OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

. . - ._. 

,. ; ‘; 

lli OOlMli48t4 for ‘~ 

t 

h~tavar~ roa aot 

th &9zwOl ol*oioh be would have 

18 tivh mk4n aad 

) ot muxor, ~uaaaxtola4 

St aux eplrrloa ?xptM thr rtould .aot onte~ apon the duties of the ofm Janueql, 1OU. Eo oennob do 80 at 

I iaeligible mad oannot qualify. You ark 

Strlotly l p mk irbe y 8mwt rorw trap 

on otffor he dear a&nil oonnot hold* Ab, bh4 a48t ha aoa oaly 

nllaqulab any olalw thurrtoe 

km~0~6r, ur. fhnoi~ we not eroo~a to th4 orriO Of 

county attorney bcaouse tie did not rewiva I fbjoxlty of thr vote8 

oast at t&r enaraf, elratloa. Allen VI* a35bOF, lie Tex. se, 10 

S. w. (84) &, Oplaloa Q-WB-A by thi8 deprrtcw& 
Eoaorable Bud Martin, pnur S 

k oountp attorney is olooted for 0 term 0r two 

yrrar~ only. -Sootloa Zl, Artlalo 8, Conetltutlon oi Taxae. 

Err Saaelag~e term Of ofiio4 a8 00uat 

oxplro& two pare otter January 1, 1939. 

ottormy 

Art I alo 119SBa, 

Vamon~e Aaaotatod Civil Statut6er X0 my, however, ooatime to perform tho dutlos of suah offloo until his euooees 

8OZ io OhOted al OpFOiattd all6 QUdlifidd. ~eotlon 1’1 of 

Artlolr 16 or tho Coactitotlon of Tvrae~ hrtlolcr 10, Revised 

Clvll Statutes oi Teixee. 

Artiolo 8365, RovlWl Civil Statutor oi Texoe wfth 

rvepeat to ttis power of the oommlsoioasre* oollrt to 411 vaaanaloo ti oertoin oouaty otriora, providesi 

Wm oourt aball have poser to fill vaoaaoloe 

in the 0rti0e ora * *‘* oounty attomty * 6 * 

Suah vooonalee shall be illlsb by a majority vota 

of the wabtre of oaid eowt, prorent sad votlz& 

aad tht ttret Oho8en eball hold orrlor twit11 the 

next genarsl olootioa.* 

mart tho e00tm0 ot the oasoe of Stat4 va* taooh, 

64 Tax. 4fx?~ Tola VI xlepper 198 E. WC Wilt and D4nloon vo. 

state, 61 5, W, (&I[ 1010, tl le 0~ oplnloa that t&rn UPS a 

vosrnoy in tbe oft100 of oouaty attorn 

on January 1, 1961, rltb Mr. Saarlng 

of tlpeoob& Ooanty 

t 1 0 lnou&orif ooatiau1% to pertorm the duties of the ofdo. la virtw 0) SrotJoa 

19 oi Artfole 16 of the Coastltutlon ad Artlele 16 of the 

Statutes. 

In the Cook@ oaeo ltwm hold Watt a vaosnor oen br 

onatod by the tldotloa oi on6 allSlble to hold thm ofiioe, 

end his iallure to quelli? has bma l xprwisly6sold~U.~ Portal!&&& to an oiiloor holdfna; over, the Courts er%bc *the right 
: 

Bononblr, Bud Xertla, pago S 

of the orfloer +bo thou hoi&# over 18 br euftwanoe, rothtr 

than smla any latrlaelo title to the Qrr1oe.- 

Tha oeee of Tam vu* Hopper lavo2vod e trot l ltuatloa 

w!lwe 8 o o ua toor y a d8o lwo ae or no t l k o tmd et tha @ulwal 

l lootloll. The ootwt sold: 

9 * l * Tbr * rgw4ln~ 

~tcrralned irt Woe appo22ent 05% P tied 

uoetlon to bo drto hold over 

for another tre year*, OT woe there 8 vrotaoy in 

the orfloo or oouaty o~alomr for prrolaot 

l&l* S? 

"Our aplaten L thot thorn wee 8 veoanoy Sn 

tba orrltm of oouaty otmale5lomr for that prrohot 

within the mtanlag of wtlolo E&40, Revleod Stator 

tie e&we quoted, of the *xplxatlon or up 116x&** 

fd two ymre~ rrrvloo, by xwaeon of the r eilure 

. . 

to ,rleot 4 ooaalrrlono~ for that proolnot at the goarrrl l leotion in aal& N think ~Shlm vlw cot 

oorb with tto eottled 

etltutloa raetrietlag t ii 

02iey oi our etnte Con8 duration at th* tame 

at o?Pior, es provldeb in the ,ertlolee of the Cow 

etltutioa.anA statate quote& A hold!n& twwd the 

two ymrs would be b ruSemum, ‘rather than tzloa, 

say latrlxwle tltlo k the otflm The wetlon ha@ 

end\oe. &*a oosrelos i!e 

fzw ueat2 boa the sub oat oi j&o162 Leetigaticm, 

otbtr jurl8diotlono. 

dkyraonnt et tQigloa in 

A rwleu OS tile v8tlooe ho2d- 

-8 and tb rm*oIII &v*lr uould k ot llttlr’veku. 

Wo are of the opl&x~ that, rhU0 the vo 

reseated without em’ qwklify$Bg test %~~~i"" 

& es ?btSoSo our oourte ior 6eolsion tJ4 eoonr in 

~thle et&a lm eov+tal o8eee hsto l e~tbllrbed rin, 

olplee that tlx the rule of oonrtzwtiao end % ttr- 

~~~~:~tll~~~o~r~:~~~~~~~~:~~~ 

oi this eta&t, already reiarnd to and quoted, w 

rmw to the 08808 of s3a40l; tr fork, fi hx. C1vl.l 

App. 693, 8d 8, We 85 

Court on orrtltloata oi 

saw oaeo ~oertltlad to 0upmw 

dirreemt on4 rfthawl 99 Te& 

wi5, 8U 8, Y. Uss)~ stat. ex awl* mvrr 1. 8 otlsa* 
.- _ 

7 

Honorable Bud h?artin, page 4 

64 TOX. 40. 10 Se IF. 302; Rlokford v. Cocke. 64 

Tax. 486 faobinson v. Stite ex ml. 

S, w. 56 B , ’ + +* 

In Denlson *a* State, 0ugre, it 

“The 1sngua~s’If rejected, mid 

Eubank, - Zf3 

warn doolureda 

ofiloe shall 

imaediatsl 

without de 1 

bsoo%8 vaoant, and the governor rhall, 

sy, mke rurtbar aominstions, until 8 

oonflrllotlca takes plsoe,* olearly and by neoeassry 

lnpllostlon denim to a nomIneo, who? oonilrmtlon 

hos bsen rajeotod by the Sjenats, any: right whatever to oooupy the offloe or to dIaahrrr$+, after 

such rojsotlon, my Of’ the dutlos thereof. 

“But, EpFdlWlt oontcnds thio E:roVfelon of the 

Conetitution does not ap;lly b thS instant oam be-. 

oaum there was In 0ontemplatIon of law, no *v’aooxtoy* for the raeaon that th8 Inoutxbent of suoh ofrlao, under ertiole 16, seotlon 19, of the oonatltutlon, and artlole 16, R. 8.. hold@ over~~tI$O;~ 

moobay 18 eppolnted and quallrler, 

fg.yon s tern of ottfoe expired ox Pebm& 18, 

Them 16 ooasidorabla oonfliat of deofslon 

in tie varloue state8 a@ to rhethsr the axplretlon 

ot axi Inou?3bsat9e tern of oftioe 0rast.m a vaohnoy 

in the orfit!* in question. The holdlngr in the oarfour oourtr on thir queetfon raat In lar 0 1psamre 

upon the wording or the partlouler Const f tutlone 

and~atatutss Involved. .%e 46 C. 3. 969 and oriaes 

olted; 22 R. C. L. 558; Annotations In 4& L. RI A. 

(N. 8.) 1eoe. 

16 foreoloaed. 

The guestion, however, la this rtats 

There born been turnlbhed us a oop~ 

ot en opinion by Attorney Oeneral B. 3. Looasy given to Hon. Jams Z. Fergueon, whlls Governor, on 

irobruery 10, 1919, on IQots slmost ldantioel with 

those of the ease fit bar, whfmdn, in an .sble end 

sxtanuiva oonslfieratlon of this question, the Govarnor war advieed that upon the explrotion ol the tsra 

or en iqqoIntlv0 oftloe, for the purposcfi ot nczilzq 

the lnowbont’s auooO88or therein, a vaoenoy e xlated 

within the mcsenlng or aaatlon 12 0r rrt?cle 4 or the 
tioaorable Ml ldertln, ~;ogs 5 

aonstitution. 888 t&8. Atty. %A. 1916-lul6, pe 

Thl8 ocnaltuabon ia oloarlp rutalned by the 

,“k oi Ton vc Xleppor (Tax. Oiv. kp ) 198 3. 

we Pel (writ ref.)) Euddox vm Tork, E P’ ¶‘.%a OirU, 

hpp. a%%, 64 9. II. %I %%I Id., 96 5%~. t9S, 66 6. 

W. llss; ztitr;to ve Oatha, 84 Tax. 48, 19 SL,&30%. 

308 4100, 46 0. Jt 960~ Zh ra rdviaory 

to bvstxor, 611 PIa+ 434; 6fZ S4h 863e ,M OE 

abf 

. R* A. 

(tie E.]~-066; Ht&8 Vt rhOOh&) 168 x0. 66, 14 % VI 

lasf Stats v. willima 83% Rot %68( &%l 8. ICe 64, 

19dan. CQS, 1006. Thlr qu88tioq wan oono~uaIvcl~y 

dl8pcwd of wo think ir? tt!Q KlJ;~cr cd@, aad ~8 

prataralt f-her dl8?tm8Icrn at it,h@re. * * !* 

It le our O&OA gtiat the &tbbmpt~ cilestlen bf an 

iaatiffiblo permon.to an offioe ia: ctrlotly enalr&r to th8 sb88noa of an 

i 

&5OtiOA --*I ti 8h8 'PON VI* t%OpWr tyi80, end to 

tto prinolp QB invoked in tis DshLon oa8* a8 well a6 th5 a00k0 

oa8s, touOhlnQ tha qw8tiOn OC a vaoanoy 1 A orrioe. 

At .reId by the Eugrame Oowt -in tke &ok8 oa8bt ‘Thf8 

view l ooorde with tba rettlod yolioy OS our Btote Constitution, 

napeotiag t be 4urat10n OP thm term8 or dfio*.* 

It ir thimiom the opinion Of tblrr dapertzent that. 

there oxlrts'rrt thI8 gin8 8 *aowoy in th8 oWlam or oountf attOl'A*r Of Llgraoab QOuntr, uithln th? &mrvi8V Of ht-tisle ZS!% 

whioh my k Wli4 b$ appolntreunt br the Oo~&8si~+8t oou& 

or the eounty,.pmwi.nt to‘tia8 pravloions or suoh rtatr?ta. we 

&n8h!b,$ 6%~ uoAtind0 t0 ~EfOFOI bhtt dtlbi88 Oi the Offi OatiL 

th. rpgol:h6ant 16,a6&6 6Z4 CM eypOint6. ha8 qoellilad iortb 

OiriOOe 

FIRST ASSISTANT 

ATTORKEY GENERAL 

YOGtm very tray