These 'stabilization' laws of the depression era by the Alabama Legislature were one of the cornerstone complaints which culminated in a lawsuit, Alabama Coalition for Equity, Inc., an Alabama nonprofit corporation, et al. The maelstrom of ongoing legal actions regarding this suit are too numerous for detailed consideration here, and have addressed in prior papers. The first issue, improving education was addressed in 1994 by the then the new Governor, Fob James, Jr., in a plan in concert with the Alabama Legislature as they deemed appropriate. In protecting the State funds of which he considers himself the steward, Governor James protested the payment of any fees for the plaintiffs lawyers, and especially the outrageous amount asked by the plaintiffs lawyers. The Governor contented it was an illegal appropriation of state funds by any judge to award any legal fees.
Today Consider the first issue area, that of improvement of the educational system in Alabama.
The population of Alabama continues to grow and with the growth comes need for more services for the citizens. The population of Alabama in 1994 was approximately 4,219,00 people9. It was in 1994 that schools and their funding were issues in the governor's race. The issues interpreted as outcomes of the ACE v HUNT case were many, and as previously noted included both funding issues and productivity measurement issues. This is a logical set of areas, based on the court decision.