OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

Eon. T. allbort Adam 

County Attorney 

Jasper County 

Jasper8 Ten8 

Dear Sir: Opinion No. O-7093 

Rot Tlnt06 during 

may be aooegted 

Court, 

trma rhloh a 

Thlr noknowledge 

whioh reabs 8s r0ii0w 

“I would thank you to 

opllllon upon the rollowi 

vana Plea of the County Qourt 

whm a Jury has 

to enter hi8 

had\durl~thetims 

aourt and that that Artin8titUtlio~le But ia, roadto Em, inolunire, it 

of Jasper County, .Toxa#, 

0 texm or until the 

The la& above 

otly with the County ~ourf 

dadgnatlng the terms.i of 

asionors court of JaapOr 

the right to change the tsntm annually, 

data, 
Zion. T. allbert Adams, page 3 

"on tha 11th day of April., lose, tho 

Comloolonoro Oo ur t o i Ja o l r Oo w 

an or4orrhl~h xaabo ago fo f louor %Y EEL4 

by the aourt that the termo of tho Oo&a%y Oourti 

of Jawor Oount~,.Touo, shall bo an4 is horoby 

sot an4 deolgnated to oonvea, on tho following 

datu, towit: Ylrot Monday ln 3anuary, May, 

July an4 Ootober o? l aoh year an4 uoh torr 

shall bo for a prrlod o? three weeko rn-mtho 

date of oonvening of tho Co&J Court.* This 

s&mm to limit the wording of the Statute abow 

quoted. 

W.noo I have bean oonlng a% County httomoy, 

an4 before, it has bun the praatlao of fb Wart 

to tab Ploao 0r~milt~ m all 4ofoa4aato de 

siring ta ontier their plea8 before the Court, at 

any tiom, r~gardluo of the foaroi the Ooart. Vi8 

have 08mral Liquor Yiolatfono an4 DriY2.w Whl3.e 

Intoxicated Ylolatlono eaoh week. There haa never 

been 8 oontcrotod oaos 0r this kinp in this a0unty 

olnos I have been County Attommy 8~94 on th@ 4ato 

oi the riolat%om-dr tbt day after, tho plea is ee-.' '0 

oepted by the Coart, the penalty aoouo~ and pal6 

and the dstondant dlsoharged. Uo quootioa has over 

been xaiomd as to the validity af this aetlon on 

the part of the Court, Until today. 

*If ouch pme+luro. IO mid erdsr the present 

order of the Comloolonero (lourt aad oaa be oorrootd 

~by a new other, I wopld. like to be l dvbe4 es to the 

pmpr roxding si tho ardor. If some other moan8 

are arallable to make It valid to take the ploi at 

anytine. I vtoul4 like to be advise4 oo tlmS the 

pmpor older oa5 be pasookl. Your imodiate.nply 

to this request ~111 be grutly oppreoiotmd.- 

We know 0S no datutory or aoaotitutlanal adb3rit~ 

a p o wedng a Co unty Court to l oeopt pleas of guilty la mio48naaor 

oases l t my tlzm other than la a term time of Sal8 Court. We am 

enolooiag a oopy of. our Opinion No. o-5090, uhleh 4ulo ulth 

thlo queatlon. 
Hon. T. Gilbert Ad-, PWJ 3 

The 0cknloolonoro* Court of Jasper Oounty may set 

the tenan of thd Oounty Court wheaercr it 4eemo neaoooaryr, 

Art1010 1970-837. Y. A. 0. 3. 

Conotltutlon, a lLi 

Art1010 5, Sootlon 29, Toxao 

Artioae 1961 alhw ouoh setting of temo 

amually. We bglfere that tho woelng 04opte4 by the Jasper 

~~ -~~Cormt~-~ool~a'-~~rt-lnl9gg me~fs-ths~~~orpldl.requi~~~--__.-~

meats for ouoh ordero. 

With reforenoo to your quootlon aoaeering a now 

order of the Coarmio~lomro* Court sottlng tenw of the County 

Court, we oite the oaae of hrrow v. Starr Xno. Go. of Amerloa, 

2.73 9. W. 8318, wherein the Court statid: 

vhe CoIBPIoolonero* Court . . . , at a regular 

oeoalon, apopted an order, protiding, In effeot, thmt 

a tenr~.eitheCormty aorrrt ahail k hold In oai.4 

DountJ bogiImlng 06 then rlrot Monday la 'the months 

of Sonmxy, Pebm~, Xaroh, April, My, June, July, 

Augwt September, Ootober. ~November, an4 DOdmber, 

wbloh texmo ohall oontlnue ln seaoloa utll the on4 

of 'the week hot preoe4lly'the first Monday in the 

next mmth, fhuo~pmrl4lng for twelve term of tti -b 

couJsty court.* 

Tha -roregolng order VIM l ttaoke4 oa two 

7 

MUKOlO1 

one, that a statute (Artlole 1777. eaaotkd l.n lStX5 limited 

tha teao of oounty eoutto to,olx; two, that the Oomloolonoro* 

Oourt bs4 na l utharlty to n+ke ouoh an order. The Court hail4 

Article lV77 wooxutltutlonal an4 upheld the aathorlty oi the 

aomoioolonoro~ Oourt to make the order. The a o ur l tal4: 

*The Leniatitmre 10.aot autborizeb t0 emate 

addltlonai terms nor to limit tho number of texmo 

the Co~oolo~n2 0ourt lay Oreate, but only to 

provide for the feur tenno oruted by tho Oonotltutien IArtlele 5. Seotloa SIQ). on4 the Oomloolonero* 

tmwt. without int 1iaitatlGi. The Conmloolonem5t 

Ooufi had the rlgbt t0 liX tse nrzntbOr Of%em aMUally . . ., eubjeat only to the oxmtltutlonal pro- 

~1010n that therm 8Iml.l be ot least four texmo of 

said Court.* (Words in parentheooo and apphoolo 

added.) 
. 

Hon. T. Oilbert Abam#, pago 4 

Wo olto fuxthertho aas@ of Brasoo Rite+ Gas 00. 

v. MoQarr, 115 9. H. (MI 645, rhereln an order of a 

Commloolonero~ Coax-t provided that the teru of the Ootmty 

Court ohoul4 bogln on the flout Xon4ay OS l lternate moatho. 

lnalu(Ung Oatober, to patlnue *threiww&o or until the 

business 8hOuld hare been al#DOBti OS bUt mt BWWI tm 

aate of oommeaowent of tho next tern.- Tm. aa rt id that 

The or4or Was oufflolontly de~lalte an4 upheld iald%ler. 

we o0nolu4~, th45, that th0 a00td00i05Or0* aoart 

may 80 ret the tOnnO of the County Ooart that tb, WfootrLIl 

bd that the ~14 Count 

J 

Court may be in l ooo lo a trOa term to 

term, or until the b MOO 0r th0 COG 10 rini0hd. 

qusstiono. 

Wo tro&t that the fomgoiry: tally Or~o#m 'qoar 

Yours te'v truly, 

ATTO~O~OF'fQ;As 

Approred Jul s, 19Id 

Oarloa 0. Aohlay 

?lrot Aoolotaat 

AttOrnW IXWml