~Horiorablk ti. H. Weilb;dx&p‘&? 2.. (w-536)
that.an abolition of an office, la predicatedupon a legal order by.the .apprdpriatk governln&.bodywhlch has.the authority to act .onsuch matters.

Section 18 of,Artfcle V of the Constftutlon o,f'petis provides 8s follpw8~: ' :, v;

:;

. .

:_ , :’

:. I

.’

:’

.

‘.,

.t~. ; ., to time;,‘:for-~the .&3?sve9ienae

of the’.pegple,

Snto

.. precfricts;.’

tiot,:‘$6a’e’than~~Potlr~:and~~ot.~~~ ~than :.: .elght. -~ivislone'~~.s~~l be made.

by the %omnls-. ~sionetis

$our$ pr0v.ide.d~

for by tNs Constltutionl ‘In eich.~sUoh

~p+e~c@ct~

there shallAbeelected one, 1. .~:justibe.-qf,.the’P’eac~~ and. one Conetabld,each of ~, ‘. ‘..d$bm **shalL** hdld his af;iio@:fk.‘f61ir: yi%@rs~~and ’ ::‘.:‘I&&

:~s.:rr~odee’e~~~‘.sb81~; be, elected “4 qyli- ~f~+:~..%y~

*.n

. ‘-

‘+ ,. Tj& :.e&aer,:*d

:$$ -&z+*y .‘~&a1 ! S &$n$one irat&- ” ’ prat~f~i6,:pd~~~~iqp-.th%.:0d~~t~~~~on~~~~‘r~~sdly’~eld ‘. that .the~~:C~~~.~~ !I+; t~..,~)~h?rity

to ‘:inor?aB?R

de- 1~ ‘CretiwL~

cJa&@ge~.f;i$e

p~e~j.pot~~bo+d&%er ‘+nd abolish the office of the’JUetii?k:of~%he



### P’aa~$~‘ahd.Gonstshle- 80 long aa there i?emaim ate lesat’.f~ur’j’-:~~t:~t~l’a~~e t~;han eight: ~such off&ass In the county. This .z%ght.,@

t$e :~C~sBlone~B ..CqU?t’~~,j&q ?a ,exer$ised

at ~kny time they ,a%*.

been‘.“c?nvenient

.for, the.people”,tid~may~operate td, dejptilve

persotis

e)ected to those ‘positions of any’right to contlntie

in ofrice or receive the emoluments theSeof. State v. Rigsby,. S.W. ~271 (Tex.Clv.App. 1897, error ref.); .E=. Townsend,136 S.W.. 1143, 1145 (Tex.Clv.App. 1911); Wi .~’ 312 Tex. 193,~247 C3.W~. ~263 (1922).Brown v. 839 ~(Tex.oiv.App.

1936 emor d1sm.j; Att Ileeks,’ 0-y ,p

noral’ . Q490,~ V:1032.,;

adv-1a~8.. The.recent ca8e of Child&& C&My v.: 'Sachee 316 . S,.W. Za-.li14;Yand

&f'flrmed

in ~X~,S.!I~.~.~UO, was’decldedon faOtS ~di~t~8hablg~frok:thoB.e pre~sented in your lettqm. In that case.t&e~C&inissl6ne~s Court Changed the boundaries Of the cola- ~~~(&&%M,qpqrp~P~oixit$ which,resulted.in plaoing’Commlssloner Sach(le’s .rqLlw in **a** proalnct diffqrent frola that tb:.whlch

he **W&B** eqeat- ‘.~ -edi. l9mcciunbyJudge.proaptly dealwed a vaaanoy &nd appointed~. ~~?~e~‘;Lnclioldual ~toeerve the re&ainder of Saahae’a tar& *0I?Fe’ 8ued’tM.atiu@?ty

aseking to:

recover the salary of the offtoe, tar. that part of~thr .kra.after his “maoval”. The;Court of Civil ~’ ’ ‘Appeals’IIttlrmed the Dltirict Cotit’s ~judgtient for. Sachse

### ~by.h6ldlng’twf i+rrab nevqq ~legally -rewved. .??-I+~

Court, in Setting ~: f&t.h.thefaots 6S ‘the.c&M,:,.stated aa folloirl:’ ,- .‘.’ ., ,. .

-: ,:

,.., : . . ‘: .~:. .:

: '.~Hanorable

B. H. Wellborn,page 

### 3. (~~-536)

It
. Such order ,@f the Commlssloners Courg ~dId,not

purport to remove appellee'from~his office. or attempt:to,abolIsh appellee'aoffice or to create a vaoancy therein:". : .II ,(JimphasIa

burs)

.~.'~-~~After:

dIbhusssSJlg:khe

proceduresand :requIs.Ites of removal df ~'.:" publI~-:officIdla.-from:offIce,~the~ Court: stated as ~follows: .~_,” ‘. ,..,” ~?Abooz&ig .:to .%& ‘re&rb .&fore ua a&. t&r 

### %iw +Sted-

### +iWn&ercn~~ other authorlt~eo,.~~It~ :clearly’appeari

,thatappellee, Sachse,was never ::.legaUy

rqmoV@d~from,offl~?e; neither was his of- 'fIce:~le&llgT'vacated or~abqllshed; .'. .*I ~h&e&s~:ouri$J :,



### . . . . . : ”
.‘~~., 

### 380) ~I&a’.&& &.&n,~ the.&pmm (J.&e ,(a 3& s,u,2d &~fked.the Sourt ~~Of.CIvIl Appeals as fOllowsi .':The appllcatlon for writ.of 

### error la re-

. 

### qw4. No.revereible e-or. We approvethe 

### .~ .~ .~.

:-i.:hoJd@if'op:

thb~'CcWt of~ClvI1 Appeals that changes ..:.. ." ~3,%pria?.not:'bound+rIe~~ do not create a vacancy in ':~ :..tZra~~'.~f~ice:'of

'County ComqLssloner

or deprive the ' .. ,..:~ .--;ineoabent.~Qf:~~the.rigM~ tq-hold office for the re- : t : ~mai&f$i’

-0f~his .:t~erRI, ’ even. thoii&h by **rM80n** of such .; :~:I ~.~gh;bitgs',kiIs:reaidence Is note within the precinat ;-,,+5' I'a$iftied,."

" pi _.,. * :. _'. .'. ~:'XtK:~~~~ n&ed'.&at.the Couzt of~CfviZ Appeals In stat- '~ing'th~~~~~~~td:.:~of,~the '&ds6,.~.balled~

attention to the faaot.that %hr~:':@246~:~¬ &i&t ;to~~~bqlIih



### or vaaate the offiae lii ~' ~.'.... ~estion;--:.%rapplJring~the law to thoee faots the .Court aen- .a~u~a'tKat'there~had:b~en o legal removal from office. How- :, eVe.~;.-.th?y'.dId~:inot.stop ~wlthsuch a holding, but continuedwith d$otull,'iaft,ez

the:semI-colon,to the .effeat that a different ~..'#eiunilt:~.won&di:obtaIn In the event of a legal abolition or vaca- .~
.. ~~ti$i&of~$he

offioe+PThe-Supreme Court's opinion Is narrow06 to..: .a~atatetiht;of

~thelaw rgth'regard to a change of boundaries '. ..' kith.rlo:,~~dU&I~'q of ~the.approprIate result had there been 8. : '. ~:,... lQjiLl:.aWjlitWq or yaoatlon of the offioe; thus It left sttid- ;~ ,_ 'ing tha;d%atuq otitho opinion of the Court of Civil Appeals. If th%s .eari.'w&e

interpreted to preclude the abolitionof an“," CiifIceiJ~iag

the.term 

### for whlah an Indlvldualhad been elaated;. .*' the iesultwould conflictwith the prdsent Amerlaan and Texas .decIsionn;-a

resqlt which, In the op$nIon of this office,. " nfiltber'the-Court

of Civil Appeals nbr the Supreme Court In- :.t.qnded

.to.-imply.

. .‘. .~;. :. ” ,.~Hon6rableH. H. welidorn,page 4. (wW~-536) "' I%' -' !4!)iegefor&consIdgrIqg'the 'Porego o#in?,on:qf:$hId'6ffI~dg that the.CoaPraisS~6nere~ any tIme,~f6r:t$e.mtivenlencq of the pgople, redI,stri$t the Justice Pre~CIn&ts

itito not ,less

than four nor more than eight and abolish the offices of then Justice of the Peace ahd Constable'.ar;d'~de~lare,,~them~.~a~~t, **,+n** those precincts In which the bouadar'les~dre'.altered.~~.~ quch.eveqt,~the

off.Ioials elected to'

these~posit.Io'ns-have no ~further

rlght:to contl!‘ue .in'off.ice;or~&~w~

tbe'Ir"rralariea'...

~&vrcancy:.thqe

occurpIng Ii'.*hi?ti$~

pOS$ti&xii

$%ll,:.auth@rlze~

:the.;Codmia~eIonera

Cow to appoI~~..'any,qtialir9ed:person to fi1.l.

auch.vacancy. '....~ ,'~ ,i

:~. -Torn

I.