., 

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

OROVER SELLERS 

ATTORNEY QENCRAL 

Bonazablo Lemllo D. Willlur 

artriot Atto?am~ 

2lrtDiatriot 

Bronha8, 90-r 

196, ruqtu8tf~ 

authority of the C 

tolnfluenootho l 

ounty oemionuthorit~ to rppoint 

olork8, 8taing b 

the nuabor noodod, th8 porltlon 

tk 8aount to k 98id. Said rpb 8 l OO~niOd v 8 8t8tOIiWIt 

sharing th. probable I'0O.i t8 frOE f-8, O-8- 

8iOM 8nd 0~8n88tiOll t0 & 00118ot.d N 88113 

off100 during the fl8Oal p8r and th8 prob8ble 

di8bUP8WOnt8 v&oh l &11 iJW1Ild8 811 8818P1.B 

aId 8X9WUlW Of 881d OffiOej 8ad 88id OOWt 

8-11 plk@ it8 Ord8c 8uthOZ'i8iry th0 899Oi?Atrat 

36 
:x2 

[on. Lo8110 D. Yllllams, P8.58 2 

Oi SUCh depUti8S, asslrtants 8nd olerks arid 

fix tha OOmpansatiOn to b8 p8lQ them vlthln 

the llmitatlons harelu prerorlY=ed and determine the number to ba sppolnt8d aa in the dlsoretlon of said oourt mep be proper; provldod 

that In no oaae rhall the Commisrloners~ court 

Or 8nr membar ther8Of 8ttempt to influence th8 

appointment of any person 88 deputy, assirt8at 

or olerk in any office. Upon the entry of ruoh 

Order the OffiCera a99lJiIIg for #Uoh 8a8iat8Ut8, 

deputies or clerks eh811 be authorized to sppoint them; provided that said conrp8nsatlon 

shall not exceed the maximum amount hereinafter 

set out. . . .R 

Artlola 6869, V. A. C. 9. I8 aa follwr,: 

"Sheriff8 8h811 have tha paver, by writing, 

to 8ppOiILt one or more dOpUti88 ior their reap,aotive oountles, to oontlnue In 0frlc0 during 

the pleaaurs of the sheriff, vho shall h8t8 pwer 

and authority to pei'fWm 811 the 8CtS aud duties 

0," their prlMlpa1s; and every person 80 appointea shall, before he entera upon the fJutlea of his 

offloe, take an3 aubsorl?e to the official oath, 

vhich shall be lndoraed on his appointment, together vlth the oertlffcate of the officer edministering the same; and suoh appointment and~ oath 

a:?311 be recor3,ed in the offlaecsf the County Clerk 

and deposited in s8ic' offlca. The number of deputies appointed by the sheriff of any one county 

shall be limited to not exceeding three in the 

Sustioe pseairict in which Ls located the county 

3Lte of such county, and one In each Justlce greclnct, and a list of these appointments shell bc 

posted up in a conspicuous plaoe in the Clerk18 

3Ffice. An indictment for a felony of any deputy 

zhorlff appolntod shall operate a revocation of 

hia cppointment aa such deputy sherifP. Provided 

further, that lf in the oplnlon of thn Commis3ionersl Court fees oi the sherlfffis of'f10b are not 

sufficient to justify the payment of salaries of 

such deputies, the Conmissionerst Court shall have 

the pw~r to pcy the same out sf the General F.lr-d 

cp said cwnty." 
. I 

Eon. Leslie D. Willlams, Page 3 

Reusrdlng the a 

mole 3902 and Art1010 836 

ointment of depkty shrrlfra, 

9 murt bo oons1dor.d end oonrtrued together. It haa been rapeat. held by thir offloe 

that Artlole 3902 supersedes Artlole 6 8z 9 insofar ea there 18 

a oonfliot between auoh statutea. (300 our @I&a ~0. 042, 

s 00py of vhloh I8 8n0losed.) In the ease of Tl~mmel v. 

Shelton et al, 85 3, Y. 319, oonrtruillg Artiole 18% Revimd 

clvll Statutes, 

Court said, 

1895, a atetuto similar to Artlolr 6&6g, the 

“The statute:: does say thnt the sherifr rhall not 

appoint exoeeding three d,sputles in the justior~s prmirmt in 

vhloh Is looated. the oounty site. 

dlreatory, . . ." 

Thla statute, ve think, 1s 

In the 0850 of fleeper v. Btnart, 66 9. W. (2d) 812, 

lt 1s mid: 

“Artlole 3902, R. 3. 1925, provldea for the 

appointment of tdsputlos or easistants’ ior oartaln oounty ofricers. The llrt of suoh offloors 

to vhloh that artiole 28 rpplioabls ie aa rollova; 

County judge, sherli?, oounty olerk, aounty attornsy, dlstriot attorney, distrlot olerk, tax oolleotor, tax assessor, justlam of the peooe, and 

o onstable. In that artlole Is found the follwing 

language : ‘Provided that in no oesb shall seld 

oommlssloner~s oourt or eny member thereor attampt 

to Influence the eppolntrooat of any person 8s depu-1 

ty or assistant la any offloe.@ A pub110 polloy 1s 

thereby manifested in oaae o? oounty and preclnot 

officers generally to muparer such officers to 

seleot their deputies or assistants and to So?bld 

the oommlssloner’s oourt, or any member thereof, 

from ottcmptlng to inflwnue suoh ofPlOer3 In their 

selection oi assistants. The re8son for thl8 policy is obvious. Offloors aleoted to discharge 

pub110 trusts, cod upon vhcm the x%sponsibllltg 

for the proper dlsaharge thereof rests, should be 

f-e to aeleot persona of their wn ohoice to assist them in Its dlSObPrge. . . .” 

3. v. 

me oese of Tax-rant County et al II. Smith et al, al 

(rd) 537, among other things, holds, . l . The COmTiBsioners 1 Court can limit the number and salary of sheriff dep’utizs, but they have no paver over the mm% 0: the individuals 

to be app0i5tea, and are especla lly prohibIted Srm atteWti% 

any suc;i lastnamad influenoe. . a” 
Hon. Lerlie D. Yllllams, Page 4 

In view of the foregoing authorities you are respeotfully advised that it 18 the oplnlon of this department 

that in no oaae may the Coaunlrslonorst Court or any member 

thereoi attempt to lnfluenae the qppolntment of any porron 

aa deputy sheriff. 

Yours very truly 

ATTORREYOElWtlAL W l!XXAB 

Arde12 Ullllama Aarirtrnt