Court Opinion

ID: 9678422
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 06:19:25.357364+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:17:04.416970
License: Public Domain

MALONEY, Judge,
concurring.
Article IV, Section 22 of the Texas Constitution defines the powers and duties of the attorney general. Article V, Section 21 of the Texas Constitution defines the powers and duties of county and district attorneys. From time to time the legislature has enacted laws within the framework of the constitutional provisions establishing the duties and jurisdiction of those various offices. Nothing in the constitution or the laws of the state authorize prosecution of a criminal case in the trial courts of this state by the attorney general or, absent disqualification, by any person other than the duly elected district or county attorney.
The attorney general’s office of the State of Texas does not supervise the office of county or district attorneys, as is the case where the Attorney General of the United States has supervisory powers over the various United States attorneys in the prosecution of criminal cases. As early as 1882, the Texas Supreme Court stated that prosecuto-rial power is vested only in the county and district attorneys. State v. Moore, 57 Tex. 307 (1882). While it may be argued that the state system of prosecutorial conduct would be more efficient if our prosecutorial offices were organized much like the federal system, the legislature historically has seen fit not to grant such authority in the form of proposed constitutional amendments or legislation.
However, nothing prohibits the district or county attorney from seeking the assistance of the attorney general and/or his assistants, or any other duly licensed attorney, in the prosecution of a criminal case as long as the district or county attorney does not relinquish control of or responsibility for such *933prosecution. Control over the prosecution logically includes the presence of the district or county attorney or an assistant district or assistant county attorney respectively in the courtroom during all phases of the trial. Deputizing or appointing an assistant attorney general as an assistant district or assistant county attorney while he is still employed as an assistant attorney general to assist the district or county attorney in the prosecution of a criminal case is neither allowable nor authorized by law.
The separation of powers doctrine prohibits what seemingly occurred in this case, although an attempt to avoid this problem was made by the erroneous and unauthorized deputation of the assistant attorneys general as assistant district attorneys. The record is not clear as to whether this attempt was an effort by the elected district attorney to relinquish his responsibility or control of the criminal case to the office of attorney general or whether he intended to maintain control over the prosecution.1
The trial court ordered, in part, that the assistant attorneys general “shall have no further involvement in this case.” This order is overbroad. As stated above, the district attorney is entitled to the help and assistance of the attorney general’s office provided he does not relinquish control over the prosecution. Accordingly, in the absence of a showing that the district attorney’s office relinquished control and decision-maMng authority over the prosecution of the case, the trial court abused its discretion by barring the attorneys general from further involvement. For these reasons, I concur in the judgment of the majority.

. Although the assistant attorneys general involved in this case testified that they were asked to “try the case", nothing in the record indicates that the district attorney had relinquished prose-cutorial control of the case and was not going to participate in the trial. The affidavit of one of the deputized assistant attorneys general states that there was "ongoing involvement by the Potter County District Attorney’s Office in every phase of this case.”