Case Title: Ex Parte Ted's Game Enterprises

Citation: 893 So. 2d 376

Docket Number: 1021125

State: alabama

Court: Alabama Supreme Court

Date: 2004-05-28T00:00:00Z

Document:
893 So. 2d 376 (2004)
Ex parte TED'S GAME ENTERPRISES.
(In re State of Alabama ex rel. John M. Tyson, Jr., District Attorney
v.
Ted's Game Enterprises et al.)
1021125.

Supreme Court of Alabama.
May 28, 2004.
*377 John M. Bolton III of Sasser, Littleton & Stidham, P.C., Montgomery, for petitioner.
William H. Pryor, Jr., atty. gen.; Nathan A. Forrester, deputy atty. gen.; and Michael B. Billinglsey and Yvonne A.H. Saxon, asst. attys. gen.; and John M. Tyson, Jr., district atty., and Martha Tierney, asst. district atty., Mobile County, for respondent.
BROWN, Justice.[1]
We granted the petition for a writ of certiorari filed by Ted's Game Enterprises ("Ted's") to address two issues.[2] The first issue is whether Ala. Const.1901, Art. IV, § 65, prohibits the Legislature from authorizing or legalizing coin-operated amusement machines as to which "some skill" influences "in whole or in part" the result obtained by the operation of the machines. The second issue is whether Ala.Code 1975, § 13A-12-76, may, without contravening Ala. Const.1901, Art. IV, § 65, be applied so as to legalize games or activities in which skill does not predominate over chance in determining the outcome. In addressing these issues, this Court must decide whether Art. IV, § 65, which prohibits lotteries, means what it says.
Ted's maintains that the plain language of Ala. Const.1901, Art. IV, § 65, and prior caselaw allow the Legislature to promulgate laws authorizing and regulating gambling devices in which chance predominates over skill in determining the outcome.[3] We disagree.
Article IV, § 65, provides:
In Opinion of the Justices No. 373, 795 So. 2d 630, 634-35 (Ala.2001), the Chief Justice and three Associate Justices of this Court summarized the historical definitions of the term "lottery" in Alabama law:
795 So. 2d  at 634-35 (emphasis added; footnote omitted). Discussing the "English Rule" and the "American Rule" concerning the role of chance in defining a lottery, the advisory opinion continued:
*380 Opinion of the Justices No. 373, 795 So. 2d  at 635-36 (footnote omitted).
The advisory opinion then discussed, in light of the historical definitions of the terms "lotteries" and "gift enterprises," the broad limitations placed on the Legislature's power to authorize such schemes:
Opinion of the Justices No. 373, 795 So. 2d  at 640.
The advisory opinion then concluded:
Opinion of the Justices No. 373, 795 So. 2d  at 641.
Accordingly, we hold that Article IV, § 65, means what it says, and prohibits the Legislature from authorizing "lotteries or gift enterprises" that involve games or devices in which chance predominates the outcome of the game, even if "some skill" is involved.
Ted's maintains that coin-operated amusement machines are protected from the criminal gambling statutes of Ala.Code 1975, §§ 13A-12-20 through 13A-12-75, *381 by Ala.Code 1975, § 13A-12-76, commonly referred to as the "Chuck E. Cheese Law." Specifically, Ted's argues that § 13A-12-76 exempts certain "bona fide coin-operated amusement machines" from the criminal gambling statutes. The phrase "bona fide coin-operated amusement machines" is defined, in part, as "every machine of any kind or character used by the public to provide amusement or entertainment ... the result of whose operation depends in whole or in part upon the skill of the player...." (emphasis added). Thus, Ted's argues that as long as coin-operated amusement machines involve "some skill" in their operation, they meet this qualification under § 13A-12-76.
As noted above, Art. IV, § 65, forbids the Legislature from enacting a statute authorizing a lottery. Thus, we hold that § 13A-12-76 may not, without contravening Art. IV, § 65, of the Alabama Constitution, be applied so as to legalize games or activities in which skill does not predominate over chance in determining the outcome.
The judgment of the Court of Civil Appeals is affirmed.
AFFIRMED.
HOUSTON, SEE, LYONS, HARWOOD, WOODALL, and STUART, JJ., concur.
JOHNSTONE, J., dissents.
JOHNSTONE, Justice (dissenting).
We granted the petition for a writ of certiorari filed by Ted's Game Enterprises to address two issues. The first is whether the Court of Civil Appeals erred in holding that "§ 13A-12-76[, Ala.Code 1975,] may not, without contravening [Art. IV,] § 65 of the Alabama Constitution [of 1901], be applied so as to legalize games or activities in which skill does not ... predominate over chance in determining the outcome." The second is whether Art. IV, § 65 prohibits the Legislature from authorizing or legalizing coin-operated amusement machines which allow "some skill" "in whole or in part" to influence the operation of the machines to yield prizes of no more than 25 free replays or of merchandise worth no more than five dollars wholesale, as provided by § 13A-12-76, Ala.Code 1975.
Alabama precedent, as this dissent will demonstrate, requires that we answer the first question in the affirmative and the second in the negative and that we accordingly reverse the judgment of the Court of Civil Appeals. While the opinion of four Justices of this Court in Opinion of the Justices No. 373, 795 So. 2d 630 (Ala.2001), supports the opposite conclusions, opinions of the Justices are not binding precedent, South Central Bell Telephone Co. v. State, 789 So. 2d 133, 145 (Ala.1999), and certainly the opinion of a minority of this Court is not binding precedent, Rule 16(b), Ala. R.App. P. Likewise, the cases from other states cited by the four Justices in Opinion of the Justices No. 373 are, of course, not binding precedent in this state. See Walls v. Alpharma USPD, Inc., 887 So. 2d 881 (Ala.2004).
In September 1998, the State of Alabama, through District Attorney John M. Tyson, Jr., sued to condemn and to forfeit 20 video-game machines, some currency, and certain documents seized by the State from nine convenience stores in Mobile County. The State alleged that the video-game machines were" `slot machines and video gambling devices, paraphernalia, currency and records'" which were subject to forfeiture under § 13A-12-30, Ala.Code 1975. State ex rel. Tyson v. Ted's Game Enters., 893 So. 2d 355, 358 (Ala.Civ.App.2002). The State dismissed its forfeiture *382 claims against 12 of the 20 video-game machines and returned them to their owner Ted's Game Enterprises. The eight remaining video-game machines seized by the State were also owned by Ted's. The State amended its complaint to seek, in addition to the forfeiture of the eight remaining video-game machines, a declaratory judgment to the effect that the video-game machines were illegal slot machines and gambling devices, not "bona fide coin-operated amusement machines" protected by § 13A-12-76, Ala.Code 1975.
In a subsequent amendment to its complaint, the State also asked the trial court to declare "the constitutionality of § 13A-12-76 in relation to Alabama Constitution 1901, Art. IV, § 65." Ted's Game Enters., 893 So. 2d  at 359. After a bench trial, the trial court held:
The trial court refused to address whether § 13A-12-76 violates Art. IV, § 65 of the Constitution. In a "motion to reconsider," the State brought to the attention of the *383 trial court that the State had, in its second amended complaint, challenged the constitutionality of § 13A-12-76  and had served that complaint on the attorney general.
Thereafter, the trial court entered an order addressing the constitutionality of § 13A-12-76. The trial court stated that, because it had "found as a matter of fact that some skill was involved in the operation of the [video-game] machines in question," "the operation of the [video-game] machines does not constitute a lottery and the `Chuck E. Cheese Law' is not unconstitutional for that reason."
On that same day, the State moved for a new trial, which the trial court denied. The State appealed.
On appeal to the Court of Civil Appeals, the State contended that the eight video-game machines owned by Ted's were illegal "slot machines" under § 13A-12-20(10), not "bona fide coin-operated amusement machines" under § 13A-12-76(e)(1). The State further contended that § 13A-12-76, as applied by the trial court, violated Art. IV, § 65 of the Constitution. The Court of Civil Appeals wrote:
Ted's Game Enterprises, 893 So. 2d  at 366 (footnote omitted). The Court of Civil Appeals then
Ted's Game Enterprises, 893 So. 2d  at 376 (footnote omitted).
I will first demonstrate that § 13A-12-76 does, by its terms and effect, legalize bona fide coin-operated amusement machines which allow "some skill" "in whole or in part" to influence the operation of the machines to yield prizes of no more than 25 free replays or of merchandise worth no more than five dollars wholesale. Next, I will explain why that legalization does not violate the prohibition against lotteries and gift enterprises in Art. IV, § 65, Alabama Constitution of 1901.
IMED Corp. v. Systems Eng'g Assocs. Corp., 602 So. 2d 344, 346 (Ala.1992). "Courts will attempt to give meaning to a legislative enactment and it is presumed that the Legislature did not do a vain and useless thing." Alidor v. Mobile County Comm'n, 291 Ala. 552, 558, 284 So. 2d 257, 261 (1973). "Sections of the Code dealing *385 with the same subject matter are in pari materia. As a general rule, such statutes should be construed together to ascertain the meaning and intent of each." Locke v. Wheat, 350 So. 2d 451, 453 (Ala.1977) (citations omitted).
Ex parte Jones Mfg. Co., 589 So. 2d 208, 211 (Ala.1991).
The statutes to be applied are § 13A-12-20, § 13A-12-22, § 13A-12-27, § 13A-12-29, §§ 13A-12-70 through -75, and § 13A-12-76, Ala.Code 1975. Section 13A-12-20, in pertinent part, contains these definitions:
Section 13A-12-22 provides:
Section 13A-12-27 provides:
Section 13A-12-29 provides:
Sections 13A-12-70 through -75 address these respective subjects: seizure of vehicles transporting lottery paraphernalia, procedure for condemnation and forfeiture of vehicles transporting lottery paraphernalia, rights of mortgagee to condemned vehicles, sale of forfeited vehicles, disposition of proceeds from sale of forfeited vehicles, and exception of vehicles transporting paraphernalia for a numbers game or a policy game. Section 13A-12-76 provides, in pertinent part:
The meaning of § 13A-12-76 insofar as it addresses the requisite skill of a player of a bona fide coin-operated amusement machine is plain and unambiguous. The express and plain language of § 13A-12-76 requires that the machine allow "some skill" "in whole or in part" to influence the operation of the machines to yield prizes. The decision of the Court of Civil Appeals, in effect, rewrites and increases the skill requirement as though the statute were to require that skill "destroy the existence or effect of ... chance," Ted's Game Enters., 893 So. 2d  at 372 (internal quotation marks omitted). This gratuitous rewriting of § 13A-12-76 by the Court of Civil Appeals violates Art. III, § 43, Alabama Constitution of 1901, which prohibits the courts from exercising legislative powers.
The State next argues, in effect, that subsection (e)(2)j. of § 13A-12-76 nullifies § 13A-12-76 in its entirety. Section 13A-12-76(e)(2)j. excludes from the protection of § 13A-12-76 "[m]achines which are not legally permitted to be operated in Alabama." The Legislature has not defined "[m]achines which are not legally permitted to be operated in Alabama." The most likely and reasonable meaning of the term "machines which are not legally permitted to be operated in Alabama," is "gambling device[s]" as defined by § 13A-12-20(5) and as prohibited by § 13A-12-27. Sections 13A-12-20(5) and 13A-12-27 read together constitute a general statute prohibiting gambling devices. Section 13A-12-76 is a specific statute legalizing bona fide coin-operated amusement machines as defined. Therefore, § 13A-12-76 "is regarded as an exception to, and will prevail over" the general prohibition against gambling devices, Ex parte Jones Mfg. Co., 589 So. 2d  at 211. A contrary holding would, contrary to Alidor, supra, mean that the Legislature "did a vain and useless thing" by specifically defining and legalizing bona fide coin-operated amusement machines in § 13A-12-76.
Likewise, the State argues, in effect, that § 13A-12-76(e)(2)k., which excludes slot machines from the protection of § 13A-12-76, nullifies the whole section. "Slot machine" is expansively defined by § 13A-12-20(10), and slot machines are outlawed by § 13A-12-27, just like other gambling devices. Thus my analysis of this contention by the State is essentially the same as my analysis of the argument the State advances about § 13A-12-76(e)(2)j.
*388 Therefore, § 13A-12-76(a) and (e)(1) mean what they say. They legalize coin-operated amusement machines which allow "some skill" "in whole or in part" to influence the operation of the machines to yield prizes of no more than 25 free replays or of merchandise worth no more than five dollars wholesale.
I will next explain why the statute legalizing such machines does not violate Art. IV, § 65, which provides:
Some legal history of this provision of the current Constitution is instructive.
In 1873, in Chavannah v. State, 49 Ala. 396 (1873), this Court construed the term lottery in a criminal statute prohibiting the operation of lotteries not authorized by law. In Chavannah, the defendant-appellant had been convicted of violating the statute by operating a game dependent on a wheel similar to a roulette wheel. The Chavannah Court stated:
49 Ala. at 398 (emphasis added). Because the game depended wholly on chance and not on "any skill," the Court held that the game constituted a lottery. Thus the Court affirmed the defendant's conviction for operating a lottery not authorized by law.
Thereafter, the Constitution of 1875 was adopted. It included Art. IV, § 26, the predecessor to Art. IV, § 65 of the current Constitution. Art. IV, § 26, of the 1875 Constitution read:
This section was the first constitutional prohibition against lotteries or gift enterprises in Alabama. This section of the 1875 Constitution implicitly adopted the Chavannah construction of the term lottery. Hall v. Blan, 227 Ala. 64, 148 So. 601 (1933).
Thereafter, in 1897, Loiseau v. State, 114 Ala. 34, 22 So. 138 (1897), interpreted Art IV., § 26 of the 1875 Constitution. In Loiseau, the defendant-appellant had been convicted of operating "a lottery ... to-wit, a slot machine." 114 Ala. at 36, 22 So.  at 138. In affirming the defendant's conviction, the Loiseau Court adopted the Chavannah construction of the term lottery. The Loiseau Court stated and held:
114 Ala. at 38, 22 So.  at 139 (emphasis added). In Loiseau as in Chavannah, the critical defining characteristic of a lottery is that "skill can[not] exert any effect." (Emphasis added.)
Thereafter, the Constitution of 1901 was adopted, with Art. IV, § 65 as the readoption of Art. IV, § 26. "By the readoption of [a] clause [in the Constitution of 1875] the construction placed upon the Constitution of 1875, became thereby adopted by the constitutional convention of 1901." General Motors Acceptance Corp. v. Home Loan & Fin. Co., 218 Ala. 681, 683, 120 So. 165, 166 (1928). Accord Ex parte Gauntt, 677 So. 2d 204, 212 n. 5 (Ala.1996); White v. White, 230 Ala. 641, 649, 162 So. 368 (1935); and Ex parte Western Union Tel. Co., 200 Ala. 496, 76 So. 438 (1917).
Chavannah and Loiseau, supra, require that a game, scheme, or device depend wholly and solely on chance or lot rather than some skill in order to constitute a lottery. To the same effect are Opinion of the Justices No. 83, 249 Ala. 516, 31 So. 2d 753 (1947) (Lawson, Simpson, and Livingston, JJ., issuing separate opinions), Minges v. City of Birmingham, 251 Ala. 65, 36 So. 2d 93 (1948), and Opinion of the Justices No. 358, 692 So. 2d 107 (Ala.1997). By readopting Art. IV, § 26, Alabama Constitution of 1875, without material change as Art. IV, § 65, Alabama Constitution of 1901, the constitutional convention of 1901 adopted as part of that section our prior construction of the term "lottery" as a game, scheme, or device wholly and solely dependant on chance or lot rather than some skill. Ex parte Gauntt, White, General Motors Acceptance Corp., and Ex parte Western Union Telegraph Co., supra. See Opinion of the Justices No. 83 (Lawson, Simpson, and Livingston, JJ., issuing separate opinions), Minges, and Opinion of the Justices No. 358. To the extent that Opinion of the Justice No. 373, 795 So. 2d  at 641 (quoting 38 C.J. Lotteries § 5 (1925)), four Justices concurring, opines that a lottery "`includes those schemes wherein chance is the dominant factor in determining the result, although it may be affected to some degree by the exercise of skill or judgment,'" that opinion is inconsistent with the definition of a lottery expressed in Loiseau and Chavannah, supra, adopted as part of the construction of Art. IV, § 65, and followed in Minges, Opinion of the Justices No. 83 (Lawson, Simpson, and Livingston, JJ., issuing separate opinions), and Opinion of the Justices No. 358. Thus, we should not adopt the definition of a lottery expressed by the four Justices in Opinion of the Justice No. 373.
This Court explained, for the first time, the term "gift enterprises" in State v. Shugart, 138 Ala. 86, 92-93, 35 So. 28, 29-30 (1903):
Thus, in a "gift enterprise," as in a lottery, winning is "determined by chance" with no allowance for the influence of skill.
Legislators are presumed to know the preexisting judicial interpretations on subjects the legislators are addressing in prospective or pending legislation. See Jones v. Conradi, 673 So. 2d 389 (Ala.1995). The text of § 13A-12-76(a) and (e)(1) manifests that the Legislature included the requirement of the skill factor ("some skill" "in whole or in part" to influence the operation) for an amusement machine to be legalized by the section specifically to heed and to obey the Art. IV, § 65 prohibition against legalizing lotteries and gift enterprises as then defined by caselaw. The amusement machines legalized by § 13A-12-76 do not fit within the judicial definition of the lotteries and gift enterprises proscribed by Art. IV, § 65. Therefore Art. IV, § 65 does not prohibit or proscribe § 13A-12-76, and § 13A-12-76 as applied by the trial court in this case does not violate Art. IV, § 65.
The Court of Civil Appeals erred in holding to the contrary. Therefore, I respectfully submit that we should reverse the judgment of the Court of Civil Appeals and should render judgment affirming the judgment of the trial court.
SEE, Justice (statement of nonrecusal).
The petitioner, Ted's Game Enterprises, Inc. ("Ted's"), has moved for my recusal, as well as the recusal of Justice Jean Brown and Justice Lyn Stuart. Because I find that there is no reasonable basis for questioning my impartiality, I decline to recuse myself.[4]
Ted's has moved for our recusals in this case because of the advisory opinion we issued in Opinion of the Justices No. 373, 795 So. 2d 630 (Ala.2001). Opinion of the Justices No. 373 addressed Senate Bill 257, which would, among other things, *391 have exempted certain wagering activities and "skill dependent" wagering games from criminal or civil prohibitions. Justice Brown, Justice Stuart, and I joined in the opinion that if enacted, Senate Bill 257 would have violated the prohibition against lotteries found in § 65 of the Constitution of Alabama of 1901.
Ted's argues that because of our writing in Opinion No. 373 our "`impartiality might reasonably be questioned' under Canon of Judicial Ethics 3C(1)." Canon 3.C.(1) provides:
Ted's also argues that our comments in Opinion No. 373 are inconsistent with Canon 3.A.(6), which provides:
One of the main issues in the underlying case is "the constitutionality of § 13A-12-76 in relation to Alabama Constitution 1901, Art. IV, § 65." State of Alabama ex. rel. Tyson v. Ted's Game Enters., 893 So. 2d 355, 359 (Ala.Civ.App.2002). Section 13A-12-76, Ala.Code 1975, exempts from the criminal gambling laws of the State certain games that involve "some skill." The Court of Civil Appeals held that "§ 13A-12-76 may not, without contravening § 65 of the Alabama Constitution, be applied so as to legalize games or activities in which skill does not, as discussed herein, predominate over chance in determining the outcome." 893 So. 2d  at 376. Ted's has petitioned this Court for the writ of certiorari seeking a reversal of the Court of Civil Appeals' decision.
While this case was pending in the Court of Civil Appeals, the House of Representatives presented this Court with the following question: "Is Senate Bill 257 [which would have allowed state and local taxation of skill-dependent wagering games] a revenue-raising measure which needs to originate in the House of Representatives?" In response to the question presented to us, this Court issued Opinion of the Justices No. 373, in which Justice Brown, Justice Stuart, and I expressed our opinions that Senate Bill 257, if enacted in its then current form, would have violated Art. IV, § 65, of the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, and that, therefore, it was irrelevant whether the bill originated in the House of Representatives or in the Senate.[5]
When a judge reaches conclusions of fact or law in an official capacity, those *392 conclusions cannot be the basis for the judge's recusal. In his treatise, Richard Flamm discusses the general principle that a judge need not recuse himself for having expressed a particular opinion or viewpoint on an issue of law or policy:
Richard E. Flamm, Judicial Disqualification § 10.7 (1996). In Laird v. Tatum, 409 U.S. 824, 93 S. Ct. 7, 34 L. Ed. 2d 50 (1972), Justice Rehnquist denied a motion that he recuse himself based upon previous testimony he had given on behalf of the Department of Justice. He stated:
Laird, 409 U.S.  at 835, 93 S. Ct. 7.
Ted's argues that by virtue of having considered the constitutionality of Senate Bill 257 in Opinion of the Justices No. 373, I should recuse myself from this case in which "[a] primary issue presented ... is the constitutionality of Alabama Code § 13A-12-76"  a question that Ted's believes is similar to the question addressed in Opinion of the Justices No. 373. However, the very nature of my role as a judge requires that I be able to decide issues of *393 law and fact presented to me. Thus, my recusal is not required because of conclusions expressed in my opinions, whether advisory or otherwise.[6]See, e.g., United States v. Carmichael, 726 F.2d 158, 160 (1984)("A denial of recusal is thus not an abuse of discretion if the complaint is `merely based upon the judge's rulings in the instant case or related cases ....'") (quoting Phillips v. Joint Legislative Committee, 637 F.2d 1014, 1021 (5th Cir.1981)); In re Sheffield, 465 So. 2d 350, 357 (Ala.1984) ("`[R]ulings on issues of law or attitudes concerning legal issues' do not establish bias or prejudice requiring recusal unless those rulings or attitudes are the product of bias and prejudice of an extra-judicial source."); McWhorter v. City of Birmingham, 906 F.2d 674, 678 (11th Cir.1990)("Ordinarily, a judge's rulings in the same or a related case may not serve as the basis for a recusal motion.... The judge's bias must be personal and extrajudicial; it must derive from something other than that which the judge learned by participating in the case.").
Moreover, the Justices have made clear that the conclusions reached in an advisory opinion may not be the same as those reached by the Court in an actual case or controversy:
Opinion of the Justices No. 380, 892 So. 2d 332, 334 (Ala.2004).
"Canon 3(C)(1)(a) requires recusal in the event that a judge harbors a personal bias or prejudice concerning a party, for any reason." Ala. Jud. Inquiry Comm'n Adv. Op. 95-578 (October 6, 1995). In addition, "Canon 3(C)(1) provides that a judge should disqualify himself in a proceeding in which his impartiality might reasonably be questioned." Id. The relevant inquiry is: "`Would a person of ordinary prudence in the judge's position knowing all the facts known to the judge find that there is a reasonable basis for questioning the judge's impartiality?'" In re Sheffield, 465 So. 2d  at 356 (quoting E. Wayne Thode, The Code of Judicial Conduct  The First Five Years in the Courts, 1977 Utah L.Rev. 395, 409). In this case, I have no *394 actual bias against Ted's, and there are no facts that would reasonably cause my impartiality with respect to Ted's to be questioned.
Canon 3.C.(1)(a) provides that a judge should disqualify himself in any proceeding where "[h]e has a personal bias or prejudice concerning a party...." (Emphasis added.) The advisory opinions in Opinion of the Justices No. 373 were in response to a question concerning a proposed bill before the Alabama Senate. There is no evidence in Opinion of the Justices No. 373 of a bias against Ted's, and I have no such bias. "`"`"[T]he law will not suppose a possibility of bias or favor in a judge who is already sworn to administer impartial justice and whose authority greatly depends upon that presumption and idea."'"'" Ex parte Monsanto Co., 862 So. 2d 595, 605 (Ala.2003) (quoting Ex parte Little, 837 So. 2d 822, 825 (Ala.2002), quoting in turn Ex parte Melof, 553 So. 2d 554, 557 (Ala.1989), quoting in turn other cases). In the absence of actual bias, or the appearance of actual bias, there is no basis for my recusal and I am duty-bound to participate in this case.[7]
Because it is my constitutional duty to decide this case, I decline to recuse myself.
BROWN, Justice (statement of nonrecusal).
I decline to recuse myself in this case for the reasons stated by Justice See in his statement of nonrecusal; however, I express no opinion as to note 5 in Justice See's statement.
STUART, Justice (statement of nonrecusal).
I decline to recuse myself in this case for the reasons stated by Justice See in his statement of nonrecusal.
[1]  This case was originally assigned to another Justice on this Court, but it was reassigned to Justice Brown.
[2]  For a detailed discussion of the facts and procedural history of this case, see State ex rel. Tyson v. Ted's Game Enterprises, 893 So. 2d 355 (Ala.Civ.App.2002).
[3]  Ted's refers to such games as "some skill" games, as opposed to those games in which skill predominates over chance in determining the outcome.
[4]  It is unclear whether the motion requesting my recusal is addressed to me individually or to the entire Court; however, recusal is a matter properly submitted first to the justice whose recusal is sought, and only thereafter to the entire Court. See Aetna Life Ins. Co. v. Lavoie, 470 So. 2d 1060, 1089 (Ala.1984), vacated on other grounds, 475 U.S. 813, 106 S. Ct. 1580, 89 L. Ed. 2d 823 (1996). I therefore treat this motion as one directed to me.
[5]  I wrote specially in Opinion of the Justices No. 373, noting that in an earlier advisory opinion, Opinion of the Justices No. 358, 692 So. 2d 107, 113 (Ala.1997), I had already stated that § 65 of the Constitution of Alabama prohibits a game for consideration that requires only that "some skill is involved." Senate Bill 257, the subject of Opinion of the Justices No. 373, adopted this same premise that only "some" skill is required in order for a gambling statute to comply with § 65. Thus, I stated that because I had already addressed the unconstitutionality of statutes that allow gambling where only "some" degree of skill is required, I did not have to address whether it was necessary to answer that constitutional question in order to dispose of the question presented in Opinion of the Justices No. 373. Therefore, I concluded, to say "that the unconstitutional bill may or must originate in one house or the other would imply that my understanding of Art. IV, § 65, has changed. It has not." 795 So. 2d  at 647.
[6]  Section 12-2-10, Ala.Code 1975, authorizes this Court to issue advisory opinions. It provides that "[t]he Governor, by a request in writing, or either house of the Legislature, by a resolution of such house, may obtain a written opinion of the justices of the Supreme Court of Alabama or a majority thereof on important constitutional questions." Moreover, this Court has stated that "we provide advisory opinions as an aid to legislators in fulfilling their constitutional responsibilities." Opinion of the Justices No. 380, 892 So. 2d 332, 333-34 (Ala.2004). Thus, it was as a part of my judicial obligation, pursuant to § 12-2-10, Ala.Code 1975, that I answered the House of Representatives' request for an advisory opinion in Opinion of the Justices No. 373.

Ted's criticizes certain aspects of this Court's practice of issuing advisory opinions, a practice Ted's says permits "a detailed exposition of the law" "without a record, any evidence or legal briefs or anything resembling an adversary proceeding." This is a concern better addressed by the Legislature.
[7]  law of recusal reflects two fundamental judicial policies: First, it is the duty of a judge to decide cases. Second, a judge should be a neutral, or impartial, decision-maker. The Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of Alabama of 1901 impose on judges the duty to decide cases. See U.S. Const. art. III, § 1 (vesting the `judicial Power of the United States ... in one supreme court, and in such inferior courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish'); id. at art. VI (`[A]ll ... judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution....'); Plaut v. Spendthrift Farm, Inc., 514 U.S. 211, 218-19, 115 S. Ct. 1447, 131 L. Ed. 2d 328 (1995) (`Article III establishes a "judicial department" with the "province and duty" ... to decide ... "case[s]."') (quoting Marbury v. Madison, 5 U.S. (1 Cranch) 137, 177, 2 L. Ed. 60 (1803)(emphasis added)); Marbury, 5 U.S.  at 180 (stating that a judge's oath to support the Constitution requires that he exercise the judicial power and decide cases in a manner consistent with fundamental law); Pierson v. Ray, 386 U.S. 547, 554, 87 S. Ct. 1213, 18 L. Ed. 2d 288 (1967)(`It is a judge's duty to decide all cases within his jurisdiction....'); Ala. Const.1901 amend. 328, § 6.01(a) (`[T]he judicial power of the state shall be vested exclusively in a unified judicial system which shall consist of a supreme court ....'); id. at § 279 (requiring `all officers, executive and judicial, ... [to] take the following oath or affirmation: "I, _______, solemnly swear ... that I will support the Constitution of the United States, and the Constitution of the State of Alabama... and that I will faithfully and honestly discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter"'); Federated Guaranty Life Ins. Co. v. Bragg, 393 So. 2d 1386, 1389 (Ala.1981) ('"[I]t is the duty of the judge to adjudicate the decisive issues involved in the controversy ... and to make binding declarations concerning such issues, thus putting the controversy to rest...."') (citation omitted)."
Dunlop Tire Corp. v. Allen, 725 So. 2d 960, 976 (Ala.1998)(See, J., statement of nonrecusal).