Title: Ex parte State of Alabama ex rel. Alabama Policy Institute, Alabama Citizens Action Program, and John E. Enslen, in his official capacity as Judge of Probate for Elmore County.

State: alabama

Issuer: Alabama Supreme Court

Document:

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF ALABAMA
March 10, 2015

1140460

Bx parte State of Alabama ex rel, Alabama Policy Institute,
Alabama Citizens Action Program, and John &. Enslen, in his
official capacity as Judge of Probate for Elmore County.

ORDER
In an opinion issued on March 3, 2015, this Court ordered
Judge Don Davis, the Probate Judge for Mobile County,

"to advise thie Court, by letter brief, no later
than 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 5, 2015, as to
whether he is bound by any existing federal court
order regarding the issuance of any marriage license
other than the four marriage licenses he was ordered
to issue in Strawser (yv. Strange (Civil Action No
14-0424-cG-c, Jan. 26, 2015)]. [*]

 

 

on March 5, dudge Davis filed a motion seeking an 11-day
extension of time, until March 16, 2015, to comply with this
court's order. On March 9, Judge Davis filed a "Response to
Show Cauge Order" in which he asserts that he should not be
included in this Court's March 3 order out of concern that

doing so would require him to violate the federal district

‘The decision of the federal district court in strawser
was premised on its earlier decision in Searcy v. Strange,
[Civil Action No. 14-0208-CG-N, Jan. 23, 2015] __ F. Supp. 34
__. (8.D. Ala. 2015).
1140460
court order previously entered in Strawser.? Because we find
Judge Davis's concern to be without merit, and for the
additional reasons discussed below, Judge Davis's motion for
extension is denied, and he is added as a respondent to this
mandamus proceeding and is enjoined from issuing any further
marriage licenses contrary to Alabama law.

Judge Davis asks for the 11-day extension to respond to
this Court's question because he has asked for a "ruling* as
to that question from the Alabama Judicial Inquiry Conmission
(tthe are") :

"As grounds for this Motion, Judge Davis sets out as
follow:

 

 

"2, Judge Davis has sought instruction today
from the Alabama Judicial Inquiry Coumission.

 

"3, Proper response to this Court is best made
after [United States District Court] Judge Granade
rules and/or after the Alabama Judicial Inquiry
Commission rules."

(amphasis added.) Our inguiry to Judge Davis was intended as

a factual one. We fail to see what knowledge the JIC might

 

have as to the facts regarding whether Judge Davis is bound by

2, "corrected" copy of Judge Davis's response has since
been filed with this Cour.
aaaoaso
an order in any case other than Strawser v. Strange (Civil
Action No. 14-0424-CG-C, Jan. 26, 2015), or the fact of what
the gtrawser order says. As to the latter, the task of
reading the order in Strawser and understanding what it says
is the task of this court, not the JIC.”

Judge Davis also notes that he has asked the federal

district court "for a stay" of its order in Strawser. The

 

fact of this request offers no basis for delay here; indeed,

the prospect of such a stay by the federal court is compatible
with the action of this Court. Further, Judge Davis has made
no showing that the federal court order for which he seeks a
stay is one that has not already been executed, i.e., one that
concerns any license other than those already issued to the

plaintiffs in that case.

‘The latter task is to read the Strawser order and to
consider the import, if any, of that order as a decision by a
court in a coordinate judicial system. The JIC is a tribunal
commissioned solely for the investigation and prosecution of
"complaints" against judges regarding violation of the Canons
of Judicial mthics and the physical and mental ability of
judges to perform their duties. Ala. Const. 1901, § 156. It
is not a court of law, and it has no authority -- and no role
in the performance by this Court of its
nal duties as a court of law to decide the cases
brought before it.

  
1140460

Our opinion of March 3 serves as binding statewide
precedent. To ensure compliance with that precedent, we also
entered on that date and as part of our opinion an order
specifically directing Alabama probate judges not to issue
marriage licenses contrary to that precedent. Davis has made
no showing that he was, or is, the subject of any previously
entered federal court order other than the one issued in
Strawser, and he makes no showing that that order has any
continuing, binding effect on him as to any marriage-license
applicants beyond the four couples who were the plaintiffs in
that case and who already have received the relief they
requested. The inapplicability of the federal court order to
any other couple is evident from the terms of the order
itself:

"probate Judge Don Davis is hereby ENJOINED from

refusing to iseue marriage licenses to plaintiffs

due to the Alabama laws which prohibit same-sex

marriage. If Plaintiffe take all steps that are

required in the normal course of business as a

prerequisite to issuing a marriage license to
opposite-sex couples, Judge Davis may not deny them
a_license on the ground th intifts r

same-sex Couples er because it is prohibited by the
Sanctity of Marriage Amendment [, Ala. Const. 1901,
§ 36.03,] and the Alabama Marriage Protection Act [,
Ala, Code 1975, § 30-1-19,] or by any other Alabama
law or Order pertaining to same-sex marriage."
1140460
(capitalization in original; emphasis added.)

In his motion, Judge Davis himself places emphasis on the
same passages we have emphasized above, In the absence of a
showing otherwise, we are left to read this language in
accordance with its plain meaning: It grants injunctive
relief against gudge Davis only as "to [the] plaintiffs" in
Strawser. our reading of this plain language is confirmed by
the fact that the plaintiffs in Strawser sought relief only on
their own behalf, not on behalf of any others, and by the fact
that federal jurisprudence contemplates that a federal court
decides only the case before it, see Ex parte State ex rel.

natitute, IMs. 1140460, March 3, 2015]

So. 34, ___ (Part 11.¢.) (Ala. 2025),4 in turn binding the

‘as we noted in Part II.C., "'"[a] decision of a federal
district court judge is not binding precedent in either a
different judicial district, the same judicial district, or

 

even upon the game judge in a different case,"'*" So. 3d at
(quoting Camreta v, Greene, U.S. H.7, 1318.
GT 2020, 2033 n.7 (2021), quoting in turn i8 ¢. Moore et al.,

 

Moore's Federal Practice § 134.02(1] (dl, pp. 134-26 (3d ed.
2011)), much less upon'a defendant sued by new plaintiffs in
a different case. The principle quoted above from the United
States Supreme Court decision in Camreta was manifestly
reflected in orders entered on this date by the United states
istrict Court for the Middle District of Alabama, in which
that court chose to stay its consideration of a case similar
to Strawser and stated that "{tJhis court is not bound by
Searcy.". Hard v, Bentley (Case No. 2:13-cv-00922-WKW;

5
1140460
parties before then only with respect to the other parties in
the case.*

Notwithstanding the plain description of the activity
enjoined by the quoted language in the federal court order
requiring Judge Davis to issue licenses "to [the] plaintiffs"
in the Strawser case, dudge Davis questions whether the
following language somehow was intended to enjoin him in
relation to persons other than the four couples who sued and

obtained a judgment against him for their personal benefit:

March 10, 2015) (M.D. Ala.)

°tn Brenner v. Scott (No. 4:14cvi07, Jan. 1, 2015) (N.D.
Fla.), a case similar in many respects to the present one, the
court explained that "[t]he Clerk has acknowledged that the
preliminary injunction requires her to issue a marriage
license to the two unmarried plaintiffs," but that, in "the
absence of any request by any other plaintiff for a license,"
"(t}he preliminary injunction now in effect does not require
the Clerk to issue licenses to other applicants." See also
Vikram David Amar, Justia-Verdict, February 13, 2015;
https: //verdict justia. com/2015/02/13/ just-lawless-alabama-
state-court-judges-refusing-issue-sex-marriage-licenses
(explaining that generally a federal district court can enjoin
a defendant only with respect to the defendant's treatment of
plaintiffs actually before the court and that the remedial
limitation on federal district courts is defined by the
identity of the plaintiffs, not just the identity of the
defendants) (last visited March 10, 2015; a copy of the Web
page containing this information is available in the case file
of the clerk of the Alabama Supreme Court)

 

6
1140460

“This injunction binds Judge Don Davis and all his
officers, agents, servants and employees, and others
in active concert or participation with any of them,
who would seek to enforce the marriage laws of
Alabama which prohibit or fail to recognize same-sex
marriage."

 

 

‘The apparent purpose of this latter passage was to
clarity who is bound by the federal court's order, not what
action that order requires of those persons. ‘The question of
wwhat" is the subject of the clear statement in the previous
paragraph quoted above, i.e., that the enjoined parties are
directed to issue marriage licenses specifically “to [thel
plaintiffs." The subsequent reference to persons who "would
seek to enforce the marriage laws of Alabama" is in reference
to Judge Davis and his agents, employees, etc., to the extent
that they would seck to enforce the marriage laws of Alabaa
as “to [the] plaintiffs.” We are further confirmed in our
reading of the federal court's order by our understanding, as,
discussed in notes 4 and 5, supra, that federal court

jurisprudence contemplates that a federal district court

 

adjudicates the obligations, if any, of a defendant or

defendants only with respect to the plaintifé or plaintiffs in

 

the case before the court. See also Meinhold v, United States

Dep! fense, 34 F.3d 1469, 1480 (9th Cir. 1994) ("An
1140460
injunction ‘should be no more burdensome to the defendant than
necessary to provide complete relief to the plaintiffs.’
califano v. Yamasaki, 442 U.S. 682, 702, 99S. Ct. 2545, 2558,
61 L, Ra, 24176 (1979). ... This is not a class action, and
Meinhold sought only to have his discharge voided and to be
reinstated. ... Beyond reinstatement ..., DOD should not be
constrained from applying its regulations to Meinhold and all

other military personnel." (emphasis added)); Zepeda v, United

States Inmig, & Naturalization Serv., 753 F.2d 719, 727 (9th
Cir. 1983) ("A federal court ... may not attempt to determine

the rights of persons not before the court."); Hollon v.
Mathis Indep, Sch, Dist., 491 F.2d 92, 93 (sth Cir. 1974)
(holding that "the injunction against the School District from
enforcing its regulation against anyone other than [the
plaintiff] reaches further than is necessary" (emphasis
added) ).

‘As we explained in our March 3 opinion, this Court has
acted to ensure statewide compliance with Alabama law in an
orderly and uniform manner. We have before us in this case @
petitioner in the form of the State that has an interest in

and standing as to the actions of every probate judge in the
aas0aso
State. Moreover, as we noted in the opinion, Alabama's
probate judges took a variety of different positions in the
wake of the federal district court's decisions, and no single
circuit court has jurisdiction over all probate judges to
enable it to address that disarray. The inclusion of oudge
Davis, along with all the other probate judges in this state,
as a respondent subject to this Court's March 3 order as to
future margiage-License applicants is necessary and
appropriate to the end of achieving order and uniformity in
the application of Alabama's marriage laws. :
Based on the foregoing, Judge Davis is added to this
mandamus proceeding as a respondent and is subject to this

court's order of March 3, 2015. Section 30-1-9, Ala. Code

 

1975, provides that gudge Davis "may" issue "marriage
licenses." To the extent he exercises this authority, he must
issue those licenses in accordance with the meaning of the
term "marriage" in that Code section and in accordance with
other provisions of Alabama law, as discussed in our March 3

opinion.
 

Murdock, Main, Wise, and Bryan,

  

dissents

 
1140460
SHAW, Justice (dissenting)

As explained in my dissent in Ex parte State ex re.
Ali 2 , (Ms. 1140460, March 3, 2015)
So. 3d __, ___ (Ala. 2015), I do not believe that this Court

has jurisdiction in this case; therefore, I dissent.

a