The District of Columbia Court of Appeals 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 the highest appellate court of any State, if there are involved in any proceeding before any such certifying court questions of law of the District of Columbia which may be determinative of the cause pending in such certifying court and as to which it appears to the certifying court there is no controlling precedent in the decisions of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. This section may be invoked by an order of any of the courts referred to in subsection (a) upon the court’s motion or upon motion of any party to the cause. A certification order shall set forth (1) the question of law to be answered; and (2) a statement of all facts relevant to the questions certified and the nature of the controversy in which the questions arose. A certification order shall be prepared by the certifying court and forwarded to the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. The District of Columbia Court of Appeals may require the original or copies of all or such portion of the record before the certifying court as are considered necessary to a determination of the questions certified to it. Fees and costs shall be the same as in appeals docketed before the District of Columbia Court of Appeals and shall be equally divided between the parties unless precluded by statute or by order of the certifying court. The District of Columbia Court of Appeals may prescribe the rules of procedure concerning the answering and certification of questions of law, under this section. The written opinion of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals stating the law governing any questions certified under subsection (a) shall be sent by the clerk to the certifying court and to the parties. The District of Columbia Court of Appeals, on its own motion or the motion of any party, may order certification of questions of law to the highest court of any State under the conditions described in subsection (a). The procedures for certification from the District of Columbia to a State shall be those provided in the laws of that State.
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