THE kiTl.ORNEY GENERAL
OF TEXAS
tich ll, 1957
Han. Jack Welch, Chairman OpinionNo. WW- 51 ccmstitutiona1Amendments clxllcittee House of Repvesentatives Re: Effect of H.J.R.32, which Austin,Texas propmesa constitutional amendmentto conferprobate jurisdictionon county Court8 at Iaw,upcmthe Texas Robate Dear Mr. Welch: ssst=. Pour letterrequestingour opinionrelativeto the captiouedmatter reads as follows:
"The above describedresolutiouproposestwo changes iu the articleand sectionreferredto above. The first change increasesthe maximum couourrentjurisdictionof the county oourtswith the districtcourtsfrau $l,OOOto $5,000. The secondproposedchaugecoufersprobate juris- dictionon alI County Courts at Iaw.
YYe Kocse Cohstitutional&nendmntsCcmmitteeis concernedwith the imprct of the secoudproposalstated above upon the probatecourt system iu the State. A copy of the above describedresolutionis enclosedherewith.
"It will be greatlyappreciatedif you will aualyse this proposalFn the light of the presentlaw aud furnish us with your opinionin counectioutherewith.*
The 54th Legislatureby Chapter 55, adopteda probatecode by re- vising and rearrangingthe statutesof this St&e pertainingto probateand relatedmatters. We have carefullyexaminedthis "TexasProbateCodes and have been unableto find any provisionsthereinthat will not be applicable to County Courts at Iaw in their exerciseof probatemattersin the event H.J.R.32 is adoptedand such courtsare given generaljurisdictionof a Protetecourt. Hon. JackWelch, page 2 (WW- 51)
u(e) 'countyCmrt and mobate COlLF,'3:"Us;~-mn,y- mouismd l.nthe exe1~&1~~riiLheir prokate jurisdic;ionand courts especiall;J creatadand organh3d for the sole purpose of exercisiq pr&ath jurisdiction.
w(f) 'CountyJudge,' 'ProbateJudge,'~and*Judge' dcn.otethe presidiiigj,udgc. ofmy court haviug original jurisdictio&ovezprobateproceedings,whetherit be a co~u~ty~court.tnthe exerciseof its probatejurisdiction c@ a court &pe$&&i,v.createdand organizedfor the sole purpose,ofexercisingprobate jurisdiction.
*I(g;'Court'denotesand includesboth a couuty court in the exerciseof its probatejurisdictionand a court especiallycreatedand organizedfor the sole puqose of exercisingprobate jurisdicti0n.u
If 1f.J.R.32 is adoptedall County Courts at Isw will by force of the Crmstit~tionbacme "ProbateCourtM. The cc-destatesthat *CountyLuxL%~~ and "ProbateCourt" are synonymousand denote county courts in the exerci;e of their probate jurisdiction.A County Court at Law is in fact a cowity court with certaiujurisdictional lkitations. ,H.J.R. 72 reumvespart of these juris- dic~t,iomnal .Limi.tat'ims by givingthem the generaljurisdictionof a ProbateCourt.
If H.J.R. 32 is adoptedthe Constit~ztim will confnr ~nponCounty Courts at kw the general jurisdictionof a ProbateCourt, and all the provisionsof the nTexasPro- bate Code" which are applicablewill apply to such courtsm
Yours very truly,
WIL.bWIIscN APPRCVRD;L. AttorneyGeneral
H. Grady Chmdler, Gheirmn W.~V. Geppert Assistant WVG:gs