Case Title: James Robinson v. State of Alabama

Citation: 

Docket Number: 1070180

State: alabama

Court: Alabama Supreme Court

Date: 2008-12-19T00:00:00Z

Document:
REL: 12/19/08
Notice: This opinion is subject to formal revision before publication in the advance
sheets of Southern Reporter.  Readers are requested to notify the Reporter of Decisions,
Alabama Appellate Courts, 300 Dexter Avenue, Montgomery, Alabama 36104-3741 ((334) 229-
0649), of any typographical or other errors, in order that corrections may be made before
the opinion is printed in Southern Reporter.
SUPREME COURT OF ALABAMA
OCTOBER TERM, 2008-2009
____________________
1070180
____________________
James Robinson
v.
State of Alabama
Appeal from Montgomery Circuit Court 
(CV-07-1003)
SEE, Justice.
James Robinson filed a declaratory-judgment action in the
Bibb Circuit Court challenging an Alabama Department of
Corrections 
("DOC") 
disciplinary 
action 
arising 
out 
of 
conduct
that occurred while he was incarcerated in the Bibb
1070180
Ala. Code 1975, § 41-22-3(9)g.1. excludes from judicial
1
review "any rules or actions relating to ... [t]he conduct of
inmates of public institutions."
2
Correctional Facility.  The Bibb Circuit Court entered an
order transferring Robinson's case to the Montgomery Circuit
Court and converting it to a petition for the writ of
certiorari. 
 
The 
Montgomery 
Circuit 
Court 
dismissed 
Robinson's
petition, and Robinson appealed to the Court of Criminal
Appeals.  That court transferred his appeal to this Court.  We
now transfer it back to the Court of Criminal Appeals.
In Ex parte Boykins, 862 So. 2d 587, 593 (Ala. 2002),
this Court stated:
"[T]he DOC, as stated in Ala. Code 1975, § 14-1-1.2,
is an 'administrative department responsible for
administering and exercising direct and effective
control over penal and corrections institutions
throughout this state.'  Ala. Code 1975, § 41-22-
3(1), defines 'agency' as '[e]very board, bureau,
commission, 
department, 
officer, 
or 
other
administrative office or unit of the state.'
(Emphasis added [in Boykins].)  Accordingly, the DOC
is an administrative agency that is within the scope
of the Alabama Administrative Procedure Act, Ala.
Code 1975, § 41-22-1 et seq. ('the Act').  The
appropriate remedy to review the actions of
administrative agencies is an appeal made in
accordance with § 41-22-20(a) of the Act.  However,
pursuant to § 41-22-3(9)(g)(1)[ ], as noted in Cox
1
[v. State, 628 So. 2d 1075 (Ala. Crim. App. 1993)],
Boykins has no right to avail himself of such
1070180
3
judicial review."
"Alabama law is clear that, in the absence of a right of
appeal, 
a 
party 
seeking review 
of 
a ruling 
by 
an
administrative agency may petition the circuit court for a
common law writ of certiorari."  State Pers. Bd. v. State
Dep't of Mental Health & Mental Retardation, 694 So. 2d 1367,
1371 (Ala. Civ. App. 1997) (citing Ellard v. State, 474 So. 2d
743 (Ala. Crim. App. 1984)).  Therefore, the Bibb Circuit
Court correctly converted Robinson's action seeking a
declaratory judgment to a petition for the writ of certiorari.
We have held that the Court of Criminal Appeals has
jurisdiction to hear an inmate's appeal of the trial court's
denial of his petition for the writ of certiorari challenging
a decision of the DOC. Collins v. Alabama Dep't of Corr., 982
So. 2d 1078, 1081 (Ala. 2007) ("The Court of Criminal Appeals
has misconstrued this Court's decision in Boykins.  In
Boykins, we certainly did not state, and we did not intend to
imply, that the Court of Criminal Appeals' jurisdiction is
limited to appeals in cases where the petitions for a writ of
certiorari challenge DOC actions involving the conduct of
inmates while they are incarcerated.  Consequently, we
1070180
4
overrule Collins[ v. Alabama Department of Corrections, 911
So. 2d 739 (Ala. Crim. App. 2004)], and we transfer this
appeal to the Court of Criminal Appeals.  Further, we overrule
all decisions of the Court of Criminal Appeals that conflict
with today's decision, including, but not necessarily limited
to, Boykins v. State, 862 So. 2d 594 (Ala. Crim. App. 2003)
(opinion on remand from the Alabama Supreme Court), McConico[
v. Alabama Department of Corrections, 893 So. 2d 577 (Ala.
Crim. App. 2004)], Jacobs[ v. Alabama Department of
Corrections, 900 So. 2d 485 (Ala. Crim. App. 2004)], Beck[ v.
Alabama Board of Pardons & Paroles, 907 So. 2d 1096 (Ala.
Crim. App. 2005)], and Block[ v. Alabama Department of
Corrections, 923 So. 2d 342 (Ala. Crim. App. 2005)].").  Based
on our decisions in Boykins and Collins, we transfer
Robinson's appeal to the Court of Criminal Appeals. 
APPEAL TRANSFERRED.
Cobb, C.J., and Woodall, Smith, and Parker, JJ., concur.