NEWSLETTER OF THE ALABAMA JUDICIAL SYSTEM News/April-1981.pdfNEWSLETTER OF THE ALABAMA JUDICIAL SYSTEM Volume 5/Number 4 April , 1981 JURY STANDARDS TASK FORCE HODS MEETING IN ALABAMA

NEWSLETTER OF THE ALABAMA JUDICIAL SYSTEM

Volume 5/Number 4 A p r i l , 1981

JURY STANDARDS TASK FORCE HODS MEETING I N ALABAMA

The Alabama A d m i n i s t r a t i v e O f - f i c e o f Courts hosted t h e f o u r t h meet ing o f t h e Na t i ona l Center f o r S t a t e Courts J u r y Standards Task Force March 22-23 i n Mont- gomery.

The t a s k f o r c e i s comprised of n i n e members chosen by t h e i r r e s p e c t i v e n a t i o n a l conferences and assoc ia t i ons t o s tudy j u r y p r a c t i c e s and es tab l i s h s tandards t o a i d s t a t e s i n d e a l i n g w i t h j u r i e s and j u r y p r a c t i c e s .

Members of t h e t a s k f o r c e i n a d d i t i o n t o Alabama Admin is t ra - t i v e D i r e c t o r o f Cour ts A l l e n L. Tapley a re : Rhode I s l a n d S t a t e Cour t Adm in i s t r a to r Wal ter Kane (chai rman) , Judge James Noe o f S e a t t l e , Wash., Judge Jan ice L. Gradwohl o f L i nco ln , Neb., Judge Roger St rand of Phoenix, Az., Federal Judge Norma Shapi ro o f Ph i l ade lph ia , Don Cu l l en o f t h e Na t i ona l Assoc ia t i on f o r Cour t Adm in i s t r a t i on , Hank Rodgers o f t h e Na t i ona l Assoc ia t i on o f T r i a l Court Adm in i s t r a to r s and James Montgomery o f t h e Nat iona l Bar Assoc ia t ion . Na t iona l Center

(Continued On Page 2 )

STATE TEACHERS MEET TO REVIEW PROPOSED... supplemental classroom materials on the law and the judicial system. The proposed materials were developed and reviewed i n February i n an e f for t t o provide teachers with classroom materials t o supplement ex- i s t ing curricula on government and the judiciary. The development has been a combined e f for t of the State Judicial Sys- tem, the State Department o f Education and the Alabama Education Association. Above, Chief Justice C . C . "Bo " Torbert J r . ta lks t o teachers as (from l e f t on panel) Admin- i s t ra t i ve Director o f Courts Allen L. Tapley, AEA Executive Secretary Paul Hub- bert, State Superintendent of Education Wayne Teague and J i m Street, executive director of the Alabama Council for School Aciministration and Supervision look on.

C H I E F J U S T I C E TO ADDRESS J O I N T CONFERENCE ON P U B L I C COMMUNICATION

"Pub l i c Communication--The Role o f C h i e f J u s t i c e C.C. "Bo" T o r b e r t J r . t h e Cour ts" w i l l be t h e t o p i c o f a w i l l address t h e j o i n t conference on I) t w o - h o u r p r e s e n t a t i o n b y A l a b a m a t h e importance o f communication by t h e c o u r t o f f i c i a l s a t t h e 1981 j o i n t j u d i c i a r y and j u d i c i a l o f f i c i a l s w i t h meet ing of t h e Conference o f Ch ie f t h e p u b l i c and t h e media. "Such com- J u s t i c e s and t h e Conference o f S t a t e municat ion, " To rbe r t contends, "he1 ps Court Adm in i s t r a to r s . (Continued On Page 2 )

Court News Page 2

C H I E F JUST ICE TO ADDRESS JOINT r e s u l t product, nbw ~ h e d i ~ e d for cmple- -e7 h I . AZmin;:&w6f 1982."

i CONFEREHGE ON X3XMtJN I CAT ION ^ , . . ,--Xhe'.&sk:fa,rce meets bi-mnthly on a +:~d~%3#g ~t$€B&wl e a t the headquarters of -i

"'(Contimed F m Page 1) " each of ifs members. The . f i f t h meetjng wil l be held tn Sea t t le , Wash. ' in May.

demystify t h e judicial processes and builds pub1 i c confidence i n the very PROCEDURE SET FOR DISBURSEMENT OF

, del ica te ro le courts play i n our society.'' I I Fol 1 owing Torbert 's address, Admini - , s t r a t t v e Director of Courts Allen L.

FEES COLLECTED iM CLERKS OFFICES I Tapley and Robert Martin, d i rec tor of FOLLUWZNG SUPREME COURT DECISION 1 AOC Administrative Serviccs Divis?an, ' wiTl give a ~)r,esentat;fon on h w t o da-• , In answer to questf~rss a r l s jng follow-

vel op effectfve c m n i c a t i o n s programs fng the Sup CcxM-tt$ becision in Gun- for a state court system. This secl;t$clsl ter v .Ulcer, S.C. 79-671, Jan* 29, of the program w i 11 consis t of a verbal concerning the disbursement of fees col- and audio-visual presentation of success* . lected on o r a f t e r Jan. 16, 1977 from ful informational and &ucational pro- eases f i l e d in clerks and reg is te rs ~ f - grams developed i n Alabama and other f i ce s pr ior t o Jan. 16, 1977, the Depart- s t a t e s . mnt of Exminers of Public Accounts has

The ppogram i s being developled follow- approved the following guide1 ines fo r t h e ing a request by t h e executive comlttees d + s b u r s e n t : of both organizatfons.

I f a c l erk o r r eg i s t e r was compensated JURY STANDARDS TASK FORCE &hvough fees or c m i s s i o n s ra ther than a

-%alary prior to Jan. 16, 1977 and contlnu-

I HOLDS MEETING I N ALABAMA ed i n of f l ce a f t e r that date , he o r she

may continue t o collect t b s e fees on I

I (Continued From Page 2 1 cases f i l e d pr ior l o Jan. 16, 1977. Any

: fees whf ch may have been collected as pro- I s t a f f members involved w i t h the project vided above but which were he ld pending

) , include Linda Caviness, project d i rec tor , t h e outcome of the above c i ted case my Charlotte Carter and Dick Van Duizend, now be disbursed personally t o any clerk

I attorneys, and John M. Greacen, deputy o r reg is te r fn t h i $ c lass , d i rec tor f o r programs.

j The Montgomery- meeting dea l t w i t h the I f a c le rk or r eg i s t e r who was ct)mpen- , development of Jury Source Lis t Standards sated through fees or C O ~ R I S S ~ O ~ S -la-

with commentary and Juror Qua1 i f i ca t ion tely pr jor to Jan. 16, 1977 was replaced I Standards w i t h comnentary. The group also a f t e r t h a t date, any fees o r c m i s s i o n s

1 discussed a Juror Education Issue Paper collected by the new clerk should be trans- and talked about future issue paper topics. ferred t o the state general fund. )tow-

The task force will work f o r approxi- ever, any money co l l ec t@ by the orjginal mately two years developing the ' jury c le rk prio-r to his or her replacement , standards w i t h commentaries. should be d.SsbLmed t b him o r her person-

While i n Montgomery, the group v is i ted a l l y . j the 15th Judicial Circuit t o observe i ts I jury management practices imp1 ernented If a c lerk or r eg i s t e r was compensated 1 under the Juror Util i r a t i on Management through a cwnty sa la ry r a the r than by

Incentive Program sponsored by the Nation- fees o r cl#mtfsslrms pr ior t o Jan. 16, 1977, a1 Center for Jury Studies. such swn if colt uld be transfer-

" I t was a pleasure and a pr ivi lege for red t o the statec fund . Alabama t o host such a distinguished na- Any pua~tjms concernf ng t he

e t ional task force group," said Tetpley. Qfsbiurshwnt o f f&s or emissions col - C

"The task force i s making excellent pro- lected m carses f i l e d p r b r ta Jan. 16, : gress i n its assigned work and the work 1977 should Bb tffrected t~ the Fjscal Di - I appears t o be on t a rge t toward the end vision, Mmfm tstprabtve; Offtce of 'Courts.

I ) .. ---a*

C o u r t News

NEW CIRCUIT AND DISTRICT JUDGES HOLD FIRST WEEK-LONG ORIENTATION

New c i r c u i t and d i s t r i c t j udges , ap- p o i n t e d o r e l e c t e d d u r i n g t h e p a s t y e a r , p a r t i c i p a t e d i n a week-long o r i e n t a t i o n sess ion i n Tuscaloosa d u r i n g t h e l a s t week o f February . F i v e c i r c u i t judges and 14 d i s t r i c t judges a t t e n d e d t h e mee t ing .

The f i r s t s e s s i o n o f t h i s dep th and l e n g t h sponsored by t h e Alabama J u d i c i a l Co l lege , t h e o r i e n t a t i o n s e s s i o n a l l o w e d incumbent, exper ienced judges t o share t h e i r knowledge and exper ience w i t h t h e s t a t e ' s newest ~nerr~bers o f t h e j u d i c i a r y .

Dur ing t h e e a r l y p a r t o f t h e week, t h e judges were grouped t o g e t h e r t o s t u d y such common t o p i c s as J u d i c i a l E t h i c s , T r a n s i - t i o n from t h e Bar t o t h e Bench, R e l a t i o n - s h i p s w i t h t h e Media and Col leagues and an o v e r v i e w o f t h e o p e r a t i o n s and s e r v i c e s o f f e r e d by t h e A d m i n i s t r a t i v e O f f i c e o f Cour ts .

The l a t t e r p a r t o f t h e week was devo t - ed t o t o p i c s o f p a r t i c u l a r i n t e r e s t t o each group as c i r c u i t and d i s t r i c t judges

e h e l d s e p a r a t e sess ions . C i r c u i t judges d i scussed O f f i c e Management, Case Manage- ment, C r i m i n a l and C i v i l Cases, J u r y Prac- t i c e s , Sentenc ing, t h e Department o f Cor- r e c t i o n s , T r i a l s , Judgments and P o s t - T r i a l Mot ions .

D i s t r i c t judges d i scussed C r i m i n a l and C i v i 1 Cases, T r a f f i c Cases, Smal l Claims Cases, J u v e n i l e Cases, Conserva t ion Cases, Domestic Re1 a t i o n s and O f f i c e Management.

Accord ing t o Alabama J u d i c i a l C o l l ege D i r e c t o r Thelma B r a s w e l l , t h e p i l o t week- l o n g o r i e n t a t i o n s e s s i o n was a success. P r i o r o r i e n t a t i o n sess ions had been two o r t h r e e days i n l e n g t h and t h e week- long sess ion a1 lowed ample t i m e f o r judges t o e x p l o r e a l l t h e t o p i c s i n depth , h o l d d i s - cuss ions on p o i n t s o f i n t e r e s t and share ideas and s o l u t i o n s as we1 1 as i n t e r a c t w i t h o t h e r members o f t h e j u d i c i a r y .

CIRCUIT JUDGES AT TUSCALOOSA ORIENTATION

DISTRICT JUDGES AT TUSCALOOSA MEETING

Court News.

ORDERS ARE NOW being taken f o r j u r o r badges through the Juror U t i l i- zation/Management Incen- t i v e Program. Many cour ts f i n d these badges useful t o d i s t i n g u i s h j u r o r s from witnesses and p a r t i e s du r ing the term. The badge i s a sa fe ty p i n device approximately one and one-half inches i n diameter customized f o r each county. Any c o u r t i n te res ted i n order ing badges should send a Requ is i t i on and Purchase Order t o Janie Alexander a t t h e Admin is t ra t ive Off ice of Courts by A p r i l 24. Badges are ordered i n u n i t s o f 100.

THE CHALLENGE FOR cause f o r j u r o r s over t h e age o f 65 has been removed by the Alabama Leg is la tu re . Act 81-97, Act o f Alabama, Regular Session 1981 amends Sec- t i o n 12-16-150(1) t o read as fo l l ows , "It i s good ground f o r chal lenge o f a j u r o r by e i t h e r pa r t y : (8 ) That he i s under 19 e~-evep-66 years o f age."

DURING A RECENT sp r ing j u r y term, Pre- s i d i n g C i r c u i t Judge J e r r y White o f t h e 20th J u d i c i a l C i r c u i t achieved the lowest recorded cos t per t r i a l i n t h e s ta te . The t r i a l cos t was $120, we l l below the goal o f $400 per t r i a l s e t by t h e Ju ro r U t i l i - zation/Management Incen t i ve Program. The lawyers had agreed t o seat the l a s t 12 j u r o r s remaining a f t e r t h e o the r t r i a l s had s t a r t e d and t h e t r i a l began w i t h no s t r i k i n g .

COFFEE AND DEKALB are t h e l a t e s t count- i e s t o i n s t a l l and use j u r o r c a l l - i n systems. Jim E l l i s , c i r c u i t c l e r k o f Coffee County, i s p resen t l y using the c a l l - i n device w i t h m u l t i p l e v o i r d i r e i n c i v i l cases. Jim McGee, c o u r t admin i s t ra to r fo r t h e 9 t h J u d i c i a l C i r c u i t , uses t h e c a l l - i n system dur ing c i v i l terms. Both cou r t s r e p o r t c o s t savings and favorab le con~ments from j u r o r s i n us ing the c a l l - i n device. Statewide implementation o f t h e

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j u r o r c a l l - i n systems i s scheduled t o be- g i n i n t h e spr ing o f 1981 and cont inue throughout t h e Juror U t i 1 i zation/Manage- ment Incen t i ve Program.

THE JURY ORIENTATION s l i d e presenta- t i o n has been r e c e n t l y implemented i n Monroe, Conecuh , Tuscaloosa, Houston, Barbour, Bul lock , Col b e r t , Marengo, Greene and Sumter Counties. This now b r ings t o 13 t h e number o f c i r c u i t s us ing the s l i d e show. Add i t i ona l presentat ions w i 11 be completed t h i s summer.

THE ALABAMA JUROR 'S Handbook, recent - l y reviewed by c o u r t system o f f i c i a l s , i s now i n i t s l a s t stages o f approval before p u b l i c a t i o n . Designed t o acquaint j u r o r s w i t h j u r y se rv i ce and t h e c o u r t system of Alabama, the handbook may a l s o conta in an i n s e r t t o provide s p e c i f i c in format ion concerning i n d i v i d u a l c i r c u i t s . Any c i r - c u i t i n te res ted i n u t i l i z i n g t h e handbook should contac t Jeannie Nix a t t h e Admini- s t r a t i v e Of f ice o f Courts.

THE 9TH (DEKALB and Cherokee), 12 th (Coffee and Pike) , 14th (Walker) and 32nd 1) (Cul lman) J u d i c i a l C i r c u i t s a re c u r r e n t l y p a r t i c i p a t i n g i n the Ju ro r U t i l i z a t i o n / Management Incen t i ve Program i n Alabama. A c t i v i t i e s i n these cour t s are near ing complet ion and o ther c i r c u i t s w i l l be added i n the near f u t u r e . Court o f f i c i a l s i n te res ted i n t h e JUMI Program should contact Jan ie Alexander a t t h e Administra- t i v e O f f i c e o f Courts.

PAT BARNES OF Montgomery County f e l t a s t rong sense o f c i v i c du ty when she was c a l l e d r e c e n t l y t o serve as a j u r o r i n c i r c u i t c o u r t and she d i d n ' t l e t her r e - cen t back surgery stand i n t h e way of her performing t h a t duty. Due t o t h e surgery, she could not s i t comfor tably so c o u r t o f f i c i a l s made accomodations f o r her t o stand du r ing her week o f se rv i ce using a podium t o prop against . According t o Court Admin is t ra tor Robert M e r r i l l , she served on a t l e a s t one case du r ing t h e week and stood w i t h t h e e n t i r e ven i re dur ing each s t r i k e . Fol lowing her term o f serv ice , she sent c o u r t o f f i c i a l s a thank you note saying "Without your he1 p , and kindness, I would not have made my few days o f j u r y duty." Signed, "The Standing Lady."

Cour t News Page 5

AUTAUGA C I R C U I T CLERK FRED POSEY

ADDRESSES GROUP OF AOC EMPLOYEES

L e t t i n g t h e r i g h t arm know what t h e l e f t arm i s do ing . That i s t h e b a s i c ph i losophy beh ind a s t a f f meet ing Admin- i s t r a t i v e O f f i c e o f C o u r t s ' employees h o l d each month. The p r e s e n t a t i o n s f rom month t o month i n v o l v e a lmos t a l l phases o f t h e A d m i n i s t r a t i v e O f f i c e ' s f u n c t i o n s and i n c l u d e budget p r e s e n t a t i o n s , exp lan - a t i o n s o f t h e j u r y and case management programs, d i s c u s s i o n s on t h e r e c o r d s r e - t e n t i o n Droqram. resent at ions o f mate r - i a l s used i n t h e b u b l i c i n f o r m a t i o n p ro - gram and commit tee updates.

The February meet ing d i f f e r e d somewhat from t h e usual program when Autauga County C i r c u i t C l e r k Fred Posey addressed t h e group on t h e d u t i e s and r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s of t h e c i r c u i t c l e r k . The l i v e l y presen- t a t i o n i n c l u d e d an e x p l a n a t i o n o f t h e v a r i o u s c o u r t s and t h e i r j u r i s d i c t i o n s and t h e v a r i e d d u t i e s t h e c i r c u i t c l e r k upholds i n these c o u r t s and i n o t h e r areas such as c o l l e c t i o n s and f i l e maintenance.

DON'T WORRY ... IT'S VERY SIMPLE . . . . $eg "c

4 /8

AUTAUGA COUNTY CIRCUIT CLERK FRED POSEY. . addresses Administrative Office employees on the duties and responsibilities of the circuit c Zerk.

Posey's p r e s e n t a t i o n was q u i t e i n f o r - m a t i v e f o r AOC employees, and A d m i n i s t r a - t i v e D i r e c t o r o f Cour ts A1 l e n L. Tap ley commented t h a t more such p r e s e n t a t i o n s i n v o l v i n g o f f i c i a l s and personnel f rom t h e s t a t e ' s c o u r t s w i l l be planned f o r t h e f u t u r e .

ALL YOU DO I5 STAND IN THE HALLWAY FOR THREE HOURS UNTIL THEY TELL YOU THE TRIAL HAS BEE?! C.4NC5LEQ,.THEN you GO HOME.. --.

I'M SURE YOU

@ 1979 U n i t e d F e a t u r e Synd ica te , I n c .

ONE-DAYIONE-TRIAL I N SANTA ROSA

F o l l o w e r s o f t h e ca r toon s t r i p Peanuts can be g r a t e f u l t o t h e c o u r t i n Santa Rosa, (Sonorna County) , CA, f o r a d o p t i n g a modi- f i e d o n e - d a y l o n e - t r i a l system. A s a r e s u l t , t h e r e was no i n t e r r u p t i o n i n t h e adventures o f Snoopy and f r i e n d s when c a r t o o n i s t Char1 es Schul z was cal -I ed f o r j u r y du ty on September 18. Because he was n o t s e l e c t e d f o r a t r i a l , Schulz was back a t h i s drawing board by noon o f t h a t day, a c c o r d i n g t o h i s s e c r e t a r y , Pat L y t l e -- "no t h r e e hour w a i t i n t h e h a l l w a y " f o r h i m.

By an e x t r a o r d i n a r y co inc idence , however, m i l l i o n s of S c h u l z ' s readers on t h a t day were a l e r t e d t o t h e p o s s i b i l i t y t h a t Snoopy's f r i e n d , Woodstock, m i g h t become a j u r o r (see s t r i p above). A c t u a l l y , t h e c a r t o o n had been drawn months e a r l i e r i n accordance w i t h s y n d i c a t e dead1 i nes. The p r o b a b i l i t y t h a t a ca r toon drawn so f a r i n advance would appear on t h e v e r y day t h a t Schu lz was c a l l e d f o r j u r y d u t y i s e s t i - mated as one i n 3,000 -- a ve ry r a r e event , i ndeed.

Court News ., . .a-.. ,- -I+

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N E W S F R O M T H E J U D I C I A L C O L L E G E md . c ~ ~ . ' . ;

SPRING JUDICIAL SEMINARS SET; a l t y law j u s t passed by t h e s t a t e l e g i s - 0 l a t u r e . The new law w i l l be compared t o

DEVELOPED INTO FOUR-DAY PROGRAM t h e o l d s t a t u t e du r ing a session on t h i s

The Alabama J u d i c i a l Col lege i s o f f e r - i n g expanded sessions f o r t h e Spr ing Jud- i c i a l Seminars scheduled a t Farrah H a l l i n Tuscaloosa on A p r i l 14-17. These sem- i n a r s represent t h e f i r s t session implemented i n t he four-year p l a n developed by t h e c i r c u i t and d i s t r i c t judges com- m i t t ees on long-range c u r r i c u l a p lann ing appointed by Chief J u s t i c e C.C. Torber t .

The committees were charged w i t h s e l - e c t i n g t i m e l y sub jec ts taught by h i g h l y qua1 i f i e d f a c u l t y a l l ow ing s u f f i c i e n t t ime t o f u l l y develop t h e t o p i c . The schedule o f t h e Spr ing J u d i c i a l Seminars prov ides these i ng red ien ts .

Re t i red C i r c u i t Judge James Haley o f Birmingham spearheaded t h e d r i v e t o p ro- duce a four-day session dea l i ng w i t h Work- men's Compensation. He w i l l be j o i n e d i n t h e presentat ions by Supreme Court J u s t i c e Richard L. Jones, Professor Francis McGovern o f t h e Cumberland School o f Law, Court o f C i v i l Appeals Judge Charles Wright, At torneys Thomas Crawford and Frank Burge J r . and Marcus Davis o f t h e Department o f I n d u s t r i a l Re la t ions .

Two sessions w i l l be o f f e r e d f o r j u - v e n i l e c o u r t judges. The f i r s t w i l l deal w i t h concerns o f school admin i s t ra to rs and i nnova t i ve programs c u r r e n t l y i n v o l v- i n g j u v e n i l e cour ts and schools. The second session w i l l deal w i t h c u r r e n t l e g i s - l a t i o n i n v o l v i n g j u v e n i l e s and cou r t s and f u r t h e r i d e n t i f i c a t i o n o f problems which s houl d be addressed.

Case Management f o r D i s t r i c t Court Judges i s being sponsored as a p a r t o f t he Case Management g ran t received by t h e Admin i s t ra t i ve O f f i c e o f Courts. The course i s designed t o a s s i s t d i s t r i c t judges manage increas ing caseloads more e f f i c i e n t l y .

An extended session on Hearsay i s be- i ng presented by way o f v ideo tapes of Judge I r v i n g Younger's l e c t u r e s on t h i s sub jec t .

Judge Joseph C o l q u i t t o f Tuscaloosa has done ex tens ive research on Alabama's Death Penal ty Law through a c t i o n on t h e Beck case, subsequent r u l i n g s on o the r death pena l ty cases and the new death pen-

t o p i c . Professor Charles Gamble i s t o conduct

a session c a l l e d "A Decade o f Issues and Developments i n A1 abama Evidence. " Gamble teaches a t t he Cumberland School o f Law.

MUNICIPAL JUDGES ORIENTATION HELD

Scenarios and a panel d iscuss ion domi - nated as new munic ipal judges attended an o r i e n t a t i o n seminar he ld a t t h e A1 abama J u d i c i a l Col lege Feb. 21-22. One experienced judge who served as an i n s t r u c t o r descr ibed the meeting as " the best munic i - pal judges meeting y e t . " The seminar was developed j o i n t l y by t h e J u d i c i a l Col lege, t h e Munic ipal Judges Assoc ia t i on ' s educa- t i o n committee and the Municipal Court Op- e ra t i ons o f t h e Admin i s t ra t i ve O f f i c e o f Courts.

The f i r s t day 's a c t i v i t i e s cons is ted o f two mock t r i a l s , which were w r i t t e n f o r the o r i e n t a t i o n seminar by Judge Ten- @ nant Smallwood o f Birmingham and Judge Norman Winston o f Gardendale. These "staged product ions" depicted s i t u a t i o n s t h a t a new munic ipal judge may expect t o encounter. Judges were asked t o r u l e on problems and p o i n t s o f controversy t h a t were w r i t t e n i n t o t h e s c r i p t and t o d i s - cuss t h e i r r u l i n g s . Captain David Stewart, a s s i s t a n t c h i e f o f t h e Department o f Pub- 1 i c S a f e t y ' s D r i v e r ' s License D i v i s i o n , a l s o discussed several issues r e l a t e d t o suspensions and revocat ions o f d r i v e r ' s 1 icenses.

The concluding day 's t o p i c s inc luded a d iscuss ion o f t h e Rules o f t h e Road Act and o t h e r l e g i s l a t i o n a f f e c t i n g munic ipal judges. A panel o f experienced judges then served as d iscuss ion f a c i l i t a t o r s on several d i f f e r e n t types o f c o u r t cases t h a t munic ipal judges handle. Serving on the panel were Judges J e r r y Ba t t s o f Ard- more (DUI Cases) ; Eugenia Loggins o f Opp (Other T r a f f i c Cases); John Coggin o f Centre (Assau l t and Domestic Cases); George Howell o f P r a t t v i l l e (Thef t ) ; and @ George E l b recht o f Monroevi 1 1 e (Worth1 ess Checks). The panel was moderated by Angelo V. Tr imble, a s s i s t a n t d i r e c t o r , Municipal Court Operations, AOC.

Cour t News Page 7

COLBERT COUNTY

ADDITIONS, RENOVATIONS KEEP ORIGINAL COURTHOUSE IN USE FOR A CENTURY

C o l b e r t County, p a r t o f t h e area o f t h e s t a t e known as Muscle Shoals, i s s i t u a t e d i n t h e no r twes te rn p a r t o f t h e s t a t e , bordered by t h e Tenn- essee R i v e r t o t h e no r t h , t h e Miss- i s s i p p i s t a t e l i n e t o t h e west, F r a n k l i n County t o t h e south and Lawrence County t o t h e eas t .

The e a r l y i n h a b i t a n t s o f t h e Mus- c l e Shoals were Chickasaw and Cher- okee I n d i a n t r i b e s . Modern h i s t o r y records t h e name Muscle Shoals as o r i g i n a t i n g because o f t h e abundance of mussels found i n t h e r a p i d s which flowed th rough t h e area p r i o r t o t h e c o n s t r u c t i o n o f t h e Tennessee V a l l e y A u t h o r i t y dams. Accord ing t o I n d i a n legend, t h e e a r l y i n h a b i t a n t s named

9 . --* ' - ' u

COLBERT COUflTY COURTHOUSE ... Ori.ginaZZy con- s t r u c t e d i n 1881 , a b o v e a s it s t a n d s t o d a y

t h e area "Muscle Shoals" because i t r e - Ococoposa was t h e I n d i a n name f o r t h e q u i r e d "heap b i g muscle" t o maneuver t h e town of Tuscumbia, meaning " co l d wa te r . " canoes around t h e p lace . The town was i nco rpo ra ted on Dec. 20,

On Feb. 4, 1818, t h e f i r s t sess ion o f 1220 by t h e s t a t e l e g i s l a t u r e as Cold t h e Alabama T e r r i t o r i a l L e g i s l a t u r e , s i t - Water. S i x months l a t e r , t h e name was t i n g a t S t . Stephens, c rea ted Morgan, changed t o B ig Spr ing . The name was Jackson, Limestone, Lawrence, Lauderda le changed t o Tuscumbia Dec. 31, 1822 f o l - and F r a n k l i n Count ies . F r a n k l i n County, l ow ing a popu la r vo te . There were two a t t h a t t ime, encompassed t h e l a n d which a s p i r a n t s as t h e twon 's namesake: Annie, i s now Col b e r t County. t h e i n f a n t daughter o f Michael Dickson who

The p o p u l a t i o n of t h e area grew r a p i d - was t h e f i r s t w h i t e s e t t l e r o f t h e area l y i n t h e e a r l y 1800s as d i d s p e c u l a t i o n and f o r many years c o u r t c l e r k , and t h e of a ma jo r U.S. c i t y deve lop ing i n t h e nob le I n d i a n Ch ie f Tashka Ambi (meaning area. I n 1820, f i v e towns sprang up i n t h e w a r r i o r who k i l l s ) who s t i l l l i v e d p resen t Co lbe r t County v i e i n g f o r super- about t h e area. The name Tuscumbia i s a i o r i t y - -Co l d Water (present -day Tuscum- c o r r u p t i o n o f t h e I n d i a n c h i e f ' s name and b i a ) , Yorks B l u f f (present -day S h e f f i e l d ) , legend has i t t h a t he was so pleased w i t h South P o r t , Ba inb r i dge and Mar ion. t h e honor bestowed him t h a t he presented

t h e de fea ted cand ida te a t i n y p a i r o f moccasins.

The e a r l y p a r t o f F r a n k l i n County was o rgan ized i n 1818 w i t h R u s s e l l v i l l e as coun ty sea t . The f i r s t c i r c u i t c o u r t was h e l d

=' t h a t yea r a t t h e home o f Samuel .,,' Neely a t what i s now Sp r i ng Val -

l e y . More than h a l f o f t h e popu-

l a t i o n o f F r a n k l i n County l i v e d i n t h e n o r t h e r n s e c t i o n ( i n t h e Col b e r t a rea ) . P r a c t i c a l l y a1 1 t h e lawyers o f t h e coun ty l i v e d i n Tuscumbia, as d i d many o f t h e c o u n t y ' s p ro fess iona l men. Due i n p a r t t o t h e poor c o n d i t i o n o f

( C o n t i n u e d On Page 8 )

~P

Court News - Page 8

COLBERT COUNTY COURTHOUSE (C'o~~tintled From Page 7)

t h e roads, the people were g r e a t l y incon- venienced by haviug t o t r a v e l t o Frank- f u r t , then the county seat, t o do bus id ness connected therewi th . Thus an a g i t a - t i o n began t o c rea te a new county and hence ga in another representa t ive f o r the nor thern sec t i on of the s ta te . On Feb. 6, 1867, the s t a t e l e g i s l a t u r e treat- ed Col b e r t County, bu t t he county was abol ished by t h e Radical Cons t i t u t i ona l Convention on Nov. 29 o f t h e same year. The f o l l o w i n g l e g i s l a t u r e , dominated by the r a d i c a l element , ordered corr~pul sory d e l i v e r y of a l l books, paper, money and o ther proper ty belonging t o Co lber t County t o the Frank1 i n County probate judge.

A January 1870 vote of t he l e g i s l a t u r e repealed the abol i shment and re-estab- 1 ished Co lber t County. An e l e c t i o n was he ld t o choose between t h e temporar i l y - designated Tuscumbia and Cherokee as county seat. Tuscumbia was chosen and s t i 11 serves as the county seat today. An 1895 a c t of the l e g i s l a t u r e l a t e r added lands from Lawrence County t o the present Colber t County.

Co lber t County was named f o r two o f i t s e a r l i e s t major land owners, George and Levi Colber t , descendants of a Scots- man, James Logan Colber t , who came t o the Shoals from the Carol inas i n 1740 and h i s Chickasaw w i fe . The Col b e r t brothers, George, Levi , W i 11 iam and James were prom- i n e n t c i t i z e n s of t h e area. Wi l l iam and James moved away, bu t George and Levi r e - mained, serv ing f o r many combined years as ch ie fs of t he Chickasaws. The i r names appear on many o f the land t r e a t i e s between the Indians o f t he Muscle Shoals and the Uni ted States.

Upon the county 's c r e a t i o n i n 1870, the Horn House, a h o t e l , was designated as the temporary courthouse. Court was l a t e r he ld on t h e t h i r d f l o o r of t he Mas- on ic H a l l . A t the time, the center o f town was much fa r the r south than i t i s today and the land now used as a school had been reserved as the p u b l i c square. When t a l lc began t o const ruc t a permanent courthouse, the major i t y o f the people wanted i t b u i l t on the designated land; however, Captain A .H. K e l l e r ( f a t h e r o f Helen Kel l e r ) and many o f t h e women o f

t h e county thought the Mansion l o t would be a b e t t e r l o c a t i o n . The Mansion House was one of t he l a r g e s t homes i n the area a t t he t ime and was so named because o f i t s enormous s i z e and beauty.

A f te r an e f fec t i ve campaign, the present and on ly courthouse the county has ever had was b u i l t between 1881 and 1882-- on t h e s i t e o f t h e o l d Mansion House. The courthouse was designed by a Nashv i l l e a r c h i t e c t , Edward Laurent, and constructed by Wi l l i am Dowling o f Chattanooga f o r $14,750.

The courthouse was gut ted by f i r e i n 1908 , leav ing or l ly t he e x t e r i o r wa l l s . The c o u r t records, however, were salvaged from t h e blaze. Reconstruct ion was begun t h a t same year and completed i n 1909. During the reconst ruc t ion , c o u r t was held i n an opera house then loca ted across the s t r e e t . A M r . Peckinpaw o f Nashv i l l e was the r e s t o r a t i o n a r c h i t e c t and i t was he who changed the o r i g i n a l l y I t a l i a n a t e s t r u c t u r e t o a Greek Revival bu i l d ing . He added po r t i cos , f o u r I o n i c columns t o each of t h e f o u r s ides and t h e clocktower.

I n 1948, the n o r t h w-ing was added and i n 1962, a courthouse annex was cons t ruc t - ed. I n 1975, t h e east s i d e p o r t i c o was removed and a two-story b r i c k wing was added t o the courthouse. Remodeling and renovat ion o f t he e x i s t i n g f a c i l i t i e s was completed i n 1976.

The courthouse and 21 o the r s t ruc tu res o f Tuscumbia were placed on the Nat ional Reg is ter o f H i s t o r i c Places i n 1973 and the 22 bu i l d ings were named a h i s t o r i c d i s t r i c t .

DEPARTMENT OF P U B L I C SAFETY T E L L S

D R I V E R L I C E N S E REVOCATIOIJ PROCESS

An i n d i v i d u a l ' s d r i v e r l i c e n s e i s r e - voked by the Department o f Pub l ic Safety when he i s convicted o f one o f t he f o l l o w - i n g f i v e of fenses: manslaughter, l e a v i n g the scene o f an accident , f e l o n y commis- s ion o f which a motor v e h i c l e i s used, d r i v i n g under t h e i n f l uence (second o f - fense) and th ree reck less d r i v i n g convic- t i o n s w i t h i n a 12-month per iod.

When a s u b j e c t ' s l i cense i s revoked, he i s placed under the p rov i s ions o f t he Safety Responsi b i 1 i t y Law f o r a three-year per iod. The law requ i res the sub jec t t o

(Continued On Page 1 0 )

Court News Page 9

CHIEF JUSTICE TORBERT, TAPLEY TALK WITH CITIZENS I N NORTH ALABAMA

Chief J u s t i c e C.C. "Bol' To rbe r t J r . and A d m i n i s t r a t i v e D i r e c t o r o f Courts A l l e n L. Tapley v i s i t e d schools and c i v i c o rgan i za t i ons i n t h e no r the rn p a r t o f t h e s t a t e i n February and March t a l k i n g about law and t he c o u r t s s p e c i f i c a l l y and government i n genera l .

On Feb. 18, Tapley, a long w i t h Pres id - i n g C i r c u i t Judge Newton Powell and D i s - t r i c t Judges Bennett McRae and Rudolph W. S l a t e o f t h e 8 t h J u d i c i a l C i r c u i t (Morgan County), addressed H a r t s e l l e High School sen io r s . Fol low ing t h e morning presenta- t i o n a t t h e school, Tapley addressed t he noon meet ing o f t h e Decatur C i v i t a n Club. He spent t he af ternoon v i s i t i n g w i t h l o - c a l o f f i c i a l s and c o u r t employees d u r i n g an i n fo rma l meet ing a t t h e Morgan County Courthouse.

Chief J u s t i c e To rbe r t and Tapley spent Feb. 19-20 i n Marshal l County where t hey addressed h i g h school sen io r s f rom A1 b e r t - v i l l e , Kate Duncan, Boaz, Douglas and Guntersv i 1 l e High Schools. The Marsha l l County Bar Assoc ia t i on hosted a l a t e a f - ternoon r e c e p t i o n f o r t h e c h i e f j u s t i c e a t Lake G u n t e r s v i l l e S t a t e Park.

On March 30, Tapley p a r t i c i p a t e d i n a program developed by P res id i ng C i r c u i t Judge Randal l Cole o f t h e 9 t h J u d i c i a l C i r c u i t . Th is program a l l ows h i g h school sen io r s f rom DeKal b and Cherokee County h i g h schools t o v i s i t t h e i r l o c a l c o u r t - houses and hear va r i ous j u d i c i a l o f f i c i a l s e x p l a i n t h e i r r o l e s i n t h e j u d i c i a l p ro - cess. Th is program f o l l ows a mock c r i m i - na l case f rom t h e p o i n t t h e c r ime i s com- m i t t e d through t h e i n v e s t i g a t i o n and i n - d ic tment phases t o t h e t r i a l and senten- c i n g phases. Tap1 ey cu lminated t he March 30 program w i t h Cherokee County High School sen io r s by t a l k i n g w i t h them about government and t h e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n of j u s - t i c e i n Alabama.

As a f o l l ow -up t o p rev ious educa t iona l forums i n Limestone County, P res id i ng C i r - c u i t Judge Henry B l i z z a r d o f t h e 39 th Jud- i c i a l C i r c u i t asked Tapley t o l ead an educa t i ona l forum a t Tanner High School A p r i l 7 . Tapley planned t o meet w i t h t he Limestone County Bar Assoc ia t i on a t i t s noon meet ing and conduct another educa- t i o n a l forum a t East Limestone High School d u r i n g t h e af ternoon.

Approx imate ly 1,500 h i g h school sen io r s

ANSWERING QUESTIONS--From l e f t , Morgan County Dis t r ic t Judge Bennett McRae, Circui t Judge Newton PowelZ and Admini- s t ra t i v e Director o f Courts A2 Zen L . Tapley answer questions from students a t HartseZZe High SchooZ.

f rom Gadsden City, A t t a l l a C i t y and Etowah County school systems w i l l a t t end an ed- u c a t i o n a l forum l e d by Chief J u s t i c e To rbe r t on A p r i l 13. The forum, coo rd in - a ted by Senator L a r r y Keener, w j l l be he ld a t Gadsden S t a t e J u n i o r Col lege and Torber t , Tapley and Keener a long w i t h P res id i ng C i r c u i t Judge James B. Waid of t h e 16 th J u d i c i a l C i r c u i t w i l l p a r t i c i p a t e on t h e forum panel . The approx imate ly two-hour forum w i l l i n c l u d e a ques t i on and answer pe r i od .

WRITTEN TESTING SCHEDULE POSTED

Clerks and r e g i s t e r s who a r e a n t i c i p a - t i n g vacancies o r promotions i n t h e o f f i c e should have those persons i n t e r e s t e d i n be ing h i r e d o r promoted make appl i c a t i o n w i t h t h e A d m i n i s t r a t i v e Of f ice of Cou r t s ' Personnel D i v i s i o n a t l e a s t t h r e e weeks be fo re t h e w r i t t e n t e s t i s scheduled t o be g iven.

W r i t t e n t e s t s f o r t h e month of A p r i l and May w i l l be admin is te red i n t h e f o l - l ow ing c i t i e s on t h e dates i n d i c a t e d :

A p r i l 18, Birmingham; A p r i l 25, A lex- ander City , Gadsden , Mobi 1 e, Montgomery and Selma; May 2, Tuscaloosa; May 9, Dothan, F lorence and H u n t s v i l l e ; May 23, Birmingham, Mob i le and Montgomery.

Court News Page 10'

DEPARTMENT OF P U B L I C SAFETY T E L L S

D R I V E R L I C E N S E REVOCATION PROCESS

(Continued From Page 8 )

g i v e and ma in ta in proof of f i n a n c i a l r e - s p o n s i b i l i t y by f i l i n g an SR-22 insurance c e r t i f i c a t e on a l l motor veh i c les r e g i s - t e red i n h i s name o r t o surrender t h e l i c e n s e p la tes on t h e veh ic les t o t h e De- partment of Pub l ic Safety.

Fol lowing i s an exan~ple o f t h e revoca- t i o n process: Subject i s convic ted o f h i s second o f fense f o r d r i v i n g under t h e in f luence of a lcoho l . His d r i v e r l i c e n s e i s revoked f o r a pe r iod of s i x months and he i s placed under t h e p rov i s ions o f t h e Safety R e s p o n s i b i l i t y Law. I n o rder f o r h i s d r i v i n g p r i v i l e g e t o be re ins ta ted , he must surrender h i s l i c e n s e f o r s i x months and f i l e insurance form SR-22. A t t h e end o f t h e s i x months, he pays a $25 re instatement fee and i s issued a l e t t e r o f a u t h o r i t y t o take t h e complete d r i v e r l i c e n s e examinat ion.

There a r e two except ions i n t h e Safety R e s p o n s i b i l i t y Law. ( 1 ) If a sub jec t i s c i t e d t o be re tes ted by t h e Department o f Pub l i c Safety and f a i l s t o appear f o r t h e r e t e s t , o r if he f a i l s t h e t e s t , h i s 1 i c - ense i s revoked. No proof o f insurance o r re ins ta tement fee i s requ i red f o r t h i s type o f departmental revocat ion. (2 ) I f a 15-year-old i s apprehended w h i l e d r i v - i n g w i t h o u t a c e r t i f i e d d r i v i n g i n s t r u c - t o r , h i s l e g a l guardian o r parent , he i s "revoked" u n t i l h i s 16th b i r t hday . No p roo f o f insurance i s requ i red ; however, he must pay a re ins ta tement fee.

Statuses o f d r i v e r ' s l i censes o t h e r than revoked are : va l i d , suspended, denied and cancel led. These statuses app ly t o a s u b j e c t ' s " d r i v i n g p r i v i 1 ege" even though he has never had a d r i v e r ' s 1 icense.

UNIFORM T R A F F I C T I C K E T S S H I P P E D

The Admin i s t ra t i ve Of f ice of Courts has been advised t h a t t he 1981 shipment o f t i c k e t s t o law enforcement has been completed by t h e p r i n t i n g company. Any agency which has n o t received i t s t i c k e t s should contac t Ann Henn a t AOC immediate- l y .

Each shipment o f t r a f f i c t i c k e t s con-

t a i n s a UTC Invo i ce and Receipt Form (UTC-2). The form must be completed and t h e wh i te copy re turned t o t h e UTC Contro l Un i t , AOC, immediately upon r e c e i p t o f t h e shipment t o v e r i f y t h a t t h e order has been received .

The Book Issue Contro l pos t cards which a re at tached t o t h e f r o n t cover o f t h e t i c k e t books should n o t be forwarded t o t h e AOC, bu t should be f i l e d by t h e agency as a record o f t h e issuance o f t h a t book.

QUESTIONNAIRES D I S T R I B U T E D B Y

M U N I C I P A L JUDGES A S S O C I A T I O N

A ques t ionna i re f o r munic i pal judges has been d i s t r i b u t e d t o a l l munic ipal judges by Judge J e r r y B a t t s o f Athens, p res ident o f t he A1 abama Munic ipal Judges Assoc ia t ion . The quest ionna i re was developed t o cover a broad range o f t o p i c s on which judges a r e asked t o express t h e i r views. It i s designed t o a l l o w each muni- c i p a l judge t o g i v e guidance and d i r e c t i o n t o the a s s o c i a t i o n ' s educat ion committee i n addressing problems and concerns o f munic ipal judges.

"The Assoc ia t ion i s working t o represent t h e i n t e r e s t s of munic ipal judges," sa id Ba t t s . " A l l i n fo rmat ion w i l l be used o n l y i n summary form and answers w i l l be kept i n t he s t r i c t e s t conf idence." B a t t s asked t h a t judges complete t h e i r forms and r e t u r n t o him as soon as poss i - b l e . The i n fo rma t ion gathered i n t h e sur - vey w i l l be discussed du r ing t h e annual meeting o f munic ipal judges i n Montgomery on Flay 16.

COURT COSTS E X P L A I N E D FOR OFFENSE

OF PEDESTRIAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE

The Admin i s t ra t i ve O f f i c e o f Courts has rece ived several i nqu i r i es concerning whether o r n o t t r a f f i c c o u r t cos ts should be charged on a case o f Pedestr ian Under t h e In f luence.

The Alabama Rules o f J u d i c i a l Admini- s t r a t i o n , Rule 19(A) (1) , prov ides t h a t " the compla int and summons used i n a l l t r a f f i c cases s h a l l be t h e Uniform T r a f f i c T i c k e t and Complaint." Also, a t r a f f i c i n f r a c t i o n i s de f i ned i n Sect ion 12-12-50, Code of Alabama 1975, as "any v i o l a t i o n


Cour t News 9 - Pa e r

wy. n s t o n County D i s t r i c t Judge ~lwood - j h e l by County C i r - Rutledge r e t i r e d f rom h i s p o s t e f - s L c u i t C l e r k Kyle

f e c t i v e a t t h e end o f March. Judge Lansford was chosen Ru t ledge has been c o u n t y and d i s t r i c t by t h e Shelby County j udge o f Winston County s i n c e 1973. Legal S e c r e t a r i e s as P r i o r t o e n t e r i n g t h e j u d i c i a r y , he was "Boss o f t h e Year" a t a p r a c t i c i n g a t t o r n e y i n Hal e y v i l l e. t h e g r o u p ' s annual

bosses n i g h t banquet. mt dd ison County D i s t r i c t Judge Dan McCoy A n a t i v e o f Law- ,resigned h i s p o s i t i o n Feb. 28 t o r e t u r n rence County, L a n s f o r d - t o t h e p r i v a t e p r a c t i c e o f law. He had has r e s i d e d i n She lby been Madison County d i s t r i c t j udge f o r County f o r 29 y e a r s . s i x y e a r s . The Madison County J u d i c i a l He was e l e c t e d c i r - Nominat ing Commission i s p r e s e n t l y i n - c u i t c l e r k and r e g i s t e r i n 1970. P r i o r t e r v i e w i n g a p p l i c a n t s f o r t h e vacancy and t o h i s e l e c t i o n as c l e r k , he served s i n c e i s expected t o submi t t h r e e cand ida tes f o r 1964 as a l i e u t e n a n t i n t h e Shelby County t h e g o v e r n o r ' s c o n s i d e r a t i o n i n e a r l y S h e r i f f ' s Department. A p r i l . He i s a member o f t h e Masonic Lodge,

C i v i t a n C lub and works a c t i v e l y w i t h t h e n employee i n t h e o f f i c e o f Washington L i t t l e League o f W i l s o n v i l l e .

-dCounty C i r c u i t C l e r k Leo Howard was 4s L a n s f o r d and h i s w i f e , French E l 1 , r e c e n t l y k i l l e d i n an a u t o m o b i l e a c c i d e n t . have two c h i l d r e n and r e s i d e i n Wi l son -

a Maudean McNeeZy, 33, o f Mc In tosh d i e d v i l l e . March 22 t h e r e s u l t o f a Sunday-morning He served as a se rgean t i n t h e m i l i t a r y au tomob i le a c c i d e n t . She had been en~p loy - s e r v i c e i n Korea and was awarded t h e Com- ed i n t h e c l e r k ' s o f f i c e s i n c e May, 1977. mendat ion Ribbon w i t h Medal Pennant f o r She i s s u r v i v e d by h e r husband, Leonard, m e r i t o r i o u s s e r v i c e . and a daughter , Deborah. H i s hobb ies i n c l u d e f i s h i n g , h u n t i n g

and go1 f i qg . t a t e Comptr011 e r George C. "Bott Dean

> r e t i r e d h i s p o s i t i o n March 30 a f t e r s' yne ~ i Z l i a m s , former d i s t r i c t a t t o r n e y 44 y e a r s as a s t a t e employee. Dean has w $ o r t h e 6 t h J u d i c i a l C i r c u i t (Tusca- been c o m p t r o l l e r s i n c e 1978 and had work- l o o s a ) was r e c e n t l y appo in ted m u n i c i p a l ed i n t h e S t a t e F inance Department s i n c e j u d g e f o r t h e c i t y o f N o r t h p o r t . h i s employment w i t h t h e s t a t e .

r s . Anita Russe l l r e t i r e d i n January -.)towah County D i s t r i c t Judge Robert E. , . , f rom h e r p o s i t i o n as s e c r e t a r y t o Cour t EjL ewis has been appo in ted t o s e r v e on of C r i m i n a l Appeals Judge John C . Tyson.

t h e Alabama Youth S e r v i c e s Board. Ap- She had been s e c r e t a r y t o Judge Tyson p o i n t e d by F a y e t t e County D i s t r i c t Judge f o r 17 y e a r s - - n i n e y e a r s a t t h e c o u r t Dav id Enslen who i s p r e s i d e n t o f t h e A l a - and e i g h t y e a r s w h i l e he worked i n t h e bama J u v e n i l e Judges A s s o c i a t i o n , Lewis a t t o r n e y g e n e r a l ' s o f f i c e . Mrs. Margie r e p l a c e s fo rmer C o l b e r t County D i s t r i c t ~mbry who worked f o r Judge Tyson w h i l e Judge J e r r y Vanderhoef who was t h e g r o u p ' s he was i n t h e p r i v a t e p r a c t i c e of l a w r e p r e s e n t a t i v e t o t h e board. Judge Lewis has r e j o i n e d him, r e p l a c i n g Mrs. Russel 1. has been judge f o r s i x y e a r s .

The Alabama Youth S e r v i c e s Board was c r e a t e d by an a c t o f t h e L e g i s l a t u r e and i s made up o f 18 v o t i n g members. The board oversees and adv ises t h e S t a t e De- par tment o f Youth S e r v i c e s .

Court Wens Page 12

T R A I N I N G SEMINARS UNDERMAY FOR COURT COSTS EXPLAINED FOR OFFENSE

M U N I C I P A L CLERKS AND MAG 1 STRATES OF PEDESTRIAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE a Six reg iona l two-day seminars a re un-

derway f o r municipal c o u r t c l e r k s and magist rates du r ing A p r i l and May. These seminars are being coordinated j o i n t l y by the Alabama J u d i c i a l Col lege and t h e Municipal Court Operations D i v i s i o n o f t he Admin is t ra t i ve O f f i c e o f Courts.

Topics f o r d iscussion du r ing t h e sem- i na rs inc lude Dut ies and Responsi b i 1 i t i e s of a Municipal Court Magist rate, Warrant Issuance, Probable Cause and Errors, Re- quirements f o r A f f i d a v i t and Warrant, Court Costs and P a r t i a l Payments, Author- i t y f o r t h e UTC, How t o Complete t h e UTC Court Record, Report ing t o t h e Department o f Publ i c Safety, F a i l u r e t o Appear Cases, Appeal Cases, D r i v i n g Under t h e In f l uence and Recordkeepi ng and Business Equipment i n the Courts. A panel d iscuss ion w i l l be he1 d dur ing the ' af ternoon session o f t h e f i r s t day o f each seminar t o a l l o w attendees an oppor tun i t y t o discuss top- i c s o f i n d i v i d u a l c o u r t concern.

Seminars are planned f o r Mobi le on A p r i l 1 and 2, Birmingham on A p r i l 8 and 9, Joe Wheeler S ta te Park on A p r i l 15 and 16, Lake G u n t e r s v i l l e S ta te Park on A p r i l 22 and 23, Dothan on A p r i l 29 and 30 and Montgomery on May 6 and 7. Each seminar w i l l begin a t 10:30 a.m. and adjourn a t 4:30 p.m. the f i r s t day and begin a t 9 a.m. and adjourn a t 12 noon the second day.

D e t a i l s concerning t h e seminars and r e g i s t r a t i o n have been forwarded t o c o u r t c l e r k s i n each m u n i c i p a l i t y . There w i l l

1 be no r e g i s t r a t i o n fee and p a r t i c i p a n t s who a t tend w i l l be reimbursed f o r t r a v e l 1 expenses according t o t h e s t a t e p lan f o r reimbursement.

The seminar i s designed f o r both new and experienced c o u r t c l e r k s and magis- t ra tes . A1 1 c l e r k s and magist rates should a t tend t h e seminar t h a t i s nearest and most convenient t o them. For a d d i t i o n a l in format ion, contac t Jean Holcomb o r Tom Payne a t t h e AOC.

fCont5nued From Page 101

o f a s ta tu te , ordinance o r r e g u l a t i o n r e - l a t i n g t o t h e opera t ion o r use o f motor o r o the r v e h i c l e o r t h e use o f s t r e e t s and highways by pedestr ians. " (Emphasis added)

V io l a t i o n o f Sect ion 32-5A-221 (pedes- t r i a n under t h e in f luence) i s a t r a f f i c i n f r a c t i o n and should be charged by a UTC and assessed t h e appropr ia te t r a f f i c c o u r t cos t . On t h e o the r hand, t h e s i m i l a r v i o - l a t i o n o f Sect ion 13A-11-10 (Publ i c I n t o x - i c a t i o n ) should not be charged by a UTC and c o u r t cos ts f o r a n o n - t r a f f i c misde- meanor would be appropr iate.

<

LEAA' CLUSTER MEETING HELD TO

D I S C U ~ S COURT DELAY REDUCTION

On March 24 and 25, f o u r s t a f f members. o f t h e Alabama Court Delav Reduction Pro- j e c t attended a Law ~n fo tcemen t Assistance Administrat ion-sponsored Clus ter Meeting w i t h cou r t o f f i c i a l s from f i v e o the r s ta tes . Held i n Washington, D.C., t he meeting focused on a d iscussion and shar- i n g o f new methods o f assessing and r e - ducing delay i n t r i a l cour ts .

Chaired by Nicholas Demos o f the O f f i c e o f Cr iminal J u s t i c e Programs, each s t a t e presented i t s own s t r a t e g i e s f o r reduc i ng delay i n t h e i r l l o c a l cour ts . Group d i s - cussions fo l lowed each presenta t ion and top i cs o f specia l i n t e r e s t were addressed separate ly .

The A1 abama del egat ion inc luded Frank Gregory, d i r e c t o r o f t h e Sta te Court Op- e ra t i ons D i v i s i o n o f t he Admin is t ra t i ve O f f i c e o f Courts, Hunter Slaton, M i ke C a r r o l l and Helen Ste ineker o f t h a t d i v i - s ion. Other s ta tes i nvo lved i n c o u r t de- l a y reduct ion programs which p a r t i c i p a t e d i n the C lus ter Meeting were New Jersey, Massachusetts, Kansas, Pennsylvania and Kentucky.

Gregory noted t h a t " the shar ing o f problems common t o many s ta tes can lead

a t o new and e f fec t i ve a1 te rna t i ves t o solve them."

UPDATED JUDICIAL COLLEGE CALENDAR CHANGES ADDITIONS

The Alabama Judicial College DUI Instructor Training Six Municipal Court Clerks announces changes and additions to previously scheduled for and Magistrates Training continuing judicial education and Tuscaloosa, August 13-14 Seminars have been scheduled training programs for the remainder will be conducted at the throughout Alabama during of 1981. Craig-Selma Facility in April and May, 1981.

Selma, Alabama.

Court News Page 14

ATTORNEY GENERAL OPINIONS Grand Jury Book Must Be F i l e d By The C lerk

Ronald Myers, d i s t r i c t a t t o rney f o r t he 37th J u d i c i a l C i r c u i t , r e c e n t l y asked the a t to rney general f o r h i s op in ion as t o whether t he requirement f o r t he foreman o f a grand j u r y t o s i g n the "Grand Jury Book" could be e l im ina ted. I n an op in ion dated Feb. 19, 1981, the a t to rney general responded as fo l lows:

"The a u t h o r i t y f o r t he reco rda t i on and compi la t ion o f t he Grand Jury,Book i s found i n Code o f Alabama 1975, Sect ion 12-16-199, which reads i n p e r t i n e n t p a r t as f o l lows:

" ' A 1 i s t of a l l witnesses summoned and i n attendance before such j u r y du r ing each session s h a l l be kept by t h e foreman, and he s h a l l g i v e t o each o f such witnesses a c e r t i f i c a t e , s t a t i n g the number o f t he case i n which such witness attended, the number o f days o f h i s ac tua l attendance, the number of m i l es t r a v e l e d by him and

ed s i Ace the ' e a r l i e s t ' of t he A1 abania codes and can be found verbat im i n prev ious com- p i l a t i o n s . See, f o r example, the f o l l o y - i n g : Code o f A1 abama 1940, T i t l e 30,

I Sect ion 85 (Recom~. 1958); Code o f Alabama 1940, ~ i t l e . 3 0 , sec t i on 85; Code o f A la - bama 1923, Sect ion 8678; Code of Alabama

1907, Sect ion 7296; Code o f Alabama 1886, Sect ion 4349; e t c .

"Thus, the a u t h o r i t y f o r an accurate Grand Jury Book, c e r t i f i e d as c o r r e c t by the grand j u r y foreman, i s well-documented i n Alabama l e g a l t r a d i t i o n and i t s s i g n i - f i cance s t a t u t o r i l y unquestioned. A l - though t h e r e might be an a l t e r n a t i v e procedure which you might, a t t h i s p o i n t , en- v i s i o n , t he s t a t u t e i s c l e a r i n s t a t i n g t h e c u r r e n t s ta tus o f t he Alabama law i n t h i s area."

S ta te L i a b l e For Expenses Incur red

I n Returning Felons To Alabama

I n an op in ion dated Feb. 3, 1981, t he a t to rney general s ta ted t h a t the a1 1 owance f o r expenses incur red , i n c l u d i n g t rans - p o r t a t i o n , f o r r e t u r n i n g an accused fe lon t o t h e s t a t e o f Alabama i s found i n Sec- t i o n 15-9-62, Code o f Alabama 1975. This op in ion noted t h a t t h i s r Code sec t i on i s cons i s ten t w i t h Previous d iscussions i n o the r opin ions which concluded t h a t t he s t a t e must pay such expenses i ncu r red i n r e m o v i n g f e l o n s b a c k t o A l a b a m a . The op in ion a l s o r e i t e r a t e d t h e f a c t t h a t t he per m i l e expense author ized i n t h i s sec- t i o n i s t o be u t i l i z e d o n l y where a personal v e h i c l e i s used.

Act 79-826 Does Not Provide A Permanent

Ce i l i n g On J u d i c i a l Sa lary Supplements

I n an op in ion dated Feb. 2, 1981, the a t to rney general determined t h a t the $11,000 c e i l i n g placed on s a l a r y supplements p e r t a i n s o n l y t o t h e r a i s e g iven c i r c u i t judges by s a i d ac t . I t does n o t p e r t a i n t o f u t u r e r a i s e s and does no t permanently supersede p r i o r l o c a l s a l a r y supplement ac ts . This op in ion i s inc luded i n i t s e n t i r e t y below:

"Dear Commi ss i on Mernbers : "This i s i n response t o your l e t t e r t o

t h i s o f f i c e o f Nov. 25, 1980, i n which you request an op in ion as t o t h e amount i n which t h e Je f fe rson County Commission should supplement the compensation of t he c i r c u i t judges o f Jef ferson County.

"As you know, Act 1207 (Acts 1973) d i -

m r e c t s t h e Je f fe rson County Commission t o


Court News Page 15 I r a i s e s i n 1980. Th is would i n c l u d e c i r - c u i t judges. However, t h e c i r c u i t judges o f Je f fe rson County a re n o t e n t i t l e d t o a supplement o f 40 percent o f t h e 7.5 per - cen t c o s t - o f - l i v i n g inc rease prov ided by Ac t No. 80-616 (Acts 1980), because t h e a c t s p e c i f i c a l l y p r o h i b i t s such a supplement. Ac t No. 80-616 s t a t e s :

" 'Any c o s t - o f - l i v i n g inc rease granted under t h e p rov i s i ons o f t h i s Ac t s h a l l i n no way app ly t o any l o c a l supplement p ro- v ided t o any judges o r any o t h e r en~ployee o f t h i s s t a t e . "'

Auxi 1 i a r y Pol i c e O f f i c e r ' s Power O f

A r r e s t I s Same As ATTORNEY GENERAL OPINIONS

(Continued From Page 1 4 )

supplement t h e con~pensation o f t h e c i r - c u i t judges of t h a t county i n a sum equal t o 40 percent o f t h e s a l a r y p a i d t o sa id judges by t h e S ta te of A1 abama. However, Act No. 79-826 (Acts 1979) which r a i s e s t h e s a l a r i e s of c i r c u i t judges through-

Q u t t h e s t a t e t o $34,000, prov ides, i n a r t as fo l lows:

" 'Any s a l a r y supplement rece ived by any c i r c u i t judge o r d i s t r i c t a t t o r n e y which now exceeds $11,000, o r because o f t h e passage of t h i s b i l l w i l l exceed such sum, i s hereby reduced t o t h e sum o f $11,000. '

"Under t h e p r o v i s i o n s of t h i s a c t , t h e supplement t o be pa id by t h e Je f fe rson County Commission was reduced t o $11,000. However, i t i s t h e o p i n i o n o f t h i s o f f i c e t h a t because o f t h e s p e c i f i c language o f t h e above s e c t i o n o f Ac t 79-826, t h e $11,000 c e i 1 in51 placed on sa l a r y suppl e- ments p e r t a i n s o n l y t o t h e r a i s e g i ven t o judges by t h a t a c t . It does n o t p e r t a i n t o f u t u r e r a i s e s and does n o t permanently supersede p r i o r l o c a l s a l a r y supplement ac ts .

"Thus, t h e c i r c u i t judges of Jefferson County a re p a ~ s s i b l y e n t i t l e d t o 40 percent o f any r a i s e s rece ived subsequent t o t h e passage o f A c t No. 79-826, i n accordance

i t h Ac t No. 1207 (Acts 1973), depending 6 on t h e language o f f u t u r e ac t s . "As you n o t e i n your l e t t e r , Ac t No.

80-616 ( A c t s 1980) g ran ts a 7.5 percent c o s t - o f - l i v i n g s a l a r y inc rease t o a l l judges who do n o t o therw ise rece i ve

That O f Any C i t i z e n

I n an op in ion dated Feb. 2, 1981, t h e a t t o r n e y general determined t h a t members o f t h e rese rve f o r c e have no a r r e s t pow- e r s o t h e r than those o f any c i t i z e n . To have any g rea te r powers o f a r r e s t , t h e o f f i c e r must comply w i t h t h e Alabama Peace O f f i c e r s Minimum Standards and T r a i n i n g Act . The a t t o r n e y general s ta ted , however, t h a t such o f f i c e r may be used t o d i r e c t t r a f f i c a t ballgames, work dances and o t h e r p u b l i c ga ther ings w i t h o u t t h e presence o f a f u l l - t ime po l i c e o f f i c e r . This o p i n i o n a l s o express ly ove r ru led an op in ion dated Sept. 2, 1980, ho ld ing t h a t a s h e r i f f has t h e power t o con fe r author- i t y t o a r r e s t on a reserve deputy s h e r i f f .

A r r e s t A u t h o r i t y

O f Munic ipa l Pol i c e O f f i c e r s

I n response t o a reques t f o r an op in ion regard ing t h e a r r e s t power o f munic ipa l p o l i c e o f f i c e r s , t h e a t t o r n e y general i s - sued an o p i n i o n dated Feb. 19, 1981, which r e i t e r a t e d two p r i o r op in ions ho ld ing ( 1 ) c i t y po l i c e o f f i c e r s have county-wide a r r e s t a u t h o r i t v i n everv countv i n which t h e i r c i t y ' s town 1 imits"extend, and ( 2 ) c i t y po l i c e o f f i c e r s may make a r r e s t s w i t h i n t h a t p a r t o f t h e i r c i t y ' s p o l i c e j u r i s d i c t i o n , i f any, which extends i n t o another county. Th is o p i n i o n a l s o noted t h a t no l e g a l a u t h o r i t y cou ld be found which would a u t h o r i z e c i t y p o l i c e o f f i c e r s t o make a r r e s t s across s t a t e l i n e s .


I

I Court News Page 16

ATTORNEY GENERAL OPINIONS (Continued From Page 1 5 )

Juven i le Case Expenses To

Be Paid By County

I n an op in ion dated Feb. 10, 1981, t h e a t to rney general has r u l e d t h a t the Mar- s h a l l County Commission cannot r e f u s e t o pay t h e cos ts i ncu r red by t h e j u v e n i l e p robat ion department of t h a t county i n p rov id ing f o r t h e care of c h i l d r e n when such care i s ordered by t h e j u v e n i l e cou r t . The op in ion c i t e s Sect ion 12-15- 10 as r e q u i r i n g a l l count ies t o pay such c la ims unless they f a l l w i t h i n t h e spe- c i f i c except ions i s t e d i n t h a t - code' sec t i on .

A d d i t i o n a l l y , t h e a t to rney general, i n t h i s op in ion , s ta ted t h a t t h e j u v e n i l e p robat ion department should e s t a b l i s h a general est imate o f i t s expenses as r e - qu i red by a l o c a l budgeting a c t (Ac t No. 79-466) and should t h e need a r i s e f o r a budget r e v i s i o n f o r t he probat ion depar t - ment, then such r e v i s i o n cou ld be requested o f t h e county commission under s p e c i f i c p r o v i s i o n o f the l o c a l a c t .

The a t to rney general i n t h i s o p i n i o n r e i t e r a t e d h i s p o l i c i e s o f (1 ) d e c l i n i n g t o g i v e opin ions on t h e c o n s t i t u t i o n a l i t y o f s ta tu tes ; and ( 2 ) cons t ru ing , where possib le, i n p a r i mater ia, two seemingly i n c o n s i s t e n t laws (here Act No. 79-466 and Sect ion 12-15-10) so as t o avoid con-

I f l i c t .

Photographs o f Juveni 1 es

I n an op in ion dated Feb. 19, 1981, t he a t to rney general has s ta ted t h a t photographs o f j u v e n i l e s niay be taken, re ta ined and used by law enforcement o f f i c i a l s i f consent o f t h e j u v e n i l e c o u r t i s obtained on a case by case basis . The op in ion , addressed t o Joe W . Patterson, s h e r i f f of Madison County, goes on t o s t a t e t h a t i t should be emphasized t h a t consent from t h e c o u r t t o photograph a j u v e n i l e i s n o t ne- c e s s a r i l y consent t o use t h a t photograph i n any and a l l ways a law enforcement agency des i res . The op in ion s t a t e s t h a t once a j u v e n i l e has been photographed pursuant t o Sect ion 12-15-102(d), those photographs may be used by law enforcement agencies sub jec t t o t h e f u r t h e r consent and c o n t r o l o f t h e c o u r t (emphasis added) and t h a t ' a p a r t i c u l a r j u v e n i l e ' s photograph should n o t be used fo r any g iven purpose and i n any g iven manner unless t h a t purpose and manner a r e approved i n advance by t h e c o u r t .

Probate Courts--Prospect ive A p p l i c a t i o n

O f 1980 Act Amending Descent Laws

I n an op in ion o f Feb. 13, 1981, t h e a t to rney general opined t h a t Ac t No. 80- 764. which s p e c i f i c a l l v amends Sect ion 43-3-1, code' o f ~ l a b a i a 1975, r e l a t i n g t o t h e o rde r o f descent o f t h e r e a l p rope r t y o f one dy ing i n t e s t a t e , has prospect ive a p p l i c a t i o n only , commencing on May 28, 1980. C i t i n g t h e general r u l e o f s t a t u - t o r y cons t ruc t i on t h a t court!; i ndu lge every presumption i n f a v o r o f cons t ru ing l e g i s l a t i v e a c t s t o have prospect ive opera t ion , t he a t to rney general r u l e d t h a t t h i s Act ( e f f e c t i v e May 28, 1980) cou ld n o t be app l i ed t o t h e e s t a t e o f an i n t e s - t a t e who d ied, p r i o r t o t h e e f f e c t i v e date o f t h e Ac t .

Secretary Of S ta te Should Reserve

Corporate Names By Phone--

Probate Judges To C o l l e c t Fee For Same

I n an op in ion re leased on Feb. 19, 0 1981, t h e o f f i c e o f t h e a t to rney general r u l e d t h a t , under t h e p rov i s ions o f Ac t


Court IVews Page 17

ATTORNEY GENERAL OPINIONS (Continued From Page 16 )

No. 80-633, t h e s e c r e t a r y o f s t a t e should reserve co rpo ra te names pursuan t t o e i t h e r w r i t t e n requests o r te lephone reques ts and t h a t t h e sec re ta r y o f s t a t e shou ld then i ssue t h e c e r t i f i c a t e r e s e r v i n g a co rpo r - a t e name i n d i c a t i n g thereon t h a t t h e p ro -

Q a t e judge should c o l l e c t t h e $5 a p p l i c a - i o n fee. The p roba te judge should then

r e c e i v e t h i s c e r t i f i c a t e and c o l l e c t t h e f e e a long w i t h t h e o t h e r fees f o r r e c e i v - i n g c h a r t e r documents.

L e g i s l a t u r e Can Inc rease Sa la r y O f

Probate Judge Dur ing Term O f O f f i c e

The a t t o r n e y genera l has opined on Feb. 19, 1981, t h a t t h e passage of t h e J u d i c i a l A r t i c l e (Amendment No. 328, Con- s t i t u t i o n o f Alabama 1901) removed t h e p r o h i b i t i o n a g a i n s t s a l a r y inc reases p re - v i o u s l y imposed by t h e Boutwel l Amend- ment (Amendment No. 92) and t h a t t h e s a l - a r y o f a p roba te judge can be inc reased d u r i n g h i s o r her c u r r e n t te rm o f o f f i c e . Th is r e i t e r a t e s t h i s p o s i t i o n as p re - v i o u s l y s t a t e d by t h e a t t o r n e y gene ra l .

Exp lana t ion o f Bond Required Pursuant

To Sec t i on 6-6-250, Code of Alabama 1975

John Green, c l e r k and r e g i s t e r o f B loun t County requested an o p i n i o n as t o what amount o f bond should a c l e r k r e -

o f Alabama 1975, when a s u i t i s b rought f o r t h e recovery o f c h a t t e l s i n spec ie . The o p i n i o n reads as f o l l o w s :

"Th is i s i n response t o your r eques t f o r an o p i n i o n f rom t h i s o f f i c e rega rd ing t h a t p o r t i o n o f Sec t i on 6-6-250, Code of Alabama 1975, which reads as f o l l o w s :

"'When a s u i t i s brought f o r t h e recov- e r y o f personal c h a t t e l s i n specie, i f t h e p l a i n t i f f , h i s agent o r a t t o rney , make a f - f i d a v i t t h a t t h e p r o p e r t y sued f o r belongs t o t h e p l a i n t i f f , and execute a bond i n such sum, and w i t h such s u r e t y as may be approved-by t h e c l e r k , w i t h c o n d i t i o n t h a t i f t h e p l a i n t i f f f a i l i n t h e s u i t , he w i l l pay t h e defendant a l l such cos t s and damages as he may s u s t a i n by t h e wrongfu l compla in t , i t i s t h e d u t y o f t h e c l e r k t o i ndo rse on t h e summons t h a t t h e s h e r i f f i s r e q u i r e d t o t ake t h e p r o p e r t y mentioned i n t h e compla in t i n t o h i s possession un- 1 ess.. . ' (emphasis added).

"You ask i n what amount should a c l e r k r e q u i r e a bond t o be posted i n o rde r t o be p r o t e c t e d under t h e s e c t i o n . You g i v e an example o f a w r i t o f s e i z u r e f i l e d f o r t h e recove ry o f a v e h i c l e , t h e va lue o f s a i d v e h i c l e be ing $4,500.

"As you note, t h e Code i s s i l e n t on t h e p a r t i c u l a r amount o f t h e bond, except t o s p e c i f y t h a t i t i s t o i n c l u d e such " cos t s and damages" as t h e defendant m igh t s u s t a i n by a wrong fu l compla in t . Because c o s t s and damages w i l l va r y f rom case t o case and a r e n o t always r e a d i l y a s c e r t a i n - ab le , i t would be imposs ib l e t o e s t a b l i s h a d e f i n i t e fo rmu la f o r assess ing t h e amount o f t h e bond i n every case. The amount would n a t u r a l l y have t o vary , depending upon t h e n a t u r e o f t h e p r o p e r t y i n v o l v e d and t h e sur round ing c i rcumstances o f each case.

"Perhaps t h e most s e n s i b l e r u l e o f thumb would be t o assess t h e bond a t t h e market v a l u e of t h e p rope r t y , i n t h i s case $4,500, and t o add t o t h a t amount an es- t i m a t i o n o f any apparent damages t h a t would n a t u r a l l y f l o w t o t h e defendant as a r e s u l t o f a judgment aga ins t t h e p l a i n - t i f f .

"Al thouah I have found no cases d i r e c t - l y address ing y o u r ques t i on , t h e o l d A la - bama cases o f Traweek v. Heard, 97 Ala. 715, 12 So. 166 (1892), and Johnson v . Montgomery F u r n i t u r e Co., 117 A la . 656, 23 So. 802 (1892), i n d i c a t e t h a t t h e

q u i r e pursuant t o Sec t i on 6-6-250, Code (Continued Dn Page 1 8 )

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ATTORNEY GENERAL OPINIONS (Continued From Page 2 7)

amount o f t he bond should i n c l u d e costs and damages. Therefore, i t i s my op in ion t h a t every c l e r k should use h i s judgment i n assessing the amount o f t h e bond, w i t h the most reasonable r u l e o f thumb being the market value o f t he property, p l u s any forseeable damages t h a t would accrue."

Boards O f Education

And Court Fees I n Juven i l e Court

I n an op in ion addressed t o James Sloan Jr . , t he a t to rney general has opined t h a t c i t y and county boards o f education a re n o t requ i red t o pre-pay docket fees o r witness subpoena fees i n j u v e n i l e c o u r t cases i n which they are the p e t i t i o n e r . The a t to rney general, c i t i n g t h e op in ion o f t h e Alabama Supreme Court i n t h e case o f S ta te ex r e l , McQueen v . Brandon, 244 Ala. 62, 12 So. 2d 319 (19431, r u l e d t h a t l o c a l boards o f education a r e s t a t e agen- c ies i n t h a t they are exe rc i s ing the sov- ere ign powers o f t he s t a t e and, as such, are exempt as o the r s t a t e agencies from the pre-payment o f docket fees and w i t - ness subpoena fees. (See a t to rney gen- e r a l ' s op in ion o f Dec. 21, 1979, repor ted i n court^ News, Vol 4, No. 1, January 1 9 8 T -

Income Tax--Judges ' Retirement Bene f i t s

I n an op in ion dated Feb. 27, 1981, the a t to rney general r u l ed t h a t r e t i r e d judges

( o r t h e i r spouses) are exerrrpt from the payment o f Alabama income taxes on, " r e - @ ti rement allowances, pensions and annui- t i e s o r op t i ona l allowances." Due t o the s i g n i f i c a n c e o f t h i s opin ion, p e r t i n e n t pa r t s of t h e op in ion a re p r i n t e d be1 ow:

"A request f o r an op in ion o f t h i s o f - f i c e poses the f o l l o w i n g quest ion: Do the prov is ions o f T i t l e 12, Code o f Ala- bama 1975, r e l a t i v e t o t h e bene f i t s t o - which judges a re e n t i t l e d , i n c l u d i n g r e - t i rement b e n e f i t s pursuant t o Sect ion 12-18-1 e t seq., supra, exempt r e t i r e d judges and j u s t i c e s from the payment of s t a t e income t a x upon t h e i r re t i remen t b e n e f i t s ?

"The app l i cab le p rov i s ions o f t h e s t a t - utes of t h i s s t a t e a r e found a t Sect ions 12-1-15, 12-18-2 and 36-27-28, Code o f Alabama 1975, which read i n p e r t i n e n t p a r t as f o l l ows : ( w i t h emphasis suppl ied)

" 'Sec t ion 12-1-15. (a ) Any j u s t i c e , judge, o f f i c e r , o f f i c i a l o r employee o f t he j u d i c i a l branch o f government, i n - c lud ing r e t i r e d j u s t i c e s , judges o r em- ~ l o v e e s , o the r than probate and municipal . - c o u r t judges and empioyees, s h a l l be en- t i t l e d t o any and a1 1 employee b e n e f i t s t o which o the r s t a t e employees, o f f i c e r s o r o f f i c i a l s on a c t i v e duty s ta tus are e n t i t l e d , i nc lud ing , bu t no t l i m i t e d o , qrouD h o s p i t a l , medical and su rg i ca l i n - surance, regard less o f whether such o f f i - cer , o f f i c i a l o r employee i s rece iv ing h i s compensation from g ran t funds o r otherwise.

" 'Sec t ion 12-18-2. (a ) The j u d i c i a l re t i remen t fund s h a l l be administered by the secre tary - t reasurer o f t he s t a t e em- p loyees' ret j rernent system under the sup- e r v i s i o n o f t he board o f c o n t r o l o f t he sa id s t a t e employees ' re t i remen t system, and sa id board o f c o n t r o l s h a l l be the t r u s t e e o f such fund and s h a l l handle such fund i n the same manner and pursuant t o the same r u l e s and regu la t i ons t h a t i t handles funds i n the s t a t e employees' r e - t i r emen t system.

" 'Sect ion 36-27-28. The r i g h t o f a person t o a pension, an annui ty , a r e - t i r emen t allowance o r t o the r e t u r n of con t r i bu t i ons , t he pension, annu i ty o r re t i remen t a1 lowance i t s e l t and any op- t i o n a l b e n e f i t o r any o the r r i g h t accrued o r accru ing t o any person under the pro-

(Continued On Page 29)

Cour t News Page 19

Alabama income t a x pursuant t o Sec t ion 1 40-18-19, Code o f Alabama 1975."

ALABAMA J UD I C I A L INQUIRY COMMISSION SYNOPSES OF ADVISORY OPINIONS Below a r e synopses Nos. X C V I I I through

C I issued i n t h e month o f March by t h e Alabama J u d i c i a l I n q u i r y Commission.

SIS XCVIII--May t h e members of a law f i r m w i t h wh.ich a p a r t - t i m e munic ipal judge, who i s a c t i v e l y engaged i n t he prac- t i c e o f law, i s associated, e t h i c a l l y serve as counsel i n cases i n s t a t e d i s t r i c t and

ATTORNEY GENERAL OPINIONS (Continued From Page 181

v i s i o n s o f t h i s a r t i c l e and t h e moneys i n t h e var ious funds c rea ted bv t h i s c h a ~ t e r a re hereby exempt from any i t a t e o r m i n i - _. c i p a l t a x and exempt from l e v y and sa le , qarnishment, attachment o r anv o the r Pro- cess whatsoever and s h a l l be i nass ignab le e xcept as i n t h i s a r t i c l e s p e c i f i c a l l y otherwise provided. '

"The p rov i s i ons o f T i t l e 12, supra quoted above ev ince the l e g i s l a t i v e i n - t e n t t h a t t h e p rov i s i ons of Chapter 18 are t o be read i n p a r i ma te r i a w i t h t h e p rov i s i ons o f t h e S ta te Employees' Re- t i r emen t System, Sec t ion 36-27-1 e t seq.

"The p rov i s i ons o f t h e S ta te Income Tax Law r e l a t i v e t o exemptions, Sec t ion 40-18-19(a) ( 2 ) a re a1 so p e r t i n e n t .

"As i s c l e a r f rom t h e under1 ined por- t i o n o f Sec t ion 12-18-2(a) supra t h e board o f c o n t r o l o f t h e Employees' Re- t i r emen t System. Under Sect ions 12-18-4 and 12-18-50 supra, r e t i r e m e n t o f judges and j u s t i c e s i s o r d i n a r i l y ' . . .on o rde r o f t h e board o f c o n t r o l of t h e j u d i c i a l r e t i r emen t fund.. . ' Sec t ion 40-18-19(a) (2 ) supra, prov ides exemption f rom income tax f o r 'Ret i rement al lowances, pensions and a n n u i t i e s o r o p t i o n a l al lowances approved by t h e board o f c o n t r o l o f t h e Employees' Ret irement System o f Alabama, which exempt

a t a t u s i s s e t o u t i n Sec t ion 36-27-28; . .. ' "Accord ingly i t i s t h e o p i n i o n o f t h i s

f f i c e t h a t r e t i r e m e n t al lowances, pen- s ions and a n n u i t i e s o r o p t i o n a l al lowances pa id t o r e t i r e d members o f t h e s t a t e j u d i - c i a r y ( o r t h e i r spouses) a r e exempt from

c i r c u i t c o u r t s where such cases do n o t i n any way i n v o l v e t h e munic ipal cou r t s? The cases i n ques t ion a r e i n v e s t i g a t e d and presented by t h e pol i c e department o f t he munic ipal i t y . OPINION--The Canons do n o t p r o h i b i t a p a r t - t ime munic ipal c o u r t judge f rom se rv ing as counsel i n proceedings be fo re t h e s t a t e d i s t r i c t and c i r c u i t c o u r t s even though the proceedings i n v o l v e mat te rs i n v e s t i - gated and presented by mun ic ipa l po l i c e o f f i c e r s . Such proceedings must however i n no way i n v o l v e ma t te rs p r e v i o u s l y presented be fore t h e p a r t - t i m e mun ic ipa l c o u r t judge.

SYNOPSIS XCIX--Should c r i m i n a l d i v i s i o n c i r c u i t .iudqes d i squa l i f . y themselves from s i t t i n g ;n a c r i m i n a l where t h e defendant i s charged w i t h t he c a p i t a l murder o f t h e son o f a personal acqua in t - ance of t h e judges, and should they d i s - q u a l i f y themselves f rom s i t t i n g i n o t h e r c r i m i n a l proceedings aga ins t t h a t same defendant? OPINION--Under t h e s p e c i f i c circumstances, Canon 3C mandates t h a t t h e c r i m i n a l d i v i - s i o n c i r c u i t judges should d i s q u a l i f y them selves f rom s i t t i n g i n t h e c a p i t a l murder proceeding r e f e r r e d t o and from s i t t i n g i n any o t h e r c r i m i n a l proceedings c u r r e n t l y pending aga ins t t h a t same defendant.

SYNOPSIS C--Is a pa r t - t ime munic ipal c o u r t judqe r e q u i r e d t o f i l e a statement o f eco- nomic i n t e r e s t and/or a d i s c l o s u r e s t a t e - ment o f f i n a n c i a l i n t e r e s t s ? OPINION--No. A pa r t - t ime ~ r ~ u n i c i p a l c o u r t judge i s exempted from compliance w i t h Canon 6C. For f u r t h e r i n f o r m a t i o n con tac t

(continued On Page 201

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ALABAMA JUDICIAL INQUIRY COMMISSION SYNOPSES OF ADVISORY OPINIONS

(Continued From Page 2 9 )

t he Alabama E th i cs Commission.

SYNOPSIS CI--Must a judge d i s q u a l i f y him- - s e l f from a1 1 o r any c r i m i n a l prosecu- t i o n s w i t h i n t h e j u d i c i a l c i r c u i t , r e - gard less o f whether o r n o t t h e a s s i s t a n t d i s t r i c t a t t o rney p a r t i c i p a t e s i n any de- gree i n t h e i n v e s t i g a t i o n and/or t r i a l o f t h e c r i m i n a l case? (The judge's b ro the r i s a member o f a law f i r m , t he sen ior member o f which i s an appointed pa r t - t ime as- s i s t a n t d i s t r i c t a t to rney . ) OPINION--Under Canon 3C, and pursuant t o prev ious opin ions, i n t h e circumstances you descr ibe d i squal i f i c a t i o n i s requ i red o n l y where the sen ior member o f t h e judge's b r o t h e r ' s law f i r m a c t u a l l y par- t i c i p a t e d as a s s i s t a n t d i s t r i c t a t t o rney i n t h e t r i a l o r t h e p repa ra t i on o f t h e case and i t i s known t o t h e judge t h a t t h e sen ior pa r tne r so p a r t i c i p a t e d .

SUPREME COURT CLERK OPINIONS The Legal D i v i s i o n o f t h e Adminis t ra-

t i v e O f f i c e o f Courts has developed the 1 i s t presented be1 ow f rom opin ions r e - leased by J .O. Sen te l l , c l e r k of t h e Su- preme Court. This l i s t d i s t i n g u i s h e s between those f i l i n g s which do and do n o t r e q u i r e a docket f e e pursuant t o Rule 7, A1 abama Rules o f J u d i c i a l Admin is t ra t ion .

The notion, p e t i t i o n o r f i l i n g i s l i s t - ed fo l lowed by t h e r u l e number o r - Code

I s e c t i o n ( i f app l i cab le ) , c l e r k ' s o ~ l n i o n nurr~ber and the date. .

A . Motions, p e t i t i o n s and o the r f i l i n a s defined as o r i g i n a l f i l i n g s f o r docket" fee purposes: 1. Modify f i n a l decree; --; 1 and 3; 4/26/77 and 5/4/77. 2. P e t i t i o n f o r r u l e n i s i i n contempt proceeding*; --; 3, 17, 21 and 25; 5/4/77, 10/3/78, 9/27/79 and 3/12/80. 3. Workman's compensation settlements**; Sect ion 25-5-56; 11; 3/10/78. 4. P e t i t i o n f o r w r i t s of e r r o r coram nobis; --; 14; 8/11/78. 5. Motion t o perpetuate test imony; Rule - -

27(a) A.R.c.P.; 19; 8/20/79. 6. A f f i d a v i t under a c t i o n f o r possession wrongful l y w i thhe ld (Sanderson Ac t ) ; Sect ion 35-9-80; 24; 3/12/80. 7. Rule n i s i (contempt) f o r f a i l u r e t o answer i n t e r r o g a t o r i e s ; Rule 33, A.R.C.P.; 28; 8/1/80. 8. Award i n a r b i t r a t i o n where no a c t i o n i s pending; Sect ion 6-6-15; 33; 3/4/81.

6. Motions, p e t i t i o n s and o the r f i l i n g s which a r e n o t o r i g i n a l f i l i n g s f o r docket1 '@ fee purposes : 1. Motion t o a l t e r , amend o r vacate judgment; Rule 59(E) A.R.C.P.; 1; 4/26/77. 2. T h i r d p a r t y compla int (unless severed under Rule 21, A.R.C.P.); Rule 14, A.R.C.P.; 3; 5/4/77. 3. Motion f o r r e l i e f from judgment f o r mistake, inadvertence, newly discovered evidence, etc . ; Rule 60(b) A.R.C.P.; 12; 8/8/78. 4. Post judgment d iscovery; Rule 69 A.R.C.P.; 23; 3/10/80. 5. M o d i f i c a t i o n o f f i n a l decree (signed by judge b u t n o t submitted on a p e t i t i o n ) ; - - ; 30; 10/20/80. 6. Taking o f depos i t i on f o r use i n c i v i l proceeding i n another s ta te ; Rule 28; 31; 10/21/80. 7. P e t i t i o n f o r r e l i e f i n t h e course o f a pending admin i s t ra t i on ; --; 32; 11/21/80.

* Opinions Nos. 17, 21 and 25 f u r t h e r de- f i n e d t h e docket f e e c o l l e c t i o n i n contempt proceedings by p rov id ing t h a t t h e docket f ee should be pa id (1) regardless o f whether t h e p e t i t i o n i s f i l e d p r i o r t o o r a f t e r t h e f i n a l decree i n t h e main cause, (2) a t t h e t ime t h e contempt o rde r


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SUPREME COURT CLERK OPINIONS (Continued From Page 20)

and suppo r t i ng p e t i t i o n i s f i l e d w i t h t h e c l e r k o r r e g i s t e r if t h e a t t o r n e y f i l e s t h e p e t i t i o n w i t h t h e judge, i n i t i a l l y and (3 ) t h a t a r u l e n i s i and a p e t i t i o n t o mod i f y must be f i l e d sepa ra te l y , thus r e s u l t i n g i n t h e payment o f two separate ocke t fees. *Note, t h i s o p i n i o n a l s o p rov ides c l a r i -

f i c a t i o n o f s e c t i o n 25-5-56 and ho lds t h a t t h e c i r c u i t c o u r t docket fee i n these p ro - ceedings i s $33 pursuant t o an o p i n i o n o f t h e a t t o r n e y general dated May 5, 1977.

NOTES FROM THE APPELLATE BENCH The f o l l o w i n g i ssues were argued b e f o r e

t h e Alabama Supreme Cour t i n March and de- c i s i o n s on these i ssues w i l l p robab ly be made by t h e Cour t w i t h i n t h e n e x t 90 t o 180 days.

CAPITAL PUNISHhlENT--Does Beck v. A1 abama mandate a new t r i a l i n a case where t h e defendant pleaded g u i 1 t y ? (R i t t e r v . S ta te , 77-798)

TAXATION OF BOXING AND WRESTLING--Is t a x imposed on box ing and w r e s t l i n g by Sec- t i o n s 41-9-90 th rough -126 u n c o n s t i t u t i o n - a l ? T r i a l c o u r t decided t h e t a x was un- c o n s t i t u t i o n a l (Eagerton v. Gul as Wrest-

I)i ng ~ n t e r p r i s&, 80-271)

UTILITY RATE CASE--General Telephone Co. c l a ims t h a t APSC o r d e r c o n f i s c a t e s i t s p r o p e r t y i n t h a t i t i s n o t p e r m i t t e d t o

earn a r a t e o f r e t u r n on investment com- parab le t o o t h e r business e n t e r p r i s e s . (General Telephone, 79-865)

BLASTING--STRICT LIABILITY--Proper ty own- e r s who l i v e near area development asks Supreme Cour t t o adopt r u l e o f s t r i c t l i a - b i l i t y i n b l a s t i n g cases. (Henry Ford v . A1 abama By-Products, 79-930)

DISTRICT COLIRT JLIRISDICTICIN--Can a p l a i n - t i f f who f i l e s a compla in t f o r $5,000 damages i n t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t amend t h a t com- p l a i n t on appeal t o t h e c i r c u i t c o u r t t o c l a i m damages i n excess o f $5,000? (Harper v. Regency Development Co. , 80-19)

JURY ARGUMENTS--When an a t t o r n e y d u r i n g o r a l argument t o t h e j u r y makes what t h e o t h e r s i d e cons ide rs an i n c o r r e c t s t a t e - ment o f t h e law, how should t h e p o i n t be r a i s e d and preserved f o r rev iew? (Wagner, 79-684)

ACCIDENTAL DEATH--SUMMARY JUDGMENT--1nsur- ed found i n f o r k o f a smal l t r e e i n h i s backyard. Death c e r t i f i c a t e l i s t e d cause o f dea th as "acu te e thano l i sm w i t h f a t t y change and c i r r h o s i s o f t h e l i v e r . " Was t h e r e a s c i n t i l l a o f evidence t h a t dea th was "acc iden ta l ? " (Orton, 79-872)

OIL AND GAS SEVERANCE TAX--Did Ac t 434, 1979 Session, which amended Sec t ion 40-20- 2, become a l o c a l law because o f language i n t h e b i l l t h a t " s a i d a d d i t i o n a l i nc rease s h a l l be 1 i m i t e d t o those o i l and gas w e l l s f rom between 15,000 and 15,800 f e e t i n t h e "Smackover Format ion?" (Eagerton, 79-823)

INSURANCE COVERAGE--ALLEGED SLANDER OF EM- PLOYEE BY EMPLOYER--Did insurance p o l i c y exc lude coverage o f a l l e g e d s l ande r o f employee by employer because t h e a l l e g e d s l ande r was " d i r e c t l y o r i n d i r e c t l y r e l a t - ed t o t h e empl oyment . . . " (But1 e r , 79-713)

PENSION PLAN COVERAGE--FRAUD--Did un ion a g e n t ' s r e p r e s e n t a t i o n concern ing pens ion b e n e f i t s c o n s t i t u t e " f raud , " and, i f so, when was t h e " f r a u d " d iscovered f o r s t a t - u t e o f 1 i m i t a t i o n s purposes? ( R e t a i l , Who1 esa l e and Department S t o r e Employees Union. 79-935)

WILLS--Was f r a u d exe rc i sed upon p roba te (Continued On Page 22)

Court News Page 22

Clerks are urged t o ensure t h a t defen- THE APPELLATE BENCH dants are served w i t h a copy o f t h e gar- (Continued From Page 2 2 ) nishee's answer. The forms committee has

rev ised the qarn i s heels answer, Form C-22, c o u r t and, if so, what i s procedure t o t o i nc lude a-copy f o r t h e defendant. his have the probate c o u r t o rder s e t as ide? rev ised form i s now a v a i l a b l e f o r purchase (La rk i n, 80-25) through regul a r purchasing procedures.

PRODUCTS LIABILITY--DUTY OF MANUFACTURER TO INSTALL SAFETY EQUIPMENT--Manufacturer o f huge ea r th moving equipment claims t h a t i t i s e n t i t l e d t o a d i r e c t e d v e r d i c t because "Rol l Over P ro tec t i on S t ruc tu re " was opt iona l equipment, t he re was no mar- k e t o r demand f o r ROPS a t t ime machine so ld and machine reasonably safe f o r t h e use contemplated. (Caterp i 1 l a r , 79-419)

UNCLAIMED PROPERTY--RIGHT OF STATE TO HOLD--Insurance company which issued "drop d r a f t s " t o c la imants contends t h a t t h e d r a f t s , by t h e i r terms, vo id a f t e r s i x months, a re n o t sub jec t t o the Ala- bama Uniform D i s p o s i t i o n o f Unclaimed Property Act (Sect ion 35-12-20) e t seq. even though the d r a f t s a r e n o t presented f o r payment. ( A l l s t a t e Ins . Co., 79-879)

AMENDMENT OF GENERAL BILL WITH LOCAL APPLICATION--Can a pre-Pedd c o a r t GBLA be amended by a l o c a l b h y ad- ve r t i sed? What e f f e c t does t h e c o n s t i - t u t i o n a l amendment proposed by Acts 1980, No. 80-424, adopted by vo te rs on Nov. 4, 1980, have on t h e quest ion? (Conrad Freeman, 80-55)

MUST B E SERVED ON DEFENDANT

I n t h e recent case o f T inn in v. T innin, 391 So. 2d 1047 (Civ. Ppp. 1980), t h e Ala- bama Court o f C i v i l Appeals reversed a r u l i n g o f t he Mobi le County c i r c u i t c o u r t denying a motion by a defendant t o vacate a judgment i n a garnishment proceeding where the defendant had n o t received no- t i c e o f the aarnishee's answer. C i t i n g Sect ion 6-6-i50, Code o f Alabama 1975,- as c o n t r o l l i n g , t h e c o u r t i n t h i s op in ion s ta ted t h a t the n o t i c e requirements o f t h i s sec t i on must be met.

LYNWOOD S M I T H NAMED

MADISON D I S T R I C T JUDGE

H u n t s v i l l e a t to rney Lynwood Smith has been named t o a d i s - t r i c t judgeship i n Madison Co- unty, Smith was appointed on A p r i l 3 t o f i l l a vacancy c rea t - ed by t h e recent res igna t ion o f Judge Dan McCoy. Smith 's was one of t h ree names recommended t o t h e governor f o r the,appoint- ment by t h e Madison counTy Jud- i c i a l Nominating Commission.

McCoy resigned h i s posi ti on Feb. 28.

7

C I R C U I T JUDGES SECRETARIES HOLD I MID-WINTER M E E T I N G I N B IRMINGHAM

I I The Alabama Assoc ia t ion o f C i r c u i t

Judges Secre tar ies he ld i t s mid-winter meeting Feb. 11 and 12 i n Birmingham.

Janis Davidson, a c e r t i f i e d l e g a l as- s i s t a n t w i t h Lang, Simpson, Robinson and Somervi l le addressed t h e group on o f f i c e management p rac t i ces . Pat Seymour, sen ior ed i t o r - w r i t e r w i t h t h e Department o f Univ- e r s i t y Re la t ions a t t h e U n i v e r s i t y of Alabama, was t h e luncheon speaker. She t a l k e d about Woman's Role i n Adver t is ing .

D i c t a t i o n Equipment, Royal, IBM and Lanier Business Products companies gave an equipment show and demonstration t o t h e assoc ia t ion .

The Assoc ia t ion o f C i r c u i t Judges Sec- r e t a r i e s along w i t h t h e Associat ion o f D i s t r i c t Judges Secre tar ies w i l l ho ld

e t h e i r annual conference i n Gun te rsv i l l e J u l y 16 and 17.

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EDIT-9RIAL The Only Answer

We attended Circuit Court proceedings last week and were very impressed with Judge Wallace's performance in handling cases before him. Judge Wallace had only one case to be tried before a jury and this usually means that the District Attorney's office and attorneys for defendants have made a deal. But apparently thls was not the case In the court last week.

Even though most d those charged wanted to enter guilty pleas. Judge Wallace advised them that he did not favor probation a+ U any defendant had

been led to believe he would get probation by pleading guilty, that he could remove that from his mind.

Even though Judge Wallace is a fair judge and will grant probation under certain conditions. we commend him on his stern approach to making criminals pay for their crimes.

District At tmny Sam LeMaistre campaigned that he would prosecute criminals and this has apparently been fulfilled. No one can keep a person from pleading guilty, but if he does not so desire, LeMaistre admits that he is ready

and willing In have a trlal. Thr Hc,rald \rrould like to cunlmmd

Judge Wallace and the DA's olllct. for toking rlraslic action against those wl~o causc- law-ah~ding citizens to suffer and to rem;~in In fear. It is time thal criminals are no longer treatrrl as first-class cilize~ls. They lost Illat privilrge when they broke into a home, or a business, stole something or cotnmiled any criminal act. The slapon.tlie wrist approach has lailed for years and we are happy to see our judiciary system awake to a new approach. It is the only answer

This Cllp From UNION SPRINGS HERALD

Dr. David Mathews, the former president of the University of Alabama speaking last week at his old campus, may very well have isolated a major problem area of our times whcn he observed the importance of what he called "civic literacy" in the functioning of our society.

That rate, unfortunately, is disturbingly low. Poll after poll has shown that large numbers of citizeils are ignorant of such basic information as thc form of their government, the names of those who hold office and the effect and interplay of government in their daily lives. .

Yet, our government is, so structured that each citizen, whether informed or ignoranl, has an equal voice - through t k instrument of the vote - in the conduct of government. This concept has given the United States the most representative government ever to exist in history; yet Mathews' observation raises the question of just what, exactly, does the government represent.

In our system, the government in the final analysis can only reflect its public. If the public is ill-informed on the issues facing society, the government is^ left to founder, directionless, on the shoals of ignorance and indi'fference.

The answer rests, of ccilrse, in an educate6 pubiic - educrct- ed not only in the forms of government, but in its substance, through an understanding of the range of issues and policy decisions facing the nation as a whole. As Dr. Mathews noted, these concerns broaden beyond the confines of political science per se to embrace such diverse areas as wage and price controls, Social Security benefits, the biological revolution in genetic engineering and the financial revolution's effects on the whole tjf

society.

The task is not an easy one, as the contiiiuing controversies in the field of education illustrate. But, for the Jeifersonian concept of representative democracy to have true validity. the goal oi an informed citizenry must be pursued with a11 the T ~ I S Clip From resources available. B I R M I N G H A M NEWS

Court News Page .= A N - W E W I S

-LETTER Of THE A W U U U D l C U L WSfEM

COURT NEWS, Volume 5, Number 4 , news1 e t t e r o f t h e Alabama J u d i c i a l System, i s publ ished nlonthly as an in fo rmat iona l and educat ional serv- i c e t o s t a t e j u d i c i a l o f f i c i a l s and personnel. I n q u i r i e s should be addressed t o Admin i s t ra t i ve O f f i c e b f Courts, 817 South Court S t ree t , Montgomery, AL 36130. Telephone: (205) 834-7990 o r 1-800-392-8077.

Robert Mar t i n D i r e c t o r o f Admin i s t ra t i ve Services and E d i t o r

Karan Sexton Sims Ass i s tan t E d i t o r

8TATE OF ALABAMA ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE OF COURTS 817 South Court Stroot Montgormy, A1rb.m 361 30

C.C. TORBERT, JR. Alabama Ch ie f J l l s t i c e ALLEN L. TAPLEY Admin i s t ra t i ve D i r e c t o r o f Courts JOHN DAVID SNODGRASS, President Assoc ia t ion o f C i r c u i t Judses - JOHN KARRH, President Assoc ia t ion o f D i s t r i c t Judges JERRY BATTS, President Assoc ia t ion o f Munic ipal Judges DAVID ENSLEN, President Assoc ia t ion o f Juven i l e Court Judges 4

JOYCE MARTIN, Pres ident . Assoc ia t ion o f Clerks and Registers DAVID MILLER, Pres ident Shorthand Reporters Assoc ia t ion CHRIST1 PATTON, President C i r c u i t Judges' Secre tar ies Associat ion JACKIE HEARTSILL, President D i s t r i c t ~ u d g e s " Secre tar ies Associat ion

MI U T E

U.S. m T M t

- PAID - 110nWMClV. A 1

Address Cor rec t ion Requested

NEWSLETTER OF THE ALABAMA JUDICIAL SYSTEM News/April-1981.pdfNEWSLETTER OF THE ALABAMA JUDICIAL SYSTEM Volume 5/Number 4 April , 1981 JURY STANDARDS TASK FORCE HODS MEETING IN ALABAMA

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