OFFICE OF THE AlTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

I GROVER SBLLERS 

mToR”FT GMtsw.L 
112 

"1 wish to rutmit for your opiaion the queation whether an oSSioer or mallsted man in tbu 

TUXRS State Guerd, under elthor oS the above tgpea 

of aativity, ir pmsonally llabla and rubjeot to 

m&it for pwBoMl injury or prapertg dawo by 

reR809 OS his 0porRtion of mator voh%oles or otbar 

eqtipumt in porweeion 0r tha T-B Hmto orvrd 

mxd operated byhimunderordws oihis oommnnding 

0f~lA%*SW. 

"-#a hRv; bean info& unoffialally the u pawoubnto&m )mtolvedaPrmber oftheFo~r Texas 

National Wardin Rllaa, Tox&8.. 

mIneidontaUyl the Tmrae Etato OUSNI Us boon 

rcoorded reao&tion by tha War Doprrtaent as the 

orwod mllltis OS the stRta, purmuwxt to federal 

lawi and &marally the motor rslrla1.a or other equip 

numt wa d b y itr mabern ia l qtiipment tmmd by the 

United States and Surnlshed to the State Sar tr8lnJ.ng 

und porforning the aotiw duty of the iilitir." 

Arti 6768, VWWKl*S Annotated C&V%& StRtUtelS, aa 

auwmled by Xouue Bill Flo. 56S, anrctrd by the Bortr-e,i@;hth 

ra&alnture, reada a8 follorrr 

'Tim rllitti OS thie State shall be divided into 

two (8) olasbsls, th* aotiv* and ream-v. mllitIia* The 

wctito militia shall waulrt of orguiired end mlformed lailitary Sorom OS thir State rbieh shall be 

knom a8 the TOXRS 3IatiosmlQuwd orthoQurr State 

Guard, RI the cum r;3a ~a: tho ree8a-w militir rhp3.l 

curls1st of all those I- iatile to 6oniai In the lRUitl& 

but not siwvinp, in the Texa8 Xotlon& 0~~x4 or the 

Tewa state suard." 

*seotion 1 (a). Authcrlty and muno. whenever any 

part of the RutfonRl ward OS tw.8 state 18 in aotivs 

izeileral servioe, the @overncr la hereby ruthorlz.od to 
113 

\ 

orgmiw end maintain tithin this St&a duriy: 

suah period, under 8uoh regulatiana OS tha :eamt&ry of War of the -United Stats8 may prsaoriba 

for t-hair orymiration, stAndarda of trainlui;, 

l.nstrwtion and disaiplti, l ueh tilitary fcraoa 

M tbo ctovwaor any dwaa aeoeaeuy to deS6nd thfa 

state. 4 8 + 

*(II) Such fowos shall be e part of the katlve 

ailltia uad a ocmponant of the Ililltw!~ Forttes OS 

Texas end aheXl. be additional to and diatinat from 

the !iational 13uaa-d and shall be known &II the !l'exarr 

Stata Guurda Pmvided, hmevar, that mambma of 

the Taxaa ~IJutional Gumd W!IO ma not at t&e tlum in 

Fedw6l SWV~O~ my be used, undo the authorit of 

tlm AdjutantGenar& ts omna~@,lnatruot, tra in 

and administer all or any ecmpment of tha xilltary 

Pa-a.8 of this St&to. inoludlng~ auoh State Guard.” 

“800t1cm 8(a)* or!&aaLutbQ. Rule8 una am- thns. The 5o~ermer is iaweby uuthwised to 

tr 

wrlbr 

ma lel s d regalatlons not lnaonsi8knt with 

visloas of this Aot governing the l alldimeat, esration, ,+3mbliatmLtion, tmlfosna, elcruipsmt, l8abteau&a., cawuad, tninlng and dlsolpllzna OS auoh ~ox8.a; 

provided such rules and regulations, in 80 frr aa he 

&aem~ prrotionble end deetiable, 8hal.l oonforrp to cbxlsting law ~ovorn%ng and pertrinlag to tha XatiaMl 

Guard and the rules and re@.at$ons promulgated thereunder.* 

Ax-tic10 s838, Yeraon~a Annotated Civil Ststutos, as 

amem by said HOUM Bill Woa 5B6, provider aa Sollows: 

*Aotive mllltia service. The military forcea of 

this Sate when oirlled fnto active aarviee of this 

state in time of war, inawroatlon, invahion, or hn&mnt danger ther*of, or the prevention of i.nvacSlon, 

thou durlrq their time 6s aorvioe, be entitled to 

the sme pay, rations, md allouanoes for elcit~~i; 

as fs now or my hereafter be qttabl.iaiisd tiJ t!-m 2.awa 

for the ensy of the m-&ted States.* 
T&me 18 no provi8ion in thr law8 crouting th. TexU8 

st0t.e mmrd ommpting any member tboreof f'rum 0ivl.l liabiliby 

for t:m death or Injury to anoth8r parson or from property 

damp~0. 

The authorit U'o ray mowor in r4gunt to tha Oivil 

llabllItLe8 of mmber8 of the m%lfti& Frar i&8 dro18ion8 of 

the Pedwul appollata oourlx (FodwU Digeat, Vel. 46, tIW.8 

Y;IlIt&.a, key mtnbar Is] WC note that it Ia ~eimtiy rCoo&nI8ad 

that a mmmbor of the mIlIt%a nmy be 01vIlly 1lablC for tort8 

aomlttod bybk. 

PCI QUQk hrcrp vOlUU8 68, kl84PtiU2 &W18pX%dCnC9, 34JC8 

f&s4466, a8 follor8r 

“see. ll6. Pec8oxu4 LIab%llb of Pwwru in Killtrrf 8W'ViCO.--It 18 l Td&-O8tab 3 i8h& &‘ti* thUt par8ON engugad ia tha mlllWry 8CPVIC8 of the Itate or 

nation are not lkblo %fk a olvll atit for dmmgC8 for 

U0t8 done in th8 C-80 Of thati mtlikry dutlO8, in 

ObOdiOIlOO to thC larful CPdCr8 of a 8up8rICZ Of~ioW, 

0F, U8 8tat.d b 8-0 udhO~itiO8~ in obedlenuo to 

o r do r 8 wh i0h l r4 apparently luwful or not apparently 

&wftal, but If 8uah or&m8 8~4 tll4gu1, or apparsntl~ 

izis%az~~~~~~~~ ~dz3i$~x~. 

th6y afford no Ju8tiffoUtion for th8 Wrongful act. 

+ 4 4.0 

+4044* 

'A 801diCl' 18 W38pon8ibh fOC dLUC@$C8 fQr 4l& &4t8 

dOnO by hln Without Ol'der8 Or Out81dC Or ,ti 8xC.88 of 

hi8 Ol'dOP8. The mere faCt that on8 18 a ma&w of the 

tilltury do08 sot give him liaCn8C to db thou i$h%.n$cl 

wh%Ch a oirIltan mnnot do. G Q *.' 

iz + 4 4 Q e 

*sot. 17. superior or c 

infrrior officer8 und 8oldime bomd to obey ordws 

cPl0wmung 0ffioerr.- Vihila 

am protected in 80 do&& 4xoept vrkubr4 8uch orders 
Hoa Aa IS. Kniehrbooker, page #S. 

8hOw on thoip~ faoe their 0wn 111e~aUty Or wult 

of authority, a SuperIOr offlobr 18 hInIrlf an8Werable for all a0tr within the fair eaope of 

the order8 given by him, and hia only &vaIlatle 

defenee is that the order8 given by him Were 

IAWRil. Tha gemoral rule 18 that offioere in 

0ommand of mIlltary fORlO8 are not personally 

liable for inju~IO8 r88ultIng frc5 theix offi0Ial rots in the4 pro8eoutlao of lawful mllltary 

OpeMti0n8. Thi8 rub %8 rrubjeot, hOWeYOr, t0 

the Ulnitatlon that polronel 1Iablllt~ nrpy be 

inaurred where the offloes a0t8 wuntonly, or inths abmenae Of any rea8onabl8 nOce88ity. 0 i+ W 

offieon who have mIlItIa In 00mmand may bo re8pOn8ible for d8m8g88 8urtaIned bg a citizen re8lLlting inmath praoticr. Of firin& &UX8 by 

m5bor8 of the llcSlltIa under tholr charge and 

at their o o nma nd. l * *î 

Themefore, we oonolxxh that a wmber of tha Torar 

Stats Gwrd, eng8ged in either of the @908 o f l o tivltied+ r 

8oribOd by YOU, I8 rO8pOMible for wO8, tn rOllpO0t t0 

elthor pr8onnl injUdO or property duukgo crrwmd~by hI# Mt8 

of mgligenoo, whothor with or wIthout ordora BF In Ox0888 Of 

hi8 OrdW8. 156 Mar es, 9L vie point out, houov*D, tbAt 

oompllanoe by a prlvats 8oldiea with an Order 6f a 8upwior 

oifiosr I8 suffioiant juatiflaatlon for the violation Of a 

trwffitio rule 1~1le88 the order 18 80 wpably -Wl’ul that a 

rea8onable man in the poaitton of a perron obem it would 

p8r0OIve it8 unlawful quality, and that an order to keep * 

motor oonvoy together, even If that involved oontinu%n& in 

the face of a red light, althOugh lllogal, oannOt ba deemed 

palpubly or obvIou8ly Illegal to a roldior charged with the 

operation of one of the tntck8 In the oonvoy, but it doer not 

follow that a private soldier would be oxowed by such nn order 

fram the 00n8eipe~e8 of neglimnoo in m oth&r@rpeot tbma 

the vi0lafion of the ordinanoe. a8 65 eamGlZ35Ilure to 

alow dqm or 8&p if h&k&t to have forO8bsn-tbt there ~a8 

danger of a cgllI8Ion, and that an order to dlsreyard li&bt8 

would not bogquivalent to an order to drive reckler8ly or 

to 0OnditIm8 other ulan li&ht8, and 

to the truok driver beyond it8 
Hon. A. El Fnickerbboker 

Truat~ that thQ 

t1ona, we are