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218 

OFFKE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

QDULO 0. MINN .-001uu 

Xoaomblr A. t. Brrag, fr. 

Criminal Mrtriat Attorney 

BllUboro, Teur 

Dam siri 

or Dtate npntte* ia orrtaia 

add attor thr eiieooouatiw .for f4 

iaolud* Tlotorial Ropwon%8tiro, .ia the &e&l* 

laturo, #hall hare hlB.or her name &or& on mob 

primaq ballot in l eh oeuntias, J088 ad aatn 
. . 

hs OT rho has pal6 to thr County lkxaoutiv. Oommittee of the politioal part+ whose n~i~tiOD 

ho of sho seeks, thr SUEI of tifty DolhrS ($50). 

Tt being the purpose oi this h06t to require 

c iF&: ant of Tlity Dollars ($50) as a pnrsquislte 

CL tha name a? tha oandidats plaood on tha 

oitloial ballot in any primary slostlon in saoh and 

all oouaties hsralnabovs sat out.# , 

Ssotioa bb of Article S oi the Uonstltution ot Texas, 

reads, in part, as follows: 

*The I.8gislaturs shall not', axespi a8 otharrlss provided la this OOnstit~t~on, pass anr looal 

or spaoial law, euthorlaingr 

*And in all other eases when a gsnoral law 

aan br'mda appliaablo no looal or spsoial law 

shall bs snaotsdI provided, that nothing hsrsin 

oontained shall br oonstrusd to prohibit the 

Lsglslaturr ?rom passing spaolal laws for ths 

4 

reservation of the game and fish of thi8 Stats 

a osrtaln looalities.~ 

The following rulss are pertinent to tEe problem at 

hand t 

RUlassl~ioetion of oities aad oounties by 

population, and legislation agplloabla to suah 

olassifioation, has gasrally bran sust@lned 

w&err a substaati~l,r~ason appears for suoh 

olassi?ioatlon. 

*Xi the olassifloatlon a? oltiss or oountlss 

is based oa populatian, wEether an sot is to bs 

ngardrd a8 spoolal, and whother its operation Is 

uniform throughout the State, drpsnds upon whether 

population affords a fair basis for ths olassiflaation with rsfsnnos to the mattaps to whioh it nlaths, and whether ths result it l ooempllshss is 

in taot a real o&ssifloatlon upon that basis, 

and not a designation of a single oity or oounty 

to uhloh alone It shell apply, under the gulsa OS 

as 
- 

~.. 1’ 

* . 

waomblo A* 7, 1#?7aa, ifr., 740 3 

. . 

l ueh l lassifIoatlon, Rrkor-Wa8hi4toa 00. tsr Xumar 

QIt7, 98 ma. t88 88 t. 981.9 blth vv *State, l80 

Tea. ur.481*4* A.r. (U) ma. : 

*The rlasrUlsatloa 840 toa must net is 

real or rubstantial dietins P Lou, uhloh mn4otr 

011, olsss I8 truth, distlwt or dU?uaat fro8 

aao*hw &or l * l Tharmmust exist areamaablr 

ih 

w$UloatIaa ror the olassifioatioa; thst is, 

l bUI8 of the l lasstileatlea lnro&od Rust 

hua a ,d net ml&is8 to the 

&m * l . 

t I MoQulUoa on mm t 

tupow oz,ths 

l l *l Oa*ratlom, 

pp* 44, 4% 

Zt Is olear that Artfolo 8lM0, br It8 tom@, a)pllor 

oril7 to oountlw *hati a 70 ulatlea of not lers them fort - 

three t&wand aa& not more t & rort7-thr.0 thounnd oao h tanclnd an@%8 all l ountler ia thL# 8tate havl4 a popdatloa ot 

not i l ss~thur slxt7 thoasanl &A& not row than slrtf thousand, 

oao hwdrdead la all oountles of this 8tato h&tin@ not less 

taut ninotpaI&ht thousaM anl sot man then alast~l~o~thowan&, rsoordt4 to the last preorlhg 7obem.f Oeasus 

when such oouatlss ooastituta a W nsoatetito l%mtrIot.* fs 

UtiOlO 8~lbO'XS@#hMt t0 kc)tiW ib of &tlolo a of tJ30 ooastitutioa of Tens? Its thlr an attempt 00 thomrt of tho 

Legls&tura to oneeta leoal or 8 

l UI ba aa1 has boon mdo l pplisab r et 

*la1 lawbra 8~ rnmllaw 

Wo hold that f[ t ie. 

k aPe wonsd that Bill Oaunty, Tans, he4 a 

c 

pulatloa 08 iopt -thrso 

tholB8Otider J Osasw~ 

thouanti 

kmrro 

aad 

Oouat7, 

thirt7-dlq 

Teus, 

l 

a 

ooo ~f.

$1~ of sixt7 th o w~,fIve h w& ed ~4 so v~~ l ooorl r 4 tosuah OO~SW, ana %oLonw oOunt7, T&x&s a populatlorr d nlnotp 

l lghtthowan4 sir hundred and sirrrtphro lahabltaats. koh 

oi thoso oountk oonstltuto a ropnrontatire bistriot under 

A?tiol* lOcl, RetIs& oitia m4tuter Mu). BLWO aTo uio on4 

oouatlas moroovor undor tho 1tOO kern1 Gonsur, to whirh 

Artlolo $1.u* wilAppl7. 

Ala l opntlos othrr thamthoso emmuatod IB ml.10 

81180 ud Art1010 8ll.a of Torma*l) AaEetato4 Qivll Dtatutos, 

an ro~I4od for In ths pnoral rtatuto ArtId 8114. Anl orl r 4 to this Mtlolo, *no orndi4ato lo* nomlnatlon for 
. 

Eoaorablo A. 7# Br7aai 7rr, pas* 4 

223. 

. . 

Stat0 Saaator or ~opnsoatatlvo In the Lo 

required to pa 

I 

8t 

s&two shall bo 

more than On0 IkllW (81. 1 to 8gIrz;7 

aooutlvo oomttoo or y other person or aa7 

sonittoo l # his portion o? suoh oxpoaso for ho r ding suoh 

9m*a 

Oanoodlag the pwor of tho Lo#lslatur& to okssI?7 

l aoardI 

Y 

to pepulatlon, Is the l lassI?ioatloa here based on 

poao: 8 grouad~t 28 then sas dlffonaoo ln tho oouatlos 

nlatloa ci 

pulatioa b?mkots, whloh bean a just and proper 

the nrbfoot utter of the legIslatloa? Lat u8 

oxamino tho praotloal opontlon o? this ststuto. j 

0horok.o OOuatf, Tsxaa, aeoor&I~# to tha 1980 Yodoral 

TP 

ula tio a of ~ort74&00 thswaa& on0 hundred 

l oa.u&l&ator 

tount7 4 nqulrod to pa 

for state roprrsoati~In In that 

*not pro than On0 Bollar I 

to the Count7 xxocutlvo Cam1tt.0 

#l.)t* rot oandI&atos for nprosoatatire ln Bill Couat7, Tssas, suoh oountr harlq a po ulatlon of 

on17 fort79four poreoar loss thaa Ohorokoo Couat7, 48 

nqulred under Art1010 bllbo to pa7 ofor to tb Oount 

xas, were 

Bwoutlro 

Oormrittoo tlftt 404ars. Burol7, hen is a aoro arbl I rar7 and 

oaprlolourr l slootloa of HI4 Oumnt~, the olassl?1oatIoa harI4 

no naeonablo rolatloa8hlp to the subjoot matter of the onl otmsnt. 

Insofar as tho seooa& 7opIllatIoh bnokot Is oo~~srao&, 

8Ixt7 thoueea& to sIxt7 thousand, six hundro&, asoordIag to the 

19SO ?o&usl 01asu8, Satarm Oount7, Texas, is the on17 oouatr 

ofAn& withis ItI 7ot fhlrostoa Oouatr rith a population of 

sIxt7-row thousaab ?our hundred aad oao, aad Uraysoa aouat7 

with a pepulatioa 04 sM7-five thousand, eight huadrod and 

fortf-throo Inhabitants as nomplss, a&-o troatod dIffsrontl7. 

LIlwwlso, KO~O~BW Want7 with a poprr;latloa e? aIastt-oI&ht 

thousand, six huadro& and l Ighb7-two inbabItaats Is tho onl7 

oount7 aooordlag to tho 1980 ?edsnl Oomus, ?allIa& within 

tho bnokot aiaotpol&ht thauson& to aInot7-alno thouBan&. 

In oountlor above till bda that 

are a~oorao& airr0Pm tnatmoat. 

pa ulatlon braokot osn&I&atss 

t ust * mndidatss for 

l lootloa to the Loglslaturo in Bill, lkture and YoLonasa 

Counties should. bo required to par ?l?t (#SO.OO) dollan to 

the Want7 hooutlvo 0uamitt.o and oend Idates for the same o?- 

tloo rosldlng La ooPntio8 o? @water and loss population should 

pa7 oa17 one (#LaOI &al&r Is l p 

!- 

nt neither ?rtm tho statute 

nor aa valid mason w 9aa ooaoo vo* 
.- 

222 

i Boaorablo A. 7. ErJOn, fr’r, -60 5 ." 

600 the nosnt oa8s of Ih Parts Iorgusoa ~13t 8. 1. 

(ad) 408, whoroin the Courb of Criminal Appeals said1 

~onoror, the olassI?IoatIoa soot td be 

based men17 on the numbers o? poop10 In the various 

oountIos 6Ot a s to l gor sos, o? physloal IB?IMtIss, 

or in w other manner whioh would appear to be a just 

or masonablo basis for olassl?Ioatloa. Uo are not ua8Ia&?ul of the power a64 authorit o? the Loglslaturo 

to olassl?7 l ooordiag to popQst:oa,, but rush ~okssl- 

?IoatIoa wet bo based oa re&mnablo &ZWI6&8 - mm 

U??oronoo whioh boars a jwt and proper mntatloa to 

the l ttmpto4 olassISioatloa ‘dl aat a men-•rbltrw 

solootIoa. Willou&b~ aa the OoastItutioa,- Vol. 8, 

sea. 458 (1910 tditioa)r 

890 a roasoaablo basis 

This boirq true, wo rail to 

for the olnrdflsatloa Ia tho 

lnstaat 0180. Just whf the poop10 tn Lamar Uouaty and 

tho poop108 of other oountlu talliag ulthin the 

presoribe6 population braoksts should be aooordsd 

dlitomnt treatment to the pooplos o? nthor oountlos 

o? this Stat0 Is apparent aolthor tic% the Aet nor 

frop the moor4 boron us.* 

Ooasoquontl~ it 1s the opinion of this dopartmnt 

-4 70~ aro rospo9tfuli7 l avisoa that Art1010 Wgo, Varaoa’s 

Annotated ditll gtatutos being Ii. 21. lOpb, Aate 1939, 4bth 

3.06.. r0latia6 to pamaonC8 $0 the Oouat hooutivo Uarholttoo 

by oisbldatos for #t&to nprossntatIrr I n osrta$a aountlor 

Is null and rold,,@kd same being rbpugaant to S8o. Bib of 

Art1018 S of *ho #nrtItutloa OS Tous. 

I 

Tom tru17 yours 

ATTOI1poLT t.SNMtU Cl TEXAS 

J /