Opinion ID: 1843606
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Liability Phase

Text: On March 31, 1993, the trial court held that Alabama's public education system violated ` Ala. Const. art. I, §§ 1, 6, 13, and 22 [guaranteeing Alabama citizens equal protection of the laws] and art. XIV, § 256 [guaranteeing Alabama citizens access to a liberal system of public schools].' Pinto, 662 So.2d at 896. The State parties and the Pinto intervenors challenge the court's exercise of jurisdiction in this phase of the actionthis time, on political-question grounds. Because the Liability Phase was never appealed, we are here presented with no issue as to the correctness of that holding. The only issue that we may consider is whether the trial courtin addressing the merits of this disputeviolated the separation of powers doctrine of our constitution. If it did, then it had no subject matter jurisdiction and the judgment was void. See Brown v. State, 565 So.2d 585 (Ala.1990); Ex parte Dison, 469 So.2d 662 (Ala.1984); Greco v. Thyssen Mining Constr., Inc., 500 So.2d 1143 (Ala.Civ.App.1986). We may address this issue because [t]he lack of subject matter jurisdiction is not waivable and may be raised at any time by the suggestion of a party or by a court ex mero motu. Id. at 1146. See also Stamps v. Jefferson County Bd. of Educ., 642 So.2d 941, 945 n. 2 (Ala. 1994). Judgments entered without subject-matter jurisdiction can be set aside at any time as void, either on direct or on collateral attack. International Longshoremen's Ass'n v. Davis, 470 So.2d 1215, 1217 (Ala. 1985), aff'd, 476 U.S. 380, 106 S.Ct. 1904, 90 L.Ed.2d 389 (1986). This objection to the exercise of judicial review of the constitutionality of Alabama's public school system is tenuous at best. Long before Alabama acquired statehood, judicial decisions had recognized the poweras well as the duty of the judiciary to review, and, if necessary, nullify, acts of the legislature it deemed to be inconsistent with the fundamental law of the land. See Marbury v. Madison, 5 U.S. (1 Cranch) 137, 2 L.Ed. 60 (1803) (an act of the legislature, repugnant to the constitution is void and it is the duty of the judiciary to declare it so); The Federalist No. 78 (A. Hamilton) (The interpretation of the laws is the proper and peculiar province of the courts); Simsbury Case, Kirby 444 (Conn.1784); Holmes v. Walton, (N.J.1780) (nullifying a legislative act reducing from 12 to 6 the number of jurors required in cases involving seizures of property allegedly being traded with English troops); see also Dr. Bonham's Case, 77 Eng. Rep. 646 (1610) (when an Act of Parliament is against common right and reason, ... the Common Law will control it, and adjudge such Act to be void); A.E. Dick Howard, The Road from Runnymede: Magna Carta and Constitutionalism in America 280 (1968) (Well before Marbury v. Madison there were instances of state judges announcing the power of courts to annul unconstitutional legislation); see generally Corwin, The Establishment of Judicial Review, 9 Mich. L. Rev. 102 (1910). This duty not only requires the judiciary to construe the language of legislative acts and statutory schemes, but, occasionally, requires it to interpret in light of the constitution the legal and practical effects of legislative or executive actions. The judiciary is, therefore, charged with the responsibility to adjudicate disputes involving the other branches of government, even if the conclusions it reaches conflict with the conclusions of the other branches. See United States v. Nixon, 418 U.S. 683, 94 S.Ct. 3090, 41 L.Ed.2d 1039 (1974); Powell v. McCormack, 395 U.S. 486, 549, 89 S.Ct. 1944, 1978, 23 L.Ed.2d 491 (1969). The alleged conflict that such an adjudication may cause cannot justify the courts' avoiding their constitutional responsibility. Powell, 395 U.S. at 549, 89 S.Ct. at 1978. With respect to this particular controversy, a considerable number of state supreme courts have reviewed the public school funding schemes of their respective states, pursuant to challenges based on state constitutional provisions. See Note, State Constitutional Analysis of Public School Finance Reform Cases: Myth or Methodology, 45 Vand. L. Rev. 129, 130 n.6 (1992) (collecting cases); Note, To Render Them Safe: The Analysis of State Constitutional Provisions in Public School Finance Reform Litigation, 75 Va. L. Rev. 1639, 1639 n.4 (1989) (collecting cases). Several of these courts expressly addressed objections to the exercise of jurisdiction, based on political-question arguments similar to those presented here. See, e.g., Serrano v. Priest, 5 Cal.3d 584, 487 P.2d 1241, 96 Cal.Rptr. 601 (1971); McDaniel v. Thomas, 248 Ga. 632, 285 S.E.2d 156 (1981); Rose v. Council for Better Educ., Inc., 790 S.W.2d 186 (Ky.1989); Board of Educ., Levittown Union Free School Dist. v. Nyquist, 57 N.Y.2d 27, 453 N.Y.S.2d 643, 439 N.E.2d 359 (1982), appeal dismissed, 459 U.S. 1138, 103 S.Ct. 775, 74 L.Ed.2d 986 (1983); Board of Educ. of the City School Dist. of Cincinnati v. Walter, 58 Ohio St.2d 368, 390 N.E.2d 813 (1979), cert. denied, 444 U.S. 1015, 100 S.Ct. 665, 62 L.Ed.2d 644 (1980); City of Pawtucket v. Sundlun, 662 A.2d 40 (R.I.1995); Tennessee Small School Systems v. McWherter, 851 S.W.2d 139 (Tenn.1993); Edgewood Indep. School Dist. v. Kirby, 777 S.W.2d 391 (Tex.1989); Seattle School Dist. No. 1 v. State, 90 Wash.2d 476, 585 P.2d 71 (1978); State ex rel. Bd. of Educ. v. Manchin, 179 W.Va. 235, 366 S.E.2d 743 (1988); Kukor v. Grover, 148 Wis.2d 469, 436 N.W.2d 568 (1989); Washakie County School Dist. No. 1 v. Herschler, 606 P.2d 310 (Wyo.), cert. denied, 449 U.S. 824, 101 S.Ct. 86, 66 L.Ed.2d 28 (1980). In each case, however, the court rejected the argumentsimilar to the one made in this casethat the action involved a political question and was, consequently, nonjusticiable. We hold, therefore, that the trial court did not exceed its constitutional authority in considering on the merits whether Alabama's public education system violated provisions of the Constitution of 1901.