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OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN
Yay 89, lPS9 Hoa* John t. Feylor, My 29, 1939, Pare Z
open tc publie inspection, - _. then tbem-.questiod . muat _ ebe deteralned r .__ by the QOLI'OII MU. in.mn4 CBSO or m~ac~otk, es ai v. Lcrbe~t, at al. 172 L. L. 777. decided by tte Court OC Clvll ,iDWeie of %I: Aitonlo cud iu a wit-of error ree rerused &j the Suprem court, the CozInon laW ae applied in.'~CXaB SaB eXprBBBed by the cart v&ich icliowed an opinion of the Suprxse Court of Tecne6ase:
'Tb4r8 beicg 50 d~OiSl~B of our own OoutB upon this latter, BO.far ~8 me have been able to asoertaln, we hate &ad r4acurae tc the deal8lonB of the'oourt~ of other aoamon-law states, and oonclude that the oplnlon or the hpreaa Court of 'hnnaesee, iu the aa6a of State es 2741. Welford v. ~illians, no TOM. 549, 7s 23.a. 946, 64 L. 8. A. 45s. cosiatltuterrtha beet otataaeat or tba rulaa of law whioh shoti be applied to this oluraoter or case. h4 quote from BBid opinion a8 $01.. ' low8 : "*In thsory the right of esaalnatdon Is absoluio, but In pradtlae it i8 at last only a matter oi dlmre- t%on, beaame aucb application tB likely at any tti to be rel'used on the part ol' the CMtOdiBB of the boo&~ ana papera sought to bo exaaioed, and tbsn tlm right 8m8t be foreod by auuXem18, and thi8 writ IS not or Sb- solute right, but aamly of dfsentlon, to be awarded only 1st a proper aa8e; tbe faOt8 alam em lUt&rfriy it8 iasuanoa Co be Indged of in era.ky ease by.$he aourt, aA the writ to be amrdsd or withheld upon a aoarlderr- tlon or all tha oirommatanoes preaantad. So, wh1l.q tha right ir, in theory, absolute, yiat it 1s in praetioo Bo Umltea by the remedy nnoeasary for It8 eatoraemeat aa that it uan be denoainatal only a *qualified rlght.a The right to an esamlnation ror a apeofal purpoao, as, ror \ esemple, to obtain qwitia inform&ton to ama in a Utle;ation'betueen.ths appUo8at ana third parUeS, or between the applleant and the aorporatlon, and tha like oamse, while not, in prinaiple, standing upon higher grounds, yet is the mom eaally grantable, bemuse it doeB not ~AZYC~YO BO much tim, and so muah inUOnV4RieBOe t0 tha ou8todlan of the books and papera, and so muoh fnkrrt&g~ tioa of buaineaa, am %.aacme or a ganeral rtuipaticm. Yet it o&mot be doubted, under a atate of fa8ta showing it ,to be frportaat to the publla iatersot that the general uaainatioa or the books ot a mniaipality should be had, that the court should allow auoh errrrrinationat the 8uit of one wbo is a altlxsn~and taxpayer of the oorQwation; Hon. John x. Taylor, &By 29, 1939, Page s
The right resta, not ou;y on the grouud ttet the booka art pub110 booka. but aleo on the s-8 primi;? that authbrlzes a taxpayer to