OFFICE OF THE A-ITORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

Rmotable *. A. Johnson 

Couaty Attorney 

T5z1 Green Cdunty 

San Aaeelo, Term 

Dear Stir 

Tour requeet ror 

eaaptloaed riatter h 

a3 quot. rrat your 

the herolnabors 

this Qspartnent. 

Yenrp Stwaart, 

dng unable to 

uaty Court ai To51 Omen 

*The Couaty Judge ln psaslng upon the imum 

or blrth, ec I understand lt fgo;t the bill, ioes RO 

in his aapaoity ar; e Bobato Sudee. 
%norabla W. A. Johnson, paga 2 

N~Lle*tlon. Should them oases bs Cooke.tsd in 

the Probate Dookst ‘and lf not, houshould thel bs 

dockstad and thamoord kept of 8ame.w 

Seatlon 18, Chapter 41, Aots of the First Called Sasalon of the Fortieth Lq,lrlaturc, a n t1 na l.l l aended ~ b,~: Sootioa 

1, Chapter 83, Aotr of the &Sth Legislature, Regular Zeasioa, 

reads in part as follows: 

reoord of any birth or death that ooCr?rrc~ outside 

the State of Taxes, not previously re&atered, aay 

subAt to the Probate Court in the Couaty where he 

raslclss a record of that birth or death written on 

the adofted totsas OS blrt5 3nU desth oertlrlcates. 

tie ourtifloate shall ba subetpntlated by the aftidsrit of th6 maUlosl&tandant pasect ‘3t the tixne 

oi the birth, or in ease oi dq?.tA, the erridavit or 

tha pby~lolem list in attendtime upon the deceased 

or. the undertekcr who burled the body. 3hen the 

afild?rvlt of the mediCe attendant or undertaker 

canaot be meowed, ths oertirioat6 shall be supprted by the. arridnrlt of 6OiM parson who was ‘acquafntwl with the fasts aurroundin& the btith or 

death, at ths .tLxe the birth or death ocourrotl, with 

a recmd nrrldavlt of ‘aoz~e parson Vito Is aoqaabtsd 

with the Bats sutroubline tho blrfh or death, and 

uho ia not related to the individual by. blood or 

msrrlaga. . . It the ai:ldntlt herainbefore aentimid of mm person aaqtialnted with the hate at 

the tlms t&a birth or death ooourred osmiot be a- ' 

oured, then the County Jutlee shall order 8 trial Oi 

the lssua as to the applicant*8 birth and hear the 

cddtioe or 5u0h uftnrsai38 ana 00n~ider auah a00uwonts relating thereto as lay be available inolcding tecrtimony regarding the ramlly history and 
Honorable R. A. Johnson FWP 3 

aftor acoh heerln&.ir the Cozrt ox~oltias that it 

hrs been astabllahaU bayon& R raamnabla doubt that 

the epplioant we3 bcrr, wlthir the r;nl$ad Ststea, 

and at the time and plaoe stated in the aartifiuata 

he sholl enter jtadgiaent tlndini suoh raots relating 

to the applloaat whlok JuUeprtnt ahall be acoapted 

in lieu or the l rri847it n4nti3ned 5bov4, and 5urflalant, and rhell order the Stato Eet$rtrar to noaapt the oartlrlc:te or the l pplloant*s birth. . .- 

(Underscoring onrs) 

The above quoted ~ro~lrlon~ or the atatuta e&raoa 

the only rules of procedure governing the Fxobata Court’s 

authority to aoospt aarti~ioatad of any birth or death, 

cot prevlcnrsly raglstcrocl, :or re~lstration, and the ieauence 

56 04eirisd coplsa thtjreof. They are plalu and unaablguous. 

36 think thhst the law is p@rteatJy elaar that KUUarn Ecnry 

Stewart will havo to seoure a jud&ment rrom the hobate 

Cuurt of Kilam Couaty Taxm, the county in wbiah ha was born 

finding t&t ha me born w1thl.n the Ua$ted States, and at 

the tlma and ‘la06 stated in the, oartlrloata, and ordering 

the State Ba&lstrsr to aooopt the oertiflaate 0,’ his birth. 

Iu view 0r the toregoIng, it is the op5.nl-in of thfs 

depSrtpZant that the County Court or Tom Green county did not 

hara furlsdlotlon to deter&no the ~is#mrc and adjudloate the 

age or Mr. Stewart.. 

The above quoted Sactim oi Fiousa Sill Zo. 19 plsinly pratidas that anp.cltlzan of the Stats of Texas wiahlng to 

rile the faeord or ary birth, not prarl~msly rcgiaterad, atut 

eubnSt,the name to the ProImte Court, and it naoetmarily rollcim that said aaaa shdd be. cooketod in the Frobata Do&et. 

BY J. C. Dar18 Jr. 

Assi.tan~ 

JCD: db 

AP’t?iZOVD Atx: i6, 1943 

/a/ R. FL ?alrahIld 

AOtine AttOraOy Oeneral 0r Texas.