Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1940 )

OFFICE OF THE A’lTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
rr that thr oom-
oourt ot lingrlilm
ogalzor tho flat that
a oltr of more than
itantr and pro*l60:
otion of lppofntmeat
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 rocog-
nlza 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 pa-
oIaot no* on09
~Ordlnarlly whara the word *ahall* la uaod In
I ltatuta it la oonatruob t? bo nadatom, .whlla the
word ry I. parmIaaIra. Eowator *ahall* ltatutaa ara
lontlma 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
ltatuta la manndatory, 6110 to tha mat
diaoretIoa Iran
tha ooaaIaaIonera court la data rJ ning the boulda r! am
o? tha praolaota, and lia o elotion by the oourt ia
naoaaaary barora a juatloa a? tho paaoo oould ba alaotod
?or the aaoond plaoe, the ltatuta 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 hara-
ertar 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. The pr88Ont
oouaty o ourt ahall make the ilrat d li vialon. Subaequeat
aItIaIoaa ahall ba mad8 ‘by tha ooruaiaslonati court pro-
third r0r by this Conatitutlon.~ _In each . _ looh- praof not
thora ahall bo alected a tlaoh bl-annlal lleotlm, one
JuatIoa of the Paaoa and ona Conatabla, eaoh o? whom
ahall hold hIa of?Ioa for two yoara and until hla auooaa-
aor ahall bo llootad and qtmlitlad~ proridad that in
any preglnot in whloh there may ba a olty o? 8,000 or
mora Inhebltaata, thora ahall ba llaotrd two Juatioaa
o? the Peaoa. Each County ahall In llka mumor ba ditid-
ad into four comIaaIonara~~eoInota in laoh 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 oom-
porn a county oommlaaIonara court, whloh ahall oxu-
olu 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., lald~
*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 Ialnnouaoamnt
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 Conla-
lloaora Court (the aganoy doslgnatod by tha Conatltu-
tloa tar much purpoaa), oama Into balng, and theaortor-
w@ wan an adating ottion. Slnoa tha o??Ioo oama
Into lxIatanoa and wan hot SIllad, it wan vacant. . . .
Tha oomdaalonara oourt, being tha ooaatltutlonal and
ltatutor ageaoy lalaotad to fill raoanoIaa had author-
ity to ? I 11 thin raoaaoy. Stat0 OonatItutioa, Artlole
V, 8aotIon 881 R~tIaad Btatutaa, Artiola i3880. . . .*
The above maatlonad oaaa rorirwa mad diaouaaaa tha
lntlra hlatorJ o? tha aubjaot OS the powara and right8 OS tha
~onmiaaionara court8 to oreatr much Juatfoa praolaota, ohanga
their boundar188, ltd. 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 OOa8idar-
ation tha laat praoadIog Irbdaral ceaaua.
~ondaalonora court oi aaoh county la requlrad by atat-
UtO 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 oonvaa-
kor 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 ltatuta, and
1a not bound to aooept the latrat oanaua raumratioa am dOtOr-
litillg whether a city withia snl JWOpOBOdpraOinOt ha8 a pOPU-
lation 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 olao-
tlon of a Juatloa of tha Paaoe (or two JuotIoaa In aaoh pra-
lInot In rhlah thorn y ba a l tty OS 8,000 or more inhabl-
tantr) at aaoh bI-ennIal pario la ordaInad by tba Coaatlta-
tloa and a ta tuta l
abova rofurad to.
‘f& bollarm that the proriaIona or the OonatItutlon
lboto tptotod ULd Art1018 IWTI, VOMOE’B Amotatad Civil Stat-
atom, 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 ll~atrdn la mandatory and oamot a&me vAth your aonolualoa
that than0 provIalona are ainatory only. Theraforo, you are
roapeot?olly ldvi#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 aanda-
tory 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 the population d the alty had dooraaasd and ham now
a Fopalati 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 GENERALOF TEXAS