Code of Alabama
Ala. Code § 13A-1-6 (2026)
General Rule of Construction.
✓ official Alabama Legislature (ALISON) text, current July 2026
All provisions of this title shall be construed according to the fair import of their terms to promote justice and to effect the objects of the law, including the purposes stated in Section 13A-1-3.
(Acts 1977, No. 607, p. 812, §115.)
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 30
cases, 1982–2015 · leading case: Thompson v. State, 525 So. 2d 820 (Ala. 1985).
Thompson v. State, 525 So. 2d 820 (Ala. 1985). “In Code 1975, § 13A-1-6, the legislature set out the general rule of construction to be used.”
Carroll v. State, 599 So. 2d 1253 (Ala. Crim. App. 1992). “" Among the purposes stated in § 13A-1-4 is that found in subsection (2): "To give fair warning of the nature of the conduct proscribed.”
Ward v. State, 994 So. 2d 293 (Ala. Crim. App. 2007). “1997), this court addressed the implications of § 13A-1-6, Code of Alabama 1975, as that section pertains to the construction of criminal statutes: "`The focus in § 13A-1-6 on the "fair import of [a penal statute's] terms" is the legislature's manifestation of its "preference…”
Hunt v. State, 642 So. 2d 999 (Ala. Crim. App. 1994). “*1029 We agree with Hunt that "[t]he focus of the Ethics Act was not on the receipt of or the use of campaign contributions.”
Bryan Pettibone v. State of Alabama., 91 So. 3d 94 (Ala. Crim. App. 2011). “The general rule of construction for the provisions of the Alabama Criminal Code is found in Ala.Code 1975, § 13A-1-6: “All provisions of this title shall be construed according to the fair import of their terms to promote justice and to effect the objects of the law, including…”
Ex Parte Soto, 991 So. 2d 691 (Ala. 2008). “Alabama Code 1975, § 13A-1-6, provides that "[a]ll provisions of [the Alabama Criminal Code] shall be construed according to the fair import of their terms to promote justice and to effect the objects of the law, including the purposes stated in Section 13A-1-3," one of which is…”
Ex Parte State, 568 So. 2d 857 (Ala. 1990). “It is apparent to me that the Court of Criminal Appeals has strictly construed the provisions of the Drug Crimes Amendments Act of 1987, insofar as the requirements of an indictment or information to charge an offense under the Act are concerned, and has, therefore, failed to…”
State v. Henderson, 144 So. 3d 1262 (Ala. 2013). “The juveniles note that § 13A-1-6, Ala.Code 1975, *1280 provides that “[a]ll provisions of this title shall be construed according to the fair import of their terms.”
Ex Parte Bertram, 884 So. 2d 889 (Ala. 2003). “' See, also, § 13A-1-6, Code of Alabama 1975." Darby v.”
Brown v. Gen. Motors Corp., 14 So. 3d 104 (Ala. 2009). “We are unable to see how such a result is either fair or logical, or what the legislature intended.”
D.A.D.O. v. State, 57 So. 3d 798 (Ala. Crim. App. 2009). “The general rule of construction for the provisions of the Alabama Criminal Code is found in Ala. Code 1975, § 13A-1-6: ‘All provisions of this title shall be construed according to the fair import of their terms to promote justice and to effect the objects of the law, including…”
State v. Dean, 940 So. 2d 1077 (Ala. Crim. App. 2006). “" The § 13A-1-6 Commentary explains that "[u]nder this section, not only must the alleged misconduct be covered by `the fair import' of the Criminal Code provision, but also, under section 13A-1-3, the statute must be construed so that it gives `fair warning of the nature of the…”
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