Court Opinion

ID: 4136443
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2017-02-18 02:13:40.294379+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T14:46:19.949269
License: Public Domain

~Horiorablk
                                               ti.H. Weilb;dx&p‘&? 2.. (w-536)

                                     that.an abolition of an office,la predicatedupon a legal order
                                     by.the .apprdpriatkgovernln&.bodywhlch has.the authority to act
                                     .onsuch matters.
                                                Section 18 of,ArtfcleV of the Constftutlono,f'petis
                                     provides 8s follpw8~: ' :,v;

                                            .,      to time;,‘:for-~the
                                                                     .&3?sve9ienaeof the’.pegple,Snto
                                                 ...precfricts;.’
                                                               tiot,:‘$6a’e’than~~Potlr~:and~~ot.~~~
                                                                                                ~than        :.:
                                                   .elght. -~ivislone'~~.s~~lbe made.by the %omnls-.
                                                   ~sionetis$our$ pr0v.ide.d~
                                                                            for by tNs Constltutionl
                                                   ‘In eich.~sUoh~p+e~c@ct~there shall Abeelected one,
                                             1..~:justibe.-qf,.the’P’eac~~and.one Conetabld, each of ~,
                     :;                       ‘.‘..d$bm shalL hdld his af;iio@:fk.‘f61ir:yi%@rs~~and
                      ..
                                              ’::‘.:‘I&&  :~s.:rr~odee’e~~~‘.sb81~;
                                                                               be,elected “4 qyli-
                                                   ~f~+:~..%y~*.n
       :_             ,        :’                    .       ‘-
                                                             ‘+
                                             ,.
                                                    Tj& :.e&aer,:*d
                                                                  :$$ -&z+*y .‘~&a1 !S &$n$one irat&-        ”’
                                      prat~f~i6,:pd~~~~iqp-.th%.:0d~~t~~~~on~~~~‘r~~sdly’~eld                   ‘.
                                      that .the~~:C~~~.~~             !I+;t~..,~)~h?rity to ‘:inor?aB?R
                                                                                                      de- 1~
                                     ‘CretiwL~cJa&@ge~.f;i$ep~e~j.pot~~bo+d&%er‘+ndabolish the office of
                                      the’JUetii?k:of~%he   P’aa~$~‘ahd.Gonstshle-
                                                                                 80 long aa there i?emaim
                                      atelesat’.f~ur’j’-:~~t:~t~l’a~~e
                                                                    t~;haneight:~suchoff&ass In the county.
 :.             I                     This .z%ght.,@t$e :~C~sBlone~B ..CqU?t’~~,j&q ?a ,exer$isedat ~kny
       .’
                                      time they ,a%*.  been‘.“c?nvenient .for,
                                                                             the.people”,tid~may~operate
                                      td,dejptilve  persotise)ected to those ‘positionsof any’right to
                                      contlntie in ofrice or receive the emoluments theSeof. State v.
                                      Rigsby,. S.W. ~271 (Tex.Clv.App.1897, error ref.); .E=.                  .~’
                                      Townsend, 136 S.W..1143, 1145 (Tex.Clv.App.1911); Wi
                                                   312 Tex. 193,~247 C3.W~. ~263(1922). Brown v. Ileeks,’
                :’                                839 ~(Tex.oiv.App. 1936 emor d1sm.j; Att0-y ,pnoral’ .
                                                       Q490,~ V:1032.,;adv-1a~8..
                                                The.recent ca8e of Child&& C&My v.:'Sachee 316 .
                           .         S,.W.Za-.li14;Yand
                                                      &f'flrmedin ~X~,S.!I~.~.~UO,was’decldedon faOtS
                                   ~di~t~8hablg~frok:thoB.e pre~sentedin your lettqm. In that
                                     case.t&e~C&inissl6ne~s Court Changed the boundaries Of the cola-
                                  ~~~(&&%M,qpqrp~P~oixit$which,resulted.inplaoing’CommlsslonerSach(le’s
                               ‘.,
                                    .rqLlw     in a proalnct diffqrent frolathat tb:.whlchhe W&B eqeat-
                                 ‘.~
                                   -edi. l9mcciunbyJudge.proaptlydealwed a vaaanoy &nd appointed~.
.t~.        ;
                                   ~~?~e~‘;Lnclioldual  ~toeerve the re&ainder of Saahae’a tar& *0I?Fe’
                                     8ued’tM.atiu@?tyaseking to:recover the salary of the offtoe,tar.
                                    that part of~thr .kra.after his “maoval”. The;Court of Civil ~’
                                 ’ ‘Appeals’IIttlrmed                               for.Sachse~by.h6ld-
                                                      the Dltirict Cotit’s ~judgtient
                                     lng’twf i+rrab nevqq ~legally-rewved. .??-I+~
                                                                                 Court, in Setting ~:
                                     f&t.h.thefaots 6S ‘the.c&M,:,.statedaa folloirl:’ ,-
                                                                                                        .‘.’
                                     ., ,. .

                                            -:             ,:
                                                          ,..,                   :                      ..    ‘:
                                                                                     .~
  :.        .:

                    B. H. Wellborn, page 3.
       : '.~Hanorable                             (~~-536)

                               It
                                    . Such order ,@f the CommlsslonersCourg
                          ~dId,notpurport to remove appellee'from~hisoffice.
                          or attempt:to,abolIshappellee'a office or to create
                          a vaoancy therein:". : .II,(JimphasIa
                                                              burs)
  .~.'~-~~After:
            dIbhusssSJlg:khe
                           procedures and :requIs.Ites
                                                     of removal df
  ~'.:"
      publI~-:officIdla.-from:offIce,~the~
                                        Court:stated as ~follows:
                       .~_,”
             ,..,” ‘. ~?Abooz&ig.:to
                                   .%& ‘re&rb .&fore ua a&. t&r
                 %iw +Sted-+iWn&ercn~~ other authorlt~eo,.~~It~
                 :clearly’appeari
                                ,thatappellee, Sachse, was never
                ::.legaUyrqmoV@d~from,offl~?e;neither was his of-
                'fIce:~le&llgT'vacatedor~abqllshed; .'. .*I
                 ~h&e&s~:ouri$J    :,
       .         .. . .
  :           ” .‘~ ~., ~I&a’.&& &.&n,~ the.&pmm    (J.&e ,(a 3&      s,u,2d
           380) &~fked.the Sourt ~~Of.CIvIl
                                          Appeals as fOllowsi
                                   appllcatlon for writ.of error la re-
                              .':The
                    . qw4.       No.revereiblee-or. We approvethe
   .~ .~          .~.:-i.:hoJd@if'op:
                                    thb~'CcWt of~ClvI1 Appeals that changes
                    ." ~3,%pria?.not:'bound+rIe~~do not create a vacancy in
..:..                ':~
                       :..tZra~~'.~f~ice:'of
                                       'CountyComqLssloneror deprive the      ' ..
                    ,..:~
                       .--;ineoabent.~Qf:~~the.rigM~
                                                 tq-hold office for the re-
               : t :~mai&f$i’                 ’even.thoii&hby rM80n
                                 -0f~his.:t~erRI,                     of such
                 .; :~:I
                       ~.~gh;bitgs',kiIs:reaidence
                                                Is notewithin the precinat
              pi *     ;-,,+5'
                           I'a$iftied,." "
             _.,.         :.           _'.
  .'.
                      ~:'XtK:~~~~
                               n&ed'.&at.the Couzt of~CfviZ Appeals In stat-
        '~ing'th~~~~~~~td:.:~of,~the
                                   '&ds6,.~.balled~
                                                 attention to the faaot.that
        %hr~:':@246~:~&not      &i&t                or vaaate the offiae lii
                                         ;to~~~bqlIih                           ~'
  ~.'....  ~estion;--:.%rapplJring~the    law to thoee faots the  .Courtaen-
        .a~u~a'tKat'there~had:b~en        no legal removal from office. How-
  :, eVe.~;.-.th?y'.dId~:inot.stop    ~wlth such a holding, but continued with
           d$otull,'iaft,ezthe:semI-colon,to the .effeatthat a different
       ~..'#eiunilt:~.won&di:obtaIn
   .~..~~ti$i&of~$he              In the event of a legal abolition or vaca-
                         offioe+PThe-Supreme Court's opinion Is narrow06 to..:
        .a~atatetiht;of      ~thelaw rgth'regard to a change of boundaries '.
      ..'
     '. kith.rlo:,~~dU&I~'q      of ~the.approprIate result had there been 8. :
    ~:,....lQjiLl:.aWjlitWq or yaoatlon of the offioe; thus It left sttid- ;~,_
       'ing tha;d%atuq otitho opinion of the Court of Civil Appeals.
           If th%s .eari.'w&einterpreted to preclude the abolitionof an“,"
           CiifIceiJ~iagthe.term for whlah an Indlvldual had been elaated;. .*'
           the iesultwould conflict with the prdsent Amerlaan and Texas
       .decIsionn;-aresqlt which, In the op$nIon of this office,.             "
           nfiltber'the-Court   of Civil Appeals nbr the Supreme Court In-
     :. t.qnded .:..to.-imply. ”.‘.    .~;.
                                     ,.~
      Hon6rable H. H. welidorn, page 4.    (wW~-536)       "' I%' -'

                 !4!)iegefor&consIdgrIqg'the 'Porego
      o#in?,on:qf:$hId'6ffI~dg
                             that the.CoaPraisS~6nere~
      any tIme,~f6r:t$e.mtivenlencq of the pgople, redI,stri$t      the
      Justice Pre~CIn&tsititonot ,lessthan four nor more than eight
      and abolish the offices of thenJustice of the Peace ahd Con-
                                     ,+n those precincts In which
      stable'.ar;d'~de~lare,,~them~.~a~~t,
      the bouadar'les~dre'.altered.~~.~quch.eveqt,~the   off.Ioials
      elected to'these~posit.Io'ns-haveno ~furtherrlght:to    contl!‘ue
      .in'off.ice;or~&~w~
                        tbe'Ir"rralariea'...
                                          ~&vrcancy:.thqe   occurpIng
      Ii'.*hi?ti$~
               pOS$ti&xii$%ll,:.auth@rlze~
                                         :the.;Codmia~eIonera Cow to
      appoI~~..'any,qtialir9ed:person
                                   to fi1.l.auch.vacancy.
                    ,i        '....~
                                   ,'~

:~.   -TornI.