or auoh 

aaurt Upon proper gS0tmdS l3aoaaSe ettaFnejrS W 

ofTiorra &? the court Zn uhloh they are abritted 

to preatlo*. The puwer to atrike Prom tka rolls 

1s Inherent in the court Itself. Ko stetnto or 

rule lo neeesasry M ~the~3ze the puaishment in 

proper owe*. .%etutecr and rnla8 nay regulrte 

the power, bat they do not oreato it. It is 11866& 

snry for the :~sotsotloa of the oourt, the proper 

0Cwlnletratlon of justioe, the dlgnitg ran& purlt~ 

0: the proferrelon end r0r t ha publio good ati bar 

tha proteotloa of aliants, that aoarts have aa8 

ntlan thla power.* 

nil the craaes.hold that the L&slature has the 

power to abmaa a rim Rgeiaat the rambars of a Ptata '3~ to 

teke oere or the axpun&@ or ext'o~i~ the Bat. In cer Mbson, 4 Tao. (26) 643, and aucharities theruin aitad. In oaf 

state the power to aa8eao the faa in confw,srod upon the %- 

;1rme Court by th@ Legleluture end, thorefor-o. wa think the 

holdin:: 0:' tks aourt in ttip: Gibeon on80 that; t,lo power to 

BREBBP~ the rw aerriw with it the 15oidental. year to (upset a rueaaneble penalty for kta non-peg#wat It: applioable. 

‘2~ quote Tyw the Gibson east: BY follomt 
_.... e 

, 

t 

. . 

. 

pkr Bited irw~~'~~tehng into litigfstisnfar the 

protwtion of hla rfghts, by reasacot the OOP 

soquwees to the tnteratita of ellaatm tit& my 

be jeopnrdtied in 8uoh lltlgatian end thst t&g 

snioreemmt M the penalty provlah?A dwisu to 

respondent5 the eqtml protwtion of the lmwa 

snd Is e deprivetim of property wfthout due 

prrrowe or 1-w in TiolPtioa of tha Pcwrta8nth 

f%uWdmeAt to th6 Ccm6titAtian of the United. 

Etetea 4x8~5 of wotion 18 of erttole 2 of the 

%nstitutlon (d the I-the of #WI &x&m. But 

Sf the pow6.r to impooe ths too be aonhbded, oi 

whloh tre think there aen be no doubt, then a 

~KUiitF ~8&@H.Yi t30:4ly t0 WlfOl-00 itti ‘@SgA6At, 

end .whiah wy be ~:voided altogrther by psymnt, 

1Aoc3.d not ba held void 1)s arbitrary or unr@ltsonmb1.e. *