Hon. Jem6s Roulihan

county editor orange county Orengo, Texw The extent :oithe pre

### rent ten.oi.tho Diatr%ct Judge,.l28th fidf6ialDlrta?%ot. lo

-The 50th LqylslWtr&clrs~terT-thelZSth'Judiciel Dlatrlct ccmpored'ofOra~e~Qotmty adl prcvl~ed that it @hoold tw la e%xLatmcs frc& and after the qaraage o? 3.3~.

241, Bctr ,gOth

Leg., B.3~.

1947, p..l98,

until

~.Bugwt 3l.j.

1952, ~unle~arr,~lt~.rhall herbifterk~ertended hy arkAot of the Legl~UJtWQ~': !&a **~Qo~~rti61 ’** **8ppofntsd** the Eon. Frmk Huam to be:Dirfrlot~Jud#b of the 128th JudicialDirrtrict. In **love&em,** U&8, Judge Rust- was elected District Judge.oi the 128th Jlldi0i81 Distrlot. IO 1.949 the.51atLegisiatun o~ntitimdthe 128th.Dlatmct court aa a perhraent,regular dlrta+lot~cowt.

"The 3tate shall~bedlylded :ibtoar.~raq judicl~ldirrtrlat@ aa mhy now or hom8ftterbe providedby law, whtoh may k~lacmmed~or dlmlnLahedhy &xiv. For each d%atrWt there rhall be elwMxK,~~tm Qurlifledmiter0 th6rcroi, 8t 8 Genkml ILlection, a Judge*

. . . who #l&all hold hla offLoe iOr the ?mrUd of ZOUP '(4L pars;
. . ; : 1 "The Dlstriut Judues mhc 'mej bwln ofclce when thllr

'&endmnt ~tekebr'.WYeot shall hold t&&r omCeO until tbeV rWWOtiVe,..

Hon. James lioullhan, pege 2 (V-1055)

"sea. 6. The 128th JudicialDlatrlct of. Texas.18hereby created and shell be composed of tb,Oounty of orange o&y. It shall bk knewn es the DistrictCourt of the 128th Judl~lal.Dlstrlct

',end shall **be** In exlstencb **from** imkaf~terthe paaaage of thla Act, untll,&ugmt 32, 1951, idnleaa' it ahtill'hebeafter lae~,exteadbd

y an Act of tlae

Leerlalatube. &Xl~porers~end

duties by this Act 1 mo&ed. upon,the.l28th Judl~lelD~ak% zizll expire oia

said BItget 31, 1951, unlesr said court shallbe extendedby a a@wwent'Aat of thk Legtilature;'mid upon aoph.srplratioo ,. all recorde,pleediagar- dqoumo@a a+.hllJ:', other matters then awlstingte cm pedalng In : ae'ld. 128th JudlclalDla~trlct oi Texab,,

,Nclcdiug sll oaaem ,on

the.docketbf reld,l28thJodlclal~Dlatrlo.t

Court shall W, tmiwfbrred vlthout.prejudice$othe C~auz+oS the Pint

: JpdloielDlatrlot,'eadthereeSterO~+engeCoonty.ahallbe:8 parl:.oS said First Judl~lSl~Distzaat. rcwa11 purpcaea-., %c

. 10. The Goveruor of Taixea , liaaed~

468, ~HouaeBill 2L7,~.i&a:51at.ieg., R.3. 19?$, oh. p.869,:.e~Sectlve

Oct?ber 5, 19?9, Provides lti part: n3ectIon1. &it ;
. '. Wit&&rary DlatrlctCourt of Orange County,Texas, known es the 128th JudlcielDlatri& Court

. . . 1s hereby continued 88 (1 peraekient;

%egulbr dlstrlct aour dnd shall Otitinw:to be designated terma shall ex~lre under the%'dreabnt election or av~olntmeat." (Pmphealaadded throughout.)

Senate Bill 241, Acts 50th Leg., R.3. 1947, oh. ,116, p. 198, effectiveApril 23, 1947, provldea In part:

letely.uponthe takirrg,eSSect of thia,'Act, shell appointa qwita??le e~.puallSled penbn to serve as DlattictJudge OS the 128th Judlclel~:Dlatrlct

.oS

### BrangeCoimw, t?ho shall hold thla ofSloe until.

the .next

ge*raX elec$lon, end uutfl hla aucceaadi' la duly elected cud quallfled,and~ahallreceivepuca aala~~es uow provided Scr Dlatri?t, Judges Fder and by virtue of the general~laTrrr.oS thZ8 State."Eon. James HoulLhen, **oege** 3 (v-1055)

88 the 128th Dlstrlct'Court aa 

### composed

of Orenge County. "360. 5. That the present Dfatrlct Judge of Orenge County, Texas, and of the 128th JudlolelDlatrlot,duly eletited and acting as such shell be the Dlatrlat Jud e of the said -126th

JudlclalDistrict In an!i for 

### OrangeCounty,.Texea; tinti the'

tlias for vhlch'hehas been elbc?ed' e%tiiies

aiid until his successor la duly elected and 

## gumsi d = 6

.

create number The Liglsleturehak the e~cluslveauthorityto dlakrlct 

### courts ,ln this Stete end to dotemine the of~auch'courta

authorlaed'to~exlat. 177 3.U.2d 975 (Tex.Crlm.1944).- 

### However, =Yishla Dibtrlot Judgea.~ea fixed by tiie

Conatltutle~~cennot be ahoPtened.ar, ~extended

by the Legl~leture: ..3tate 16 s.W.ZU~

8o9~(Tex.Coam;AEiX9??9); qiote 26-348 

### (Te%Olw.&p.1929). We the Solloving Sroa the CoSmitSdlOn of A~ppealaoplnion ins the Henr~aas~~ et'pege 813: .:

. 

### *if the act operetea ad~ea 

### to create a 

### new.diatr$ct,

thed It creete&e new ofSloe, mud the part of section 5 the~edf whloh attemptddto appointJudge Uaniy aa jtige

## .thetior by leglalatiw ~'eotlon was null and void, es It la not 

### a legirletZv& power - to eppolnt dlatblct 

### jydgea. ,@uoh la an executive power and la so expreaaly:bythe pleln term 

## ~0s

ourConatltutZon.



## . . . B0wever, as .aboveatated;wedo hot think that the Ott emoted new~dlatrlcta at 811, but mevly m&ganla&d theold dlatrUta.
"It la providedby aeoflon T of ertlale ff,oS

the 

### Texea state Comtltut~on that: ~. "W~e~atete ihell.bed'lrlded Into 

### as ',, many judlcleldlstrlcts,aa may npw or hereester be providedby law, which may be lacreased 

### or dlmlnlahedby law. For eech dlatrl~t there ohs11 be elected.bythe quallfled 

### votersthereof, at a general eleotlon, a judge,who shell be e oltlaen l + l who. shall hold his off106 for a ~perlod.oS 

## row yeerr.

## * * **Hon. James Houllhen,page 4 (V-1055)
**J**
"IS the Leglalatureoreetedno new dlatrlct, end did not abolishthe ninth district then It follows that Judge N8rU-y having been elected judge of the-Blnth~dlatrlct ln November 1924 at th6 @ii&al election of that year, for a Sour-yearterm, was entitled to such full Sour-year term under the Conatltutlonend that the part of seatlon 5 of the act of 1925 which attearpted to shorten the tern and cause 8 new election in 1926 for such oSSlce~waaIn plain violation of the expressproylalon of our Constitutionabove quoted and la null and void. However, this does not a?rect the velldlty 

## 0s the balance 

## 0s the eot.
*It Sollowe Srom whet we have aeld thet there la no doubt under the Gonstltutlon and low8 of this Stete Judge l&e- was ,di~ly end coaatlt~tionally elected judge of said mlnth dlstrlot In 1924 for a till So&- 

### yeer term, edt that, 

### saiddlatrlat'mtherlng been abollahed, he was entItled 

### to,aerve out sold full term. It further Scllowa that Judge IIcCell

wea duly.endao~tltutlonally elected to said oSSlce ln Roibaber, 1928, end la now entitled to quallSy as 

### auah end aaaume Its duties and receive its emoluments."

**W6** are S~lll8~ with State 

## V: preme Court or Indlaaa,51 H.E.T? %'I1 IE The~atatutea

we= meterlallydiffer&t iii&. Salaturehod created a 

## SpeOlSl couz% +hlah,.by

the Bet, was deSlnltelyto expire on a partlculerdate. **A** judge 

### warn elected to that Cow& for the tena which existed. ThereeSterthe Legislatureenacted enother 

### &et&e purporting to oontlnue the Court. The Izidlana Suprem Court~heldthat the people could not hove intendedto elect the jdage peat the dote .oi~ which the Court wea to expire 

### tuderthe statute existing at the time of the electl~n. It wea held that the 

### Governor (not the Leglaleture)

had the power **to** Sill the vecancywhich existed **on** the expirationOS the tim OS oSSlQ6 om the **date** fixed ln the Leglalatlve**Act.**

Here, however, the statute existing 

## St the time of the judge'selectionprovided that the court was to exist to a certaindate %hl&aS'W bhalX hotiafter be extendedby the Lenlsleture." The people atHon. Jemea Houllhan,page 5 (V-1955)



### the time of the judge'selection therefore Intended to riii the 0SSlce for whatever term there might be for the Court, not to exceed Sour yean. !I!&6 Legislatureexpressly continued the Court end gave It 8 permanentatatus; It dld note

oreate a new one.
It la oleer that the intentionof the 50th and 51at Legislatures

wea to protect the cormtitutlonal tom or ofsloe or the DistrictJudge 61 the 128th Judlolel Dlatrlct. !l%e

50th Leglaletureprovlded la Senpte Bill 241 that the Qovernorwas to appoint a Dlatrlot Judge of the 128th Judlolal Dlatrlctwho wea to serve 

### as District Judge "untilhis aucoeaaor la duly elected 

### and quellSled." The electionreferred to in (lenate Bi11241 wea held in lovemIter,1948, rrd the term of offloe of the 'eleoted judgewas to 8egln January 1, 1949. The 51at.Le lalettme **porided** that the District Jtige OS the 128 h Judl& olal Dlatrlct so 

### electedshell be the District Judge of the 128th Judlolel Dlatrlct "untll~the 

### 6lme for vhloh he has been elected expires and.hl~'aucceabo~ lb'duly eleot**ed** and ~uallfled.'Since the ud 1 t d's' ml1

6 general election n ~~eZ~,e~95~ rpa onw g:?l+or term bzil"~Januaryl,l3"(~~~~ 147 Tex. 248, &5 **3.W.2d 325,**  .f9k8 

### , the g 8 ature is preatmed 

### to.knowthat the awceeaor of the Dlatrlot Judge of the 128th J~iclel Dlatrlot could not be elected until the QenerelXUKitlon In~Iiovember, 1952. Therefore, It la olear that it was the lntetatlon of the Slat Legislaturethat the term of oSSlce of the Dlatrlct Judge of the 128th JudlclalDlatrlotwould not emlre until Deoember 31, 1952.

-, Allg

other oonatructlon would lead to o&eequencea clearly not letendedby the Leglalatme. IS we ~ahould

hold that the term of oSSlc6 explmea on August 

### ~'31, 1951, thevacenoy that would 

### cccuron thet dote could not be fllled by en ele6tloia held during the **yeer** 1951 for veoanclea occ~l~~1; it **.cotald** only be sill* by executive appointment. lox. **Const.,** Prt.Iv, 3ec.12. Such construction would render meanlngleas that portion of House Bill 217 of the Slat LegZaleture which provldea 

### that "the present Dlatrlot Judge

. . - shell be District Judge of the 128th JudlolelDlatrlct in and for Orange County until the time for which he has been electeii

explreb end until his 

### ewo6aaor la duly elected and ~u8llSled."

It la thereforeour opinion that the tern of the present Dlatrlct Judge wlll expire on December 31,Bon. Jemea Roullhan, page 6 (V-1055)

1952. This oonatruotlonof the two acts in queatlos gives 6SSect.

to t* plain IntentionOS the Legislature.

aImmARY The term or office of the Dfatrlct Judge of the 128th Judlclal.DlatrlotmmYorpa very truly,,'

:ApPBoVSD:
J.'X. Devla, Jp. county 

## ~~rreira

mwiaion PRIGB.DAUSI& **Attorney** @enera

JoeOreenhlll Fir+ 1)~alatmnt JB:bh:mf **Aa8latent**