Opinion ID: 1885183
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: October 6, 1995, Order Certified as Final on October 6, 1995

Text: Because of a series of events I recount in detail at the end of this opinion, the December 3, 1993, order was not made final until October 6, 1995, by an order of the trial judge who had succeeded the original trial judge after he was removed from the case by the Judicial Inquiry Commission for his campaign conduct relating to the case. In its opinion, the Judicial Inquiry Commission stated that he was disqualified from continuing to sit in the case. Between December 3, 1993, and May 19, 1995, the circuit court had denied certain parties the right to intervene. This Court reversed that order on May 19, 1995. Pinto v. Alabama Coalition for Equity, 662 So.2d 894 (Ala.1995). The circuit court purported to certify a Remedy Order as final, and therefore appealable, on October 6, 1995. The succeeding judge made one modification to the original trial judge's December 3, 1993, Remedy Order by striking paragraph XI(F). That paragraph stated that the trial court retained jurisdiction to issue further orders. Yet at the same time the trial judge asserted the trial court's inherent power to issue such orders as necessary to render its judgments effective, Governor Fob James filed a timely appeal of that order. The Alabama Supreme Court vacated the December 3, 1993/October 6, 1995, order on January 10, 1997, to the extent that it concerned the implementation of the Remedy Plan. Ex parte James, 713 So.2d 869, 935 (Ala.1997). This Court then remanded the case to the trial court with directions that that court stay the action while retaining jurisdiction for one year to allow coordinate branches of the government to formulate a plan complying with the March 31, 1993, order.