OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

Honorable Oallan Graham 

Dietricot Attorney 

June tion, Texas 

Dear Sir; 

Your letter of Fob 

opinion of tbie dagortmont 

in part am followat 

“I would like to 

whether or no 

h,of offios and it 

'the Seoretary of 

e reelgned from the,' 

1939, W. 0. Jaokrroh 

Judge Jaakeon' 

ondtutlon, Art. 18, Si3otidn’2T(,‘&d 

Art. 6, Section 20; aa comkuad by the Court of, 

civil Appsals in the ~RDO of Niake ~0, Curl, et 

al, 86 8. IV, 368, provfdeo that the oleotlon of 

vi. c. Jaoknon in 1940 w.m to fill the unorplred 

term OS Judge Montague, and a8 I understand that 
Honorable Callan Graham, Page 2 

deoleion it will be neaeaeary at the Novspnbsr election 1942 to sleet a Judge of the 

112th Judicial Dietriot, 

*The above deolefon, 60 far aa I harr 

barn able to find, is the only one on thle 

question and hae never been cited in any 

other aa6e.* 

vidor t 

ArticY.e 19, Vernon’e Annotatsd Ulvil~Statuter, pro- 

*All racanolee fn State or district offloes, 

-eereept members of the Legislature, rhall b,q 

tilled unleee othemies provided by law by 

appointment of the Covsrnor, whioh appointment, 

if made during ite oession, shall be with ths 

advios and OOtWOAt of two-third@ of the Senata 

pr~eIdalAt. It made duriw the reoclei of the' 

Senate, the said appointee, or 18omo other perBOA to fill. suoh vaoandy, shall bs nonhated 

to the Senate during the first ten days ,of 

ite rseeion. ,xr rejsoted, said 0fri0e shall 

immedlatslp~beoome vaoant, and the Owsrndr 

rhall, without delay, make further nomfnatlk&s 

until a oonfirmation takes pla6@. ~%ut,tahould 

there be no'oonfirmation during thd see&on 

ai the Senate, tha, Governor shall Aot'thsreafter appoint aAy person to fill suoh VaOanQp,, 

who hae been rejeoted by the Senatsl but may 

appoint some other psreon to fill the vuca~a~ 

until the next eeeslon of the SeAate, or until 

the regular election to said otfior, ahould 

lb aoonex ooour. AppOiAtmeAt8 t0 WIOanOisO 

'in offlaes eleotlve by the $eopls shall only. 

oontinus until the first general alaotion therearter.~ 

tldert 

Artials 20, Vernon'8 Annatatqb. Civil $tatutrr., pro- 

"All eleatlonrr to iill vaoam;e8 in offlor 

e&all be to fill the WMSpiredteXlll only," 

Seotion 12 of,Articls XV of the State Co?#tituMon 

prwidea in prtr 
-. i 

Honorable Callan cirabm, Pagr 9 

“..., Eipgofntmentar to mccnciell i’A 

oiriar, eleatlvcl by the pa6pfe ,ehall only eontinus~ until the firot general eleotion’ theretrd%r.” 

provides t 

Section 38, Article V of the State Constitution 

wl~auenclee in the office of Judge8 of 

the Suprsme Court, the Court of Criminal Apps~le, the Ctiurt of Civil Appeals and Die*’ 

triat Gourte 8hal.l be filled by the Governor 

until the next mmaeedlng genard. election; 

ana vacancies in the offior of County fUd@j 

and justices of the peaoe mhall,be filled by 

the Comlsaionera Court until the next gonera1 eleotion for eudh ofPlcee.* 

previdm: 

Ssotion 21, Artiola XVI of the State ConrCftu%ion 

“In all electiona to fill vhoanoiss 0r 

+offiUe in thin ,Stat.s, it ahcAl be to fill : 

the unexpirad term only.* 

Artfcla 292&t, Vernon'r hnototsd Ci,vtl Sthtatam, 

provider: 

‘From iid &fter tha sff&otive date hrreof ,the terms '0r office 0r all elsotivs State 

and Dletriot ofrioare of the State of Teacar, 

erocpting Oovernor, Liaut want Governor, Members of the 0enste, and Uembere of th.e tiuss 

of Representatives, ahall b&n on the laf 

day of J~.pqq~,rsext following tke Cenaral’ 

‘Eleotlon at -&blob said respeotive ‘Stats and 

District off%cerq were elected. ‘” 

The case of fpiois v. Curl, et,al., eupra, in ooartrulng Artiole XVI, Section 27, ucd Artiole V, &otion ze\; aupra, 

holda in effect that all elee,tionrr to’fill vaoenoisr fn an 

offloe shall be to fill, the unexpdred term only; and that vacan&es in the offloels of Judge8 of the DLatrSot Court@ &all 

be filled by the Governor until the oert euooee&I 

election and bhs Judge eleotod at the general eleo & 

$eheral 

ion in 1902 

ia glace o? th,a JudZo regularly elected in 1900,’ whase affloe 

bece.ms vacant by death, wns eleoted for the unexpired tarni @i 

the dooeaeed Judge only, and not for the full, conrtltutiona~ 

term of four yeara. 
Honorable Qallan Graham, Page 4 

Whra Sr, Joe Q,. Montagua ma l lrotrd Dirtriat Judge 

in Nwembrr 19%3,~ the term 60s which hb’wal e2sotrb began 

on January i, 1939, em4 weuld’~re s%pired on January 1 1948. 

Whcm Mr. Montague xe~igaed and, Mr. Jackaoti we* ~appolatcab Dietriot fudge bi the Uovatrnor, he war appointed to serve a8 

Dirtriot Juclgs until the nwit rnca~edin6,genimil elsotion whfoh 

wa8 in Nwsmbsr of 1940 and unlemii slstlteb 0.t eaid general 

cllsotion hi8 tsxm e? of&e onhez” the appointmsnt Wuld hare 

expired January 1 1941,. but Mr. ikiekro~ wim bleated at the 

$ewral alaation ia I.940 ‘ml by virtur of thir elrotioa wa8 

entitled to h0ia the, offim of District Judge for the unsxp&e& tens of Mr. FKo~tagus. l’hersfsss, in. view of the foregoing authorities we rsapsotfully am*or the ‘above ltatod 

quortion in the aifiamatits. 

touA rcarf trul? ,,, 

A!PIQRNEf G&N~RAL OIF TIEAS