i’ * I i, 

OFFICEOFTHE A'TTORNEY GENERAL OFTEXAS 

AUSTIN 

GROVER SELLERS 

ATTORNEY GENERAL 

lianomblo D. W. Burkkaltu 

0 vote in..the irieC%tiOIt %ovember 7th 

was tha o&tly one 'on the hTOYeabU 

ae rs-eleotade 

" ;uestlon: iii11 he be eli&bls to qualiiy OLI 

January l$t, and hold the offloo tar another Term " 

leaving i-As rcailp In the other cqunty to XVI hfl 

buo;neaa'?" 

zeation.15, krticle 5 of tbb state Canstftutlon grovidea: 

"?k.ere ahall !~e establlshad in eaal? county of t!~is 

"tat- s Ccl;ntP court, wkl.ah shall be a court of moord; 
and tlxrs shall be eloctad in oath county, by the 

quallfllsd voters, a aosntp judge, who shall be 

well informed In the laws of the Stats; shall be 

a c&neez'Vcrtor of the PBaOB, 1~46 Shall bold hlo Ofrice tar two yaare, and until his aucoeoaor ahell be 

cleated end quallfled. ilt3 shell recelfm4s3mmpso8atiOn fW hi8 tieldCs8 SUCh fO@6 all& pBXV&Si.t.te&%+l -.“; 

aa mny be pro~oribed by law.- 

Section 14 oi Article 16 of the State Coustltution 

reads es r0ii0m 

"Al.1 alvll Ofiiosrti shall reside wit&in tho State; 

and.all dirtrlat or.ooMty otflaera with+ their dia- 

~' :'~. trlcts or~oountlO~, and~ahell~ksep~thelr offices at 

auoh place8 as.m$ be sequlrsd by lew; and rallkU% to 

.aosply ?Jth this-provlelon 8h$l:,v~ca+t+ :offlof. 

~80:heldi~~ 

:... ..., 

trticla'S927, Vernon's Annotated Clvll Satutee provides: 

'To ~pemon~8hlf.:;be:ellgibl~,~to-.~ag~State, oounty,: 

preclilot~::or muql,oipal:os~ioice~ ,$?.:thfu: @ate pnleS8 :pe : 

NmUbe: all@%&'~iti$!~d ~oZX~$~.,~d@i~ !$li~.~~&l,@i$loii 

~f.icnla~:bt~to;. and unlesti ;fi$ .~rii@s+ ~+&+s+I+d:$ith.in 

thim State tur thit p&lo& hi ~2~iWii%~an4 61% months '.~ 

in the county, prrclnot, or munfclpolity, and which he 

ofrero bimssli.as a candldate;'nsxt xcrcedlng any 

general or specie1 eleatloa, and shall here been en 

aotual.boaa rids altimn ot~aald aountp; preolmt, or 

nunia&pelitp tor~more .than:sl%aonths.:. No, peraon.Snallgibls to ~hdld..oifloo shall eter hWs:hla:amme.glaa~d 

upon ths ballot in any general or.speoial election, 

or at.any ;rimery alaotlon Mm-e oandldutas kre sslacted 

under the eleotlon lawa ot this Stete; and oil suoh insliqtbla candidate shall ever be voted upon, nor have 

votas counted for him, C.L any gmmr~l, ogaial, or ,trlmery ~leatlon.W 

cmtiala 2920; Varnonls Annotated Clvl.1 statutes roads 

as iollows: 

"Yoither "he ,aoratury 0r &tats, nor giy county 

judge OS st;la &ate, nor any other authority uuteurized 

to issue cert:iiasteu, si~ll :ssuj sny cert;ficatas 0r 
Eonorable D. T. Burkhalter - Page 3 

election or appointment to any persou elected or 

appointed to any office of this 'tate, who is not 

eligible to hold suah orlice under the Constitution 

of this %atc and under the above Article; and the 

name of no ineligible person, under the Constitution and laws of this State, shell be oertifled by 

a4 party, oosmittee, or any authority authorized 

to have the. nsmes oi oamlldates plaoed upon the 

pr%mry ballot at any prlmery election in this 

_ State; and the nmm oi.no lneli8ible oendidatd under thr Constitution and laws of this State shsll 

be pleeed upon the ballot or any general or speoia1 

eleotion by any euthority whose duty it Is to 

pleoe'names OS oandidates upon o.iYioiel ballots.' 

Artiole 29fi8;"V. A. C. 3.,.psovidoe,:amoag.other 

things;"that the.residenoe of the married man is where his 

wife r+das. 

Referring to 'Article 2958, V. A. C. 2.. it Is stated 

in' Texas Jur., Vol. 16, p. 46: 

The statute defines the *resit!enoe* aithin the 

meaning or the election laws, providing:--thst nrres- 

.ideueo oi.the aarrlad msn is where hfe:rrite.reeidesr~:-~; 

.e<yiii:'he.be permanently separated fromhis. wfib,his 

reaidenoe is Mm-e he sleeps at night. ~,Thus It has 

been held theta married man's residenoe is in-the 

olty in whioh his wife resides, and in which she 

cares for their children. But no matter how ramilies 

may be situated; they are not held to have abandoned 

their residence in s giveh oommnnity merely beoause 

the husband or wife or both temporarily absent t&apt, 

aelves on eooount of their own health, or thet or 

their children, or to serve their government, or 

beoause their trade or business or proiession takes 

them elsewhere for varying periods or time. . . .* 

It was held in the case of Rarwell v. Morris, 143 

s . ":. (26) 809, that a husband has a right to establish thd 

residenoe ;f the taxvily. (Also 

275 ?. 'f. 117). 

see the ease oi YoCharen v. Mead, 

'i'ha answer to tk question propounded in gaur inquiry 

de_r:ends upon the fact question regarding the legal residence af 

the person inquired about. 
Eon. D. .‘. Bud&alter - Page 4 

Ii. the “County Judge aleoF, es 8 matter oi raot, 

hed aotuelly abandoned hla reeidenoo.in Throolonorton County 

prior to the tine 0r eleotlon, end we8 not a u l otual bona 

tlda oltlzen of said oouuty et'thet tlam, ha would not harr 

been l llglblo r0r eleotlon to the orrio or Coauty Judge, 

cud the CoUnty Jude, under Artiola 2928, would not ba authorlaed to leaue a orrtltlaate of eleotloa, and the Wounliy 

Judge~e~eot~ would not be eligible .to qualIty ar Oountf Judge 

on Jarmary 1, 1945. Whether the %ou.uty Judge elaot* had 

abandoned his realdenoo In Throokmvrton Uounty prior fa the 

time of elootion or whether he was en.eotuel bone fide oltlzen 

of $PIQ oounty at that time, ere faot question~~whloh l@ia 

Department Ia not:authorIzed to phas on. ’ ;,,, -, I’ ‘, 

Very tidy yours, 

- OF TXXJIF.