### OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OFTEXAS AUSTIN 

### 142Honorable V. EL Coar, 

### Fags 2

You further 

### state in your letter of September12, .h, that %n the 11th 

### day ot September,1939, the Con&sBiOLWC8' court passed an ocdsr whereby it xas QUthor&ed to 

### UrplOO a lawpsr to represwt the three preoinota in Blanao OoWItf in the abovementionedlaw sPit to be peld out of uowltymand8.” The questionyou ask 1~ as foll~war

"18 thu County authorizedto employ counsel fn a '/ 

### ease of this Mn4.snd pap his .resout of County ms7y:.
Cur answer to yOur queatIon is that the Com&&onsrs* COPrt Of Blanoo County is 

### authorizedto employ oounsel ln a easa Of-this kLn6 to represent the Comm5.esionersVCourt nnd to pay htef~ 00t 0f 00unty fya6.

In the cam of City Natlonel Dank of Austin v. Primltlio uounty, sa s. %. 775, it nap held t&at the Cdssioners* Court 

### vn8 adhorizea to hire oouhsel to represent the CommSs&ouers* 

### @art %n a suit ahioh was broughtagainst the County 3udgeamI th* Oonnissloners

to enjofnalleged i&legal aotlon of the Wm.im- ~d01~0r8* t-art ~IXXVMIOYSO~; tb 00utf'aSat 0r PXWJ~MO c0wy ft0aFort Davis to Nanga. 

### The court held that while 

### t&a suit mS 0tinal.l~against the defetianteas individuals,it 

### was d@rigPQ to oontrolthe performanoeoi their offioial 

### sots,and **.awerore** 

### wa8 a matbsr. of oonpem to the oounty. **tibnths** oourt sa1d.r 

### In thls~oonneoWhile it was nominally 

### a ault against them as 

### indlviduals, lte'design and effeot maa to obstruot aad oontrol the prr0rrrmnoa 0r their oAY'ilcia1 acts,~ and we are 

### not disposed to hold In suoh a oaae t&t they 

### muat 30 nothiry5

toward6 defendin+;such **stilt, or**  must miploy connael.

at .t&Lr i)~in

expense. They had power .,to employ oounael,~and.~o defray the reasonable orpenm thereof out of the county x32nd8.~ The court also held that the right to employ OouMel us not dependent upon whether the order Or the Cok!&stiOners' Court uhiC!i

was under attnok was valid or invalid. 

### On thl.6 point the oourt suid:

"The validity of their acts was not afl‘eoted by the faot tbnt they were dot8ken. or thhf there was an adveree de&slon of the question. It baas beon fre

### quentlyherd 

### thet the poaar cannot be measured by 'auoh a rule.W
The disposition 0f that partion Of the Count3 rOad and bfidge fund oon&stin(S of automobile Ee&Stration fees iS 00ntrolled by &tiole fit375a&Cor the kevisvd Civii Stat\ltes, and is

### 144

Eoaorabls v. B. war, Page a



### a~ttel~mbiohlio~withfntb jurldiotlon #the

& UhtribWifoA 

### of the autmobl1.orq#atratLon f&8 

### bmio~. to the oouaty road md bii@e fund is a hatter 

### ot ~OM@TD to the aty. 

### Tha suitin'thaDirtriot C6urttr a muitl to rr8traiA

tb OouAt Ju4Jpend ths 

### oosmlssloAerr in thm 

### pmforran~ofthdr ofrioal Urrtioa. Wearm thenfonoftk I opbdon thatthe Ommieolo~~?8*Omit has thm autborit~to hk-8 ooum8elto PeprmmAt theOawAls~iomrr' ootut 

### In thm

### malt

nfomd 

### tclryour latter. It I~wallnttledthatths ooankniaaord ooh~tohava.thmpouertoUroaortnacb]:to nprwent theoouaty 

### trr .aattenthat ainotly aoaoara the @@aaty busixwm. 

### Maam vr 8O*grt, m 'M. 888, 860 81 Wq bl8t 86&=8tOA' @Ilit 

### 1.-@Wh6A, 880 6. W. SSO0)Ct~bma va Dads, SS6 SC We8088Wuan-WarpeaYublbhii= a. Vc 8UwA &AAtf, 

### 48 8. w. (86)6%

ml80 the ~&ullJ 

### io agab 

### tinQaraiod.oAmr** omxro, 

## l WEd%4'to tb **tie@ltiOABiAtb** ~tiOA,td#inoOtb &pow of tha ault ,&a to rt an&do or mvlao am opde~ of **the** ~8dOAOd mt @tOtilt& iA.it8 CbfiOial OaPflatty,NO d0 AOt klievo that the 

### raot that oaly thrme 

### nmmbmra 

## dr the ctxmdeaioaer~~ Courtareaadodoimldaat8 wauldaffaotthe rightof tlNOoaf&e8iolmr8'GourttoeaQlg8poeial oowmoltoreprooenttbeC~* 

### aloaord court.~

the eontraotofaaplo~nt howevervmlbhave to be 

### a ooatnot to rcrp~AOAt tho 

### 0nmniaelon4srs* court arrl

### not a 

### oontraot

to represent the three 

### preoinotawhose oomieeionerr 82yt 

### namd as deetendants; othervdee,,rrs

do 

### not believethat thrrre would bm any lawful autborltyto,oxpenfl Funty funds iOr the hiringOf Thor 

### attorney. Very trulyyour0

**AT&WI&** 

### aEfmzALOF T'lexAs