OFFICE OF THE AlTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

Eonorablr 0. g. aIrron 

oountf Attorna~ 

mtor oount~ 

Odraaa, To188 

Dear Slrr 

o va l tatod 

o o f Toxaa road8 

, or Jodgo 0r any oourt, 

ndor authority of any genlaw ot thla Stat@, or eny 

LegIa.latara, ahall. appoint, 

or oonflrm thr appolntmont 

ir, poaItIon, olrrkahlp, employmoat or duty, or any poraon rolatrd 

within the aaoond dogroo bf l rilnlty or 

within thr third dogroo br oomangulnltf 

to the poraon 80 appointing or 80 toting, 

or to any other membrr of any auoh board, 

I-. 

/, 
Honorable 0. f. Carron, pago 2 

tho Laglalaturr, or oourt of whioh l uah : 

paraon 80 l ppolntlng or voting may ba 

l ma mb a r , whan tha salary, foaa, or oomprnaatlon of l uoh appolntoa la to ba paid 

for, dlrqotly or lndlrootty, out or or 

rrom pub110 fund8 or roaa or orrioa or 

any kind or oharaatar whataoavar.w 

Artlolo 3902, Ravlaad Civil Statataa oi Taxaa, 

prorI4oa the aeana br whloh a dlstrlot, county or pracinot oiiioar may obtain tho arrrlora oi Uaputlaa and 

tho pertinent parta tharrof l ra aa rollowar 

Whenaver anr dlatrlot, oountf or 

proolnot oiiloar #hall raquire tho aarvi088 or Uaputloa, l aalatanta or olsrka 

in tha pcrformanoa of his dutlca hr 

shell apply to tha County Commlaaionars’ 

Court of hia oounty ror authority to 

appoint l uo h Uaputlra, raalatanta or olarka, 

l tatlng by l wrn applloatlon tha number 

nardod, tha poaltlon to be iIlls ‘an4 thr 

amount to ba paid. Sal4 application ahall 

ba aooompaniod by a atatamant ahcwing tha 

probabla raoaipta rroa raaa, commlsalona 

an4 compensation to ba collected by as14 

orrior Uurlng tha rlacal fear en4 tha 

probable ,Ulaburaamanta whioh shall lncludo 

all aalarlaa an4 rzpansas 0r se14 0rri00; 

an4 raid court ahall aaka it8 ordar authorizing tha eppointmant or auoh 4apotia8, 

asalatanta an4 olarka an4 fix tha oomponaatlon to be psi4 than vzlthln tha linltatlona heroin proaoribod an4 daternina tha 

number to br appointad aa In thr 4Iaoratlon 

of raid court may ba propar; prorIda4 that 

In no oaaa ahall tiho Commlaaionars* Court 

or any mamber thereof attaapt to influanoo 

tho appointment or any paraon 88 Uaputy, 

asalatant or clerk in any ofilor. Upon 

tha antry or atich order the orrloara applying for suoh aaalatanta, 4aputIea or 

olerka ahall ba authorlzad to appoint 

thorn; prorid that sai4 coapanaation 

shall n?t axcaa4 the aaximwa amount haralnaitar sat out. Tha ounpansatlon which 
73 

Honorable 0. r. Oarron, page 3 

My bo allowad to the doputlos, l a a Ia ta nta 

or alarka above. nnw4 ror th a lr l arrlcaa 

ahal ba a raaaonablo one, not to l xoood 

the iollowllrg amounta: . . .I 

tho 

Under tho proTlaIon8 of Art1018 3902, aupra, 

omnty orrIOar daalring daputlaa, aak;ra.tho l pplioatlon outllnad In aald artIolo to tho eo~laaboaera* 

ooort for the authorIt to appoint l aoh dapatlaa. The 

oonmIa~Ionara* court grant8 the authority to appoint 

tha oifioar and rata the salary baforo the l ppointiant 

la mada. The a~I~aIonara* oourt haa no authority to 

attempt to daaIgnato whom the offioar ah811 appoint 

an4 Is apeoIiIoall~ forbIddon to 40 l o by thla artlolo. 

The oommla l Ionara * court doer not oontlrm the l ppointao. 

On Fabruary 9, 1932, thla Urpartaant held, 

In an opinion by Honorable R. 0. Watera, Asrlstant 

Attornby OBnOr81, that it waa not a riolatIon ot tha 

napotlsn law for a tax eollaotor to appoint aa hla 

aaaIatant or Uapatr a aon or a 00wit~ oornnIaaIonar 

after tho oommIaaIonara* court ha4 authorized the 

appolntmont of such Uaputr In aocorduaoa with Artlolo 

3902, Rarlae4 Civil Skatntaa of Taxaa. 

On Maroh 2, 1935, this dapartaant hold In an 

opinion by Honorablo C. M. Kannody, Aaaiatant AttornoT 

General, thet a deputy aharlrr who is a fIrat CouaIn 

or ono or the member8 of tha oomIaaIonara* oourt would 

not be prohIbitad from #erring aa auoh nor 414 hi8 appolntnant by tha aharirr rlolato tha tarma Or Art1018 

432, Penal Co40 of Paxaa, nor the allawanca of hi8 

aalary by the oommiaaionara* oourt oonatituta a riolation oi auoh nepotism law because the oo%mIaaIonara* 

oourt did not appoint or tote for or confIrm the appointront 0r 8uoh dapaty aharlff. 

On Deoaber 29, 1936, thie department held in 

an opinion by Ronorabla William &craw, AttOrnbT Cbnbral 

or Taxaa, that the arpolntnuit or an unula or one 0r 

tha mahera of the comadasfonua* court 88 aaaiatant 

diatrlot attorney waa not a violation of the nepotlaa 

law or the State Or Taxaa. 
Hoaorablo 0. I. Oarron, pago 4 

Oplnlon Ho. O-00 ot thla Uopartmant ho148 

that It la not e violation of tha nspotlam law for tho 

dlatrlot olark to biro aa hia dOpUtT a daughter of a 

0ountT oonnla alonar. 

Oplnlor No. O-875 of thla department hol4a 

that It la not a violation or tho napotian law tW tha 

Ulstrlct olerk to appoint aa hla 4aputT a alatar of the 

aoting comtT judge of the oounty. 

You are thsrafora rrapaotfully adrlaad that 

it la the opinion of thla dapart?lont that your quaatlon 

should be anaware In tha nagatlta an4 it ia 80 anawarad. 

Tour8 vary truly 

ATTORWEY 0mA.L OF TEXAS 

VJRLW 

~._s~EovE','FEB 23, 1940 

Wn. J. Fanning 

Aaalstant 

/6zL&L4- 

ATTOFiXEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

G 

l OPl

COM

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