OFFICE OF l-NE ‘A~ORNE~GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN

rablO%onor Qtarrimm, Jr. tmenli of Publio Safety

### eeldconviction, whenjudgment ha8 been deEsrrrd, ae provided under Seotlon 25 of H. B. no. 20., in order to eifsot the mepenelon of the dr$ver's li~eum.*

MO.7s of The applieablo statutory provlsione are ae follower

Artlale 808, 

### Pen&lCods,ea amendedby House Bill the Fortyd3eYonth Legislatar?, Regular Sessiont *Art101s 808. *Any paman who driver or operate8 an

_-- _ __ _ autor3oDlle or any 

### otnermotor vehlc15 upon any pubU0 road or highway ,Snthlo State, 

### or uponanyatreet or alley wIthin the-limlte 

### of aa fneorpor8ts4

’ ofty, town 

### or.vill~e, while suoh.pereon in intodoated 

### or ruder the lnfluenoo of intoxbatlog 

### liquor, ~&all be gtaty or 8 ~L~~~SUFIFQO~, 4~14 uppottc0nti0ti0n, ehall be pIUli8hed by confinemsnt in the county Jail 

### ror nbt 

### bsr than ten (10) days nor more than two (2) yeati, 

### orby a fine of noti less thau rifty Dollan 8s50) nor mtvm

### thanFive EItttMrs4 Dollars both aueh rim attd impri~otiment.~ 

### 001, or.by
Artlols 690, Code of Criminal Proasduro, a8 amended by lbtrr o? 1931, 

### Forty-Second Legislature, Ch. 59, p. 59:

*Al%. 6881 Yud#pllen* on rurdiot *On each~verillLrt of aoqulttal or oonvietion, thr proper judgment shall be antsred lmmllately. Xf aaquitted the 

### defendant #hall be at one8 

### dlsohargedfrom all further llabflity~ upon the ahargo 

### for nhloh he MS tried; provided ..tbt, In mlebemeamor oases where there is 

### returned a rerdiet, or a plea of guilty is entereb and the punlelrment assessed 14 by fine only, the Court may,, onwritten request of the dsienbant and ror good oautse shown, defer jridgmnt until fmne other day fired by 

### orderof 'the court; but in no event rhall.the judgment be deterred for a longer perioQ bf tilar than &2x (6) rmmth6. Onerpiration ot the tima fifed by the order of the Court, the C,ourt or Sud& thereof, ahell enter Judment on the verdict QTpleahsiorable Bmisr Oar&son, Jr,, .Page 23

and the aaxe 

### shallbe exesutbd 

### as provided by Chapter 4, Title 9, of the Coda of Grimim&Froosdurs of the %ate or Temm. Pmvided tuxther, that the Gourt or Judge thereof, In the axeraIse of eound dlsoretion maypemlt the defendant tiere judgment is deferred, to remain at large on his own reoognhanoe, .or may

### requirehim to enter into bodd In a stugJa@tlsast dauble the, aPl0u.a 0r the. a8ssas.~ 

## tin0 and costs ~00~4 dltfoned that t&s 

### dshbant and sum&s, jointly and smverall$ 

### willpaymob rine and owts unlesss the d~stahdantpersonelly appears on 

### theday set la tha

### aiderand’dlsoharges the jud@mnt in the.maaner provided by Chapter 4, Title 9 of the. Code of CrIm

### foal~Procebure

OS the StateOSTena8.rand. for the ssUore&rpsnt oi asg judgmsat entered, all wrIta, prot#ssses and ressdles of the Csde oS.Cri.mIml Procedure are .au& applicable .so far as necessary to aarrjr out the 

### provieionsofthis 

### Artiole.~ BeatIon t4 

### of Iiouso' BillNo,.80 (ThbDrIver*s troense Law), Forty-Ssventh fiegilatuxs, l@l(

mo. 84. a&uetio suspension of Xioense.s(a) The licensa of any person shall be automatioally suspendob upon final oonoiation of any of the tollmIng ofrenaes8 *.

. . WE. Driving a motor 7ehIole while under the influenoe of intoxioating liquor or narootio

_. dmissl*.

. .

w(b) The suspension abovs provided shall in the first ,Instams be 

### for aJY3rIod of ‘six. {6) months. 

### & event 

### anyllaense shall 

### beBUBpen&Q 

### under the provision of this Seatisnior a setjood time, seid eeo~na stUupel3d.O~ Shall be for a period of 0110(1) year*”Donorable HomerCerrison, Jr., Page 4

section 88, Ibid..t Y3ec. 25. Khen court to report convictions.*(a) liil;enever any person 

### Is oonvicted of ang oftehfm ror uhiah this, Aot makes automtlo the suapdnaion ot the operator’s, osmasroial operetor’s, or .chauifeur’s lloense of auoh person,, the court ‘in whii~h such oonvlotlon Is had shall require the surrender to It ,of all opereitors’~~ comuerolel 

### operatora*, end ohauffeura’ lloesses then held by the peraon,so oonvloted and the 

### glerko$ said oourt shall -thereupon forward the same together with CL reooml of such oonviotion to the DepartTent, v&din ten (lo) days rrom the dqte o$ o~vio-

.
ì. l .

. . wto) For the purpose of this Act, the

term ‘conviotion’* shall mean a tinax cantiction. ~I.sb, $or~the purpqe. of this Act, a $orfeiture of bail or ooll~teral deposit& to s’eoure a dsfemImnt8s appearan0.e in court, which rorrdtum bfi nPt been -8tkd43a. shall be e~tivalsnt to a .oonviotlon. Vrovided, however, that in ease or eonvlotion for any OSthe offensss enumerated In paragreph (a) ol Seotion 84 of 

### .thi8 Aot, aha the sentenoe OS‘the oourt having b+sn’ SUIB~ pentled as provided In the statutes,. suah mu-. pended sentenoe shall not mitigate against the mepension of the operatorv.s, oommerolal

, oaerator’a, or ahaurreur’a lloehee 

### or the person convidi3d.n In anmering your qtumtion wee nrust determlne Whether the WoonviotioP referred to in Al’t1cJ.e $98, .C. CT aupa, 1s a final one tithin the zaednihg.ot subseotions, (6)P., an4 (0) of the Driver’s Uosnse Law,-supro, *hen j,udgm3ntcx ia %3ferpP6dw

### as prov%aea,

### 3t23

Xn our opinion So. OW482, approved 

### July 17, 194l, the le ;islative history of ’the 1921 anendmnt to Artid 698, C. C. P., was dieouesed. It was there said:

T?rlor to the amnbnent ot Artiols 690 in 1931, said Article raqtirea that the 

### proper judgment ‘be entered immediately.* In 

### a oa8e such aa where the DIJ resented by the Bets submitted,

sbnent vmamerely a fine. the deiendant,‘undet Artioles 785 

### and 7iC3,*sither had tonake Lmmedlatepaymentof the tineand oasts.or 

### bateuffi olaoedin Jail %!aediafel~ for a 6ient Ian&h 

### of time to 

### aleoharnethe full mount OS-fine and caste at the-rate or fx5.00 psr atiy. In counties where there was no *workbouse,v ‘oounty farm’ 

### or vpubllo improvemsnt of the county,’ the 

### various oouutles were burdened with the expenee of keep5hg end ireding such prleoner until he had &aye4 in jail for the number oi day? required to Qisohares the fine and costs at 

### the ratemeation0a. 

### The imexgenoyolasusq of theAat eaea&ing Artlole096 of the Codeof Crimlrral Broeeauxs (42nd I.eg.it!laturs. page 59, Qhagter 29, Seotion



### **Bee.2. Thefaotthatthere .is no p~ovlsion oi the law whereby a person <y 02

### misdemeanor, and whose punishsent hae been assesmd by iina only, may have an opportunity to pay the aam ahd that the areeent law work8 a 

### hard&& on manyoounties or the *tatej oreates an amergmcy,
. . .’ (

### Vnde2soaring ouxy1 *It is our opinion, therefore, that tbo teg;in- ,~ .i ’ lature’lntended by said emendxmnt

### to give the

lntended emendxmnt r authority defendant oourt authority to give the defendant an oppor

### the fineand tunity to raise the money and pay ooete ii the 

### oourt in its disOxetlOn saw fit to disOxetlOn do 80 ton written requmt of the deIendanb and for good cause shown.* Said a%endment #hot&d, thererore, be 80 oonstrusd,atv to ;>vs it the ; efieat intended by the Legirrlature.DonOrable Honk rarrlson, or., Page 6

Tb are of the cpinlcn that, the mere faot that the juC,pCnt was peepared and signed by the county judge, would not of itself preclude the judee from matting aside the juQmsnt and aocoptine the defendant'0 bond and entering an order deferring the judgment for any period not to exoeed sir mont:ia, prov-ided the defendant makes his re:ueat and showsproper oause before the judginent has bP6mexecuted and before the end of the term. It is a general rlzle that .a judgment maybe set aside at any time 

### beforethe end of the term et rrhioh it was rendered, either upon the court*8 ownmotion or motion of a party. 25 Tax. Jur. p. 546. Ehether 'good cause' is shown is within the court's diesretion.

. . ." Thus we 968 that the judgment 18 treated as a final jud&nerct in the aenee that applZoation for deferment must be madebefore the end of the term at pmlch.thr! convlotion"waa obtained. X6likewise Bee that the objbot of the amendment, was to enable the oonviat and to reduob the hardfghlp on the oouutiee expense or fedhg nriaonera unable to oav finee. The 4lDDliOatiOi.i or Artiole 698~~baanothing .to~6: ,;tfth the guilt & illllOO@Jn!38 ot the aooused~ it Is merely a means prbridad by branoh of our government to enable earn the mosey to pay the fine and

In so far a8 the operation of the Driver's License Iaw it3 oonoerned, it is our o.plnioa that a conrlot~on is a "final osnviotion" within ite terma; even though judgment be deferred in accordanoe with the provislone of Article 698, c. c. P., eupra.

In view of the foregoing, you are respectfully advised that in the opinion or this department the court should require the surrender to it of all operator'LI* oolmaercial

and ohauffeurs* licenses then held by the pereon c"~$%'kmnediai+ely upon the Operation 

### of the verdiot of guilty of a jury, or the pronounceslent of the court whore a jury la waived. By this wemtw when the judgment becomee % *final* one in the s~tn8e that it mapnot be appealed Or set aside by the granting of a newtrial. InBonorable HomerGarrieon, Jr., kage 7

the event **of 50**  appeal the judgment is vinai- **upon erpira**  tion of the term of the oourt et whRhich the trial is held; if.tippealed, upon the **issuance** of the nandate of the e?pellate court. See Article8 826, 850, 851, Code of Criminal proaedured Yours very truly AWQRNEY

GEU%4LCF'EXAS

Benjamin iyoodall ABriutant