Title 15 — CIVIL PROCEDURE

The Supreme Court may answer questions of law certified to it by the Supreme Court of the United States, a court of appeals of the United States, or a United States district court, if there are questions of law of this state involved in any proceeding before the certifying court …

This chapter shall be so construed as to effectuate its general purpose to make uniform the law of those states which enact it. Source: Supreme Court Rule 85-7, § 9.

This chapter may be cited as the Uniform Certification of Questions of Law Rule. Source: Supreme Court Rule 85-7, § 10.

In the discretion of any of the courts referred to in § 15-24A-1 , this chapter may be invoked by an order of said court upon its own motion or upon the motion of any party to the cause. Source: Supreme Court Rule 85-7, § 2.

A certification order shall set forth (1) The questions of law to be answered; and (2) A statement of all facts relevant to the questions certified and showing fully the nature of the controversy in which the questions arose. Source: Supreme Court Rule 85-7, § 3.

The certification order shall be prepared by the certifying court, signed by the judge presiding at the hearing, and forwarded to the Supreme Court by the clerk of the certifying court under its official seal. The Supreme Court may require the original or copies of all or of any …

Fees and costs shall be the same as in civil appeals docketed before the Supreme Court and shall be equally divided between the parties unless otherwise ordered by the certifying court in its order of certification. Source: Supreme Court Rule 85-7, § 5.

Once the Supreme Court has agreed to consider the certified question, the moving party or such party as the Supreme Court may designate shall serve and file its brief within twenty - five days after the filing of the order of acceptance. The other parties shall serve and file the…

The written opinion of the Supreme Court stating the law governing the questions certified shall be sent by the clerk under the seal of the Supreme Court to the certifying court and to the parties. Source: Supreme Court Rule 85-7, § 7.

If any provision of this chapter or the application thereof to any person, court, or circumstance is held invalid, the invalidity does not affect other provisions or applications of the chapter which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to this en…