OFFICE OF THE Al-I’ORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

Honorable R. A. YoRlrath 

Oounty Auditor 

Cooke County 

Galne~~lllr, Texas 

Dear Slrr Oplalon Nor 

/ lour requert tor opinion haa 

oarefully oonaidsred by this depar 

request a8 tollowzr 

your 

*Artlo 1650, 

ot the 44th Legislature 

appolntmnt, by the din 

asaIetant8 to oountf au 

In thlr law with retere 

sIatant8 end ~oour/i&l 

ties where only one aealrrtant 

sslatant shall be authorized 

tier az are required by law ot the County Auditor. 

In oountles In rhIoh more then one aselatant ehall 

be appointed, the County Auditor may drslgaate the 

aselztant rho ohall be authorized to aot tor him 

during his, abrenoo or unavoidable detentian. All 

ot aaid assietantr rhall take the usual oath ot ottier tor talthful pertormnnoo ot duty and may be requIred to gIre suoh bond aa the Oounty Aualtor mq 

706 

, “0 COYYIIY,C.~,O” I. . . . ..-..“-...I . . . 

..ee.m-Y1-.. ^-...,^.....,.--. .----..___..-.. .--. ~. 
Honorablr RI A. xOx]Lr(Lth, Pa&e 2 

dotrrmlno whloh bond shall be paid tor by the oounty and ehall run In tator ot the oountr and at the 

Oouatr Auditor (IO their ~Intereet may appear. 

The Qounty Auditor shall preparo a llet ot 

the number ot doputlee eought to bm appointed, 

their dutlee, qualltIoatIone and rxperlmoo and 

the l a la r Ioto e be paid woh, and ehall or&J 

the llet to the Dletrlot Judge, or In thr wont 

at more than one Dlotrlot Judge In thr oouuty, 

to the Dlotrlet Judgee, and the Dietriot Judge or 

the Dletrlot fudge0 ehall then oarrfully oonelder the l pplloatlon tor the appointment o? raid 

aeeletantr and may siako all aoo*eeary Inqulrles 

oonoernIng the qualItIoatlone of the person8 nemed, 

the poeltlone sought to bo tll~~d and the reaeonablrnree ot the ealarlee requeeted; and ii, atCor 

euoh oonsidentlon, the Dletrlot Judge, or In the 

event of more than one Dletrlot Judge a majorItJ 

or the DIetrIot Judge8 ohall approve &he appointaunto sought to bo mado or an? nmb8r thereof, 

ho or t&y ahall preparr a llet ot the appointee8 

eo a proved and thm ealarke to br paid rach and 

oort P fy l ald llet to the ComIeelonere Oourt of 

l a ld oounty. The Oommleelonare Court shall thsreupon order the amount paid ,trom the Osneml Fund 

ot raid oounty upon the pertormanoo ot the 08nlorel and l ald Cottrt ehall approprlata adequate 

iundo for the purpoee# pzorlded that the total 

number ot aeeIetante allowed to ELUY munty under 

thle Artlolr ehall not l xoeed two (2) aeeIetanta 

In oountlee having leer than tltty thOU0Md (50 - 

000) Inhabitante, one assistant in oountlea ha&g 

not leer thn fltty-three thoueand, nine hundred 

and thirtpelr (53,936) and not more than tlttp 

tour thoueand (54,000) kabltante aooordlng to 

tha last preordlag bderal Cmeue tour (4) aeeIetante in oountlee having between tifty thOU8and 

(50 000) and one huadred thoueand (100 000) inhabItante 01x (6) aeeletaute la oountlee harlng 

between oie hundred thourrand (100 000) end on0 

hundred and tltty thousand (150,0&O) Inhabitant*, 

ten (10) aeeletante in oountlee hating between 

one huu&red and titty thousand (150,000) and two 

hundred and seventy-tire thousand (275,000) lnhabitante., and fltteen (15) aeeietMte in OOUntieO 

hati 

7 

more than two hundred and seventy-tire thouaand 275,000) Inhabitante, in aaoh Inetauoa aooordIng to the laet preoedlng or any tuturr Federal 
708 _ 

Honorable R. A. MoXlrath, Pagr 3 

Ooneue, exoluelre In eaoh Inetanoe ot the tlret 

aeeIetant, end euoh temporary aeeIetente as may bo 

needed In oaeoe ot bona tide earrgenolee, the number ot suoh tamporary aeeIstante, their ealarIee 

and the duration ot employment to be reoommended 

by the County AudStor but to be datarminad by the 

Dletrlot J-e or by a majority ot the Dletrlot 

Judges as the oooaelon may require, provided in 

oountlse hating thrre hundred and thirty thousand 

(330,OCO) inhabitants or more aooordlng to the 

last preordlag or anf tuturo Federal Census In 

like mower the Judges of the Dletrlot Courts may 

authorize the appointment ot additional regular 

aesletante when in their judgment a neoeselty 

exists therotor. The Couuty Auditor shall have 

the right to dleoontlnue the eenloee of any aeelstant employed in aooordsnoe with the pro+leIone 

ot thle Artiolr, but no aeeletant shall be employed 

exoept In the manner herein 

Judge or Dletrlot Judges gI op 

rorlded. The Dietriot 

ng consent to the 

Auditor to appoint an aeelstant or aeeIetente 

shall annually havs the right to withdraw euoh 

oonsent, and ohange the number ot aeeIetante parmittsdr 

-_ 

“The County Auditor shall be authorissd to 

prorlda himsalt with all neoeseary ledgers, books, 

reoorde, blanks, stationery, oqulpmsnt, telephone 

and postage at the oounty’e expense, but-all purohasee thereot shall be made in the manner provided tor by law. (As mended Aote 1935, 46th 

Leg ., p. 763, oh. 333, a 1.)” 

Thr above quoted statute prorldee no age requlremento tor aeeletant oounty auditors. Ye hare been unable to 

tin& any statute whatever requiring age qualItloatIone tor 

euoh aeeIetante. 

We quote iron 34 Texee Jurleprudenoe, p. 345, as 

tollowe: 

* In so tar as thr 

with tb’gtter It is held 

d6oIeione have dealt 

that both minor6 

and women OM be deDutr oleik;,*and a WomM’e aIfglblllty lo not atteoted by 6s taot that she Ie 

marrlod.” (Undereoorlng OUrO) 
Honorable R. A. MoElnth, Page 4 

The oaae ot Harkreadrr v. State, 33 S, W. 117, 

Texas Court ot Criminal Appeals, holds that a minor may lrgaily serve as a deputy oounty olerk. 

The oaee of Delsnoy v. State, 90 3. Vi. 642, Texas 

Court of Crlrclnal Appeals, holds that a deputy dletrlot 

olerk need not be a qualltled voter and may be a womfm. 

This oaae cited the Harkreador 08~8, eupra. 

You are reepeotfully advlaed that it lo the oplnIon of this department that a minor may legally serve as 

assistant oounty auditor. 

Very truly yours 

A7Zl'CXGT GENJBAL OF TEXAS 

BY 

%L J. Fanning 

Assistant