OFFICE OF THE A’lTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

rr that thr oomoourt ot lingrlilm 

ogalzor tho flat that 

a oltr of more than 

itantr and pro*l60: 

otion of l ppofntmeat 

r Jurtioo of thr Poacr 

2375 OS the Rwlseb CIrIl Statuter ot 

# *where there ir n oity of right 

bltantr or ~~01) in a jurtloe pmolaot, 

of the praor rball br elooted.’ In 

otion 18, of the Constitution the aam. 

eppoare In Identloal aordr. 

“The Cfty of Lufkln Twa8, I# looated ia Ro- 

@-hot number one of dngal&a County. AOOordi~ to the 

ladera Concur ot 1940, thit Oity oontalnr mom than 

9,500 Inhabitants. The oitr hnd justho prooinot no. 

on0 or rhloh it Is a part has only on4 ~uetior of tta 

P-0.. 

J 
lioaprabla TOB F. Coleman, Jr., Pig. 8 

-Radar the article8 olta4, It la mandatory 

on tha oomhlaaiouora court 0r thia 0ouatJ to rocognlza tha tact that Lu?kIa la a olty o? more than 

8,000 Inhabitanta and provide for tha l lootlon, or 

to appoint, another juatlor of tba peaoa ?or paoIaot no* on09 

~Ordlnarlly whara the word * ahall* la uaod In 

I l tatuta it la oonatruob t? bo nadatom, .whlla the 

word ry I. parmIaaIra. Eowator *ahall* l tatutaa ara 

l ontlma ooaaIdarrQ by tha court8 to ba alreotorl 

onl7. This atatuta la ooaatruad in William8 7. 

Caatlu&aa, 118 T. 193, MT 9. K. tW, but thla point 

I. not dIaouaaad. 

*It la my opinion that, rhIla the language o? tha 

l tatuta la manndatory, 6110 to tha 

tha ooaaIaaIonera court la data rJ 

mat diaoretIoa Iran 

ning the boulda r! am 

o? tha praolaota, and l ia o e l otion by the oourt ia 

naoaaaary barora a juatloa a? tho paaoo oould ba alaotod 

?or the aaoond plaoe, the l tatuta la blraotor~ only. 

“1 wIl1 appreolatc an optnloa o? tha dapartmeat 

on thla qu.atIon.’ 

Seotloa l6 of A?tIolc V o? the State COnatItution 

read8 aa r0ii0w88 

*gach organized county in the Stat.8 now or haraertar l sIatIng, ahall ba divided fro8 timr to ~IEo, for 

tha oonrmlanoa a? the poopla, into prOO~not8, not 

1888 then four and not mora then al ht. 

oouaty o ourt ahall make the ilrat d li 

The pr88Ont 

vialon. Subaequeat 

aItIaIoaa ahall ba mad8 ‘by tha ooruaiaslonati court prothird r0r by this Conatitutlon.~ _ In each l ooh- praof not . _ 

thora ahall bo alected a t l aoh bl-annlal l leotlm, one 

JuatIoa of the Paaoa and ona Conatabla, eaoh o? whom 

ahall hold hIa of?Ioa for two yoara and until hla auooaaaor ahall bo l lootad and qtmlitlad~ proridad that in 

any preglnot in whloh there may ba a olty o? 8,000 or 

mora Inhebltaata, thora ahall ba l laotrd two Juatioaa 

o? the Peaoa. Each County ahall In llka mumor ba ditidad into four comIaaIonara~~eoInota in l aoh o? whioh 

there ahall be aleoted by the qualiiied rotere thereof5 

one oounty oommleaionor, who ahall hold hla ofiioo for 

two year8 end until hi8 auoooeaor shell be elected and 
Eonorabla TOR 3. Colanmn, Jr,, Pago S 

qualI?Iad. Tha oountf oodaaioaara no ohcaaa wlth 

tha County Judga, am praaldIng o?flo#r, ahall oomporn a county oommlaaIonara court, whloh ahall oxuolu aaob powara and jurladlotion ovar all oounty 

buai.a8aa, am la oon?urad by thin OonatItutIoa and 

tha lawn OS tha Stat., or am ray bo haraaftar pm- 

•orI~od,w 

Tha Euprua Qarrt o? Tana In the 6888 OS lllllua 

v. Oaatlamaa, Ml 8. k. 868, amow othar thing., l ald~ 

*Tba oorraiaaIamra court, by a tall4 or&or, haring 

dat~nlaad that tEara tam In JuatIoa Preolaot IW. 1 

OS dtophana Oountr, a oltr OS ovar 8,000 pa0010 upon 

tha o ?fio Ial nnouaoamnt l OS much Snot, and tha anta7 

OS thr order, tha o??ior OS an additional J’oatioa OS 

tha Puoa for tha praoiaot, oraatad by t.he Conatltat~oa 

but awaitIn& thr dat~rmlntlon oT taot bJ the Conlal loaora Court (the aganoy doslgnatod by tha Conatltutloa tar much purpoaa), oama Into balng, and theaortorw@ wan an adating ottion. Slnoa tha o??Ioo oama 

Into l xIatanoa and wan hot SIllad, it wan vacant. . . . 

Tha oomdaalonara oourt, being tha ooaatltutlonal and 

l tatutor ageaoy l alaotad to fill raoanoIaa had authority to ? I 11 thin raoaaoy. Stat0 OonatItutioa, Artlole 

V, 8aotIon 881 R~tIaad Btatutaa, Artiola i3880. . . .* 

The above maatlonad oaaa rorirwa mad diaouaaaa tha 

l ntlra hlatorJ o? tha aubjaot OS the powara and right8 OS tha 

~onmiaaionara court8 to oreatr much Juatfoa praolaota, ohanga 

their boundar188, l td. urd turthar holda that tha oomdaaionua 

oourt ham the right and authority to dototim the popuktion of 

a city or preolaot without ralylng upon or taking into OOa8idaration tha laat praoadIog Irbdaral ceaaua. 

~ondaalonora court oi aaoh county la requlrad by atatUtO to lay o?? tha county ihto juatioa oourt praOiaCt8, not 

learn than r0u.r nor morn than might In numbor and just am in the 

~*a* or oommIsalonara praoinota, tE0 ooadaa~onara oogrt ham 

Power to rr-deoldo thr boundarIa tram tlmo to tiaa am oonvaakor am7 dlotata. Tha oomalaaionara oourt hem diaorethmr;l 

PoWor alao In dat,ormIning whatdmr tha boundarlaa of an l xlatin( 

pr*cinot are oonroalant +ithIa tha meaning o? the l tatuta, and 

1a not bound to aooept the latrat oanaua raumratioa am dOtOrl itillg whether a city withia snl JWOpOBOd praOinOt ha8 a pOPUlation 0r 8,000 or aoro. TM. Jur. VOlUM 26, PadO 792. 
221 

Ibnorablo Tom 1. Colman, Jr,, Pa60 4 

In aaoh poolnot OS aa or~anI%od aouaty, tho olaotlon of a Juatloa of tha Paaoe (or two JuotIoaa In aaoh pral Inot In rhlah thorn y ba a l tty OS 8,000 or more inhabltantr) at aaoh bI-ennIal pario la ordaInad by tba Coaatltatloa and a ta tutaa l bova rofurad to. 

‘f& bollarm that the proriaIona or the OonatItutlon 

l boto tptotod ULd Art1018 IWTI, VOMOE’B Amotatad Civil Statatom, proo+Iding W&arm thrra la a oity o? 8,000 inhabItant 

or mro In l jaatlea praoinot tm Juatlora OS tha Paaoa aball 

ba l l~atrdn la mandatory and oamot a&me vAth your aonolualoa 

that than0 provIalona are ainatory only. Theraforo, you are 

roapeot?olly l dvi#ed that It ir tb opinion of thI8 Do~rtamnt 

that wham a oitt la baatad in A juatloo praolnot and ham a 

population OS 8,000 lnhabIta.ata or morn am ahorn by tha laat 

preoeding Frdaral oonaua, am ln the instant oaaa, lt la aandatory that the oourlaaIonara aouct appoint another Jprtdoa OS 

tha Paaoa tar uoh praolaot, ualoaa tb, commlaaionara ahould 

daterdaa and find 88 a aatter of toot that minor tlu Sirat 

day OS April, 1940, the data am of whioh t br last Pedael Cenaua 

wan takan 

i 

the population d the alty had dooraaasd and ham now 

a Fopalat on OS &am than 8,000 lnhabltmta. 

Truatlng that tlm torogoIa6 fully anawora your inquiry, 

wo are 

Toara vary truly 

A¶ToRxxr OmmL 03 TXAS 

AFPROVEDOCT 30, 1940 

P!izu&un~ 

ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS