The Alabama Supreme Court has closed a $63 million hole in the state General Fund budget.
The state's highest court reversed a judgment that had gone against Gov. Bob Riley. Tuscaloosa businessman Stan Pate had sued the governor, contending he erred when he put $63 million from Exxon Mobil litigation into the state General Fund budget.
A Montgomery judge sided with Pate and ordered the money put into a state savings account called the Alabama Trust Fund.
The Alabama Supreme Court reversed the lower court decision Thursday. The justices said Pate didn't have legal standing to sue the governor.
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