**November** 

### 19, 1951

Hon. G4orgeM. Kelton opiaionHO:V-13416.
‘County Attorney 

### Ector County 

### Re: Legslitr of a per@Ola'I Odesse, Texas b4ing et tbe uu'tlme **4** 

### jwtico **of tbB**  **p4rce** 

### pd a lebonr for

## the Perk 

### D~.rislon"

of a DearSir: - 

## county.

You heve wqutisted an OplnLoa on the following question:



### "Your **offlc4** 

### ia resrpectfully **rvqaonted** to'furnish **4n** opinion 41)

### to Mmtbe? or not a county **4mplo~44 iatihe**  **capsclty** 

### oi leborer ,. for the Park Division may at the 40140 ticw s4rv4 as JustIce of the Peac4 for on4 of the precincts in acid County.” 

### The prohlbltioaofSection40 ofArticle XVI of 

### the Constitution ogoinat the holding of lDJSI th8n one civil 0rfice of emolum4nt by the **s4a4 pereon**  **et** 

### the **44~14** 

### timedoesnot applyto the office ;oijwtlce of the peace tar 

### the reaeon that this office la express1 4xcepted from its provisions. Att'y Gen. Op. 

### v-828f&g). 4110, it 

### ia our opialonthetSection40 di grtlcle,XVX la84 no af+Mcatiota to Tour 

## roqwrt, since a 18bonr in the 

### PerkDivFslon is nqt 8 civil osfic4 of 4laolllm4nt.

The remetning questloa to be'detmaid 18 

### vhvther**the duties**  **OS**a laborer in the "ParkDlviaion" 

### of a couaty 

### and the duties 

### OS the **office of**  **jurtlce ot**  the **p44ce** are Lncompetlble. 

### The **t4st4 to**  **be** 

### applied Ln determining incoaprtlbilltyare concis4lf rt8ted in Knucklea v.

"One 

### oi the most 

### importanttcata 

### 08 to vhbtherofficesera lnc#patlblv 18 Soundin th princcipls that 

### tbe leeouipetlblllt~ Iv rem cognhed rbuvor one ia ruborddirrete 

### to fbaHon. George hf. Kelton, page 2 (v-1346)

other in some of its important rnd principal duties, or Is subjsct to supervision by the other, or where a contrariety and sntrgonis8 would result in the attempt by on4 person to discharge the duties of both. Under this prlnciple two offices 814 LncompatLble vher4 the incumbent of one has th4 povsr to r48ove Wm Incumbent OSthe other, though the contingency on which the power maybe exsrciaed is remote, and it also exists where the iacuabent OSone offlce has the power of appointment as to the other office

.‘I Mechemon Public Office8 rnd OIfIcaw (1890), Sec. 422, p. 

### 268, states the rule 48 Sollovrc

“It se4ms to be well settled that the qer4 physical imporsibility of one person’s p4rSormlng the duties OSthe tvo off;ces 48 from the lack of 

### time **or** th4 ln4bilitr to be in two places at **the** same moment, ir not the incompetiblllty h4r4 referrod 

## to. It murt be 8n **1ncDnaiStenCy** in the **iUnCtiOn Of**  **th4 tV0**  **offices,** as judge sad clerk of the a4me court, claimant and auditor, and the like.” Applying these tests to the positions in qu4stlon, v4 ere unable to perceive any incompatibility, for neither is subject to my supervision of tha other, nor would any antagonism result In an attempt by on4 person to discharge the dutlcs of both.

Weknow of no constitutional or statutory provision prohibiting a person’s being et the same time 4 justice of the pcec4 and a laborer **ior** the “Park DLviaion” of a county. In vi.4~ of the 

### Poregoing,we agrae with your conclusion that a couuty employes in the capecity of 4 laborer for the "ParkDivision may at the seme time serve as justice of the peace.

SUMNARY A county employee in the capacity of laborer for the "ParksDivision" is notHon. 

### GeorgeM. Kelton, peg4 

### 3 (v-1346)
prohibited from being at the aam t'lm4 a justice 0s th4 peece. APPROVED: 

### Yoursvery truly, J. C. Davis, Jr. 

### countyArrears

Division FRIGEDARIBL tbttomey 

### Geaeraa (. Everett Hutchinson Ex4cutiv4 Assistsnt Cherles D. M&hews 

### FirstAsaistsnt JR:vh

.