§12-2-19. Promulgation, filing and publication of rules; construction and interpretation of rules.

(a) Since the Supreme Court now has the initial primary duty to make and promulgate rules governing practice and procedure in all courts, as well as rules of administration for all courts, all such rules made and promulgated by the Supreme Court shall be filed in the office of the Clerk of the Supreme Court and published in the official report of decisions. The Clerk of the Supreme Court shall certify to the Secretary of State all such rules. The Secretary of State shall cause the rules to be published in any code of the laws of Alabama whenever the codes are published or in pocket supplements to codes.

(b) In connection with its duty to make and promulgate such rules, the Legislature finds that it is within the scope of such authority for the Supreme Court to make rules of administration pertaining to the collection, use, protection and disclosure of information, statistics and records involved in the administration of justice, criminal or otherwise, including information to be stored or which is stored in computers; collection of unpaid court costs, fines and forfeitures; the security of courts; the procedures, forms and standards for appointment of attorneys for indigents in criminal cases and, in the event an indigent becomes nonindigent, collection procedures for attorney's fees, transcript fees, and other expenses paid by the state during the period of indigency.

(c) Rules heretofore promulgated by the Supreme Court shall not be considered to have been superseded or modified by this title unless by express reference in this title or by law hereinafter enacted or by irreconcilable conflict with this title.

(d) The Clerk of the Supreme Court shall give his or her opinion in writing on any question of the interpretation of any rule of administration promulgated by the Supreme Court to any other officer or official of the state who shows a need for such opinion and requests the same. The written opinion of the Clerk of the Supreme Court shall protect the officer or official to whom it is directed as well as other officers or officials who use it as guidance from liability to either the state, county, or any municipal subdivision of the state because of any official act or acts performed as directed or advised in such opinion; provided, however, that such opinion shall be merely advisory. Such opinions shall be published in the official report of decisions.

(Acts 1975, No. 1205, p. 2384, §6-105; Act 2014-217, §1.)