Bill Lewis
2025 - Present
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Bill Lewis is a judge on the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama. He was nominated to the court by President Donald Trump (R) on September 2, 2025, and confirmed by the United States Senate on October 27, 2025, by a vote of 58-40.[1][2][3] To see a full list of judges appointed by Donald Trump, click here.
The United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama is one of 94 U.S. District Courts. They are the general trial courts of the United States federal courts. To learn more about the court, click here.
Prior to joining the court, Lewis was a judge of the Alabama Supreme Court. He assumed office on May 20, 2025. Lewis first became a member of the Alabama Supreme Court through gubernatorial appointment. Governor Kay Ivey (R) appointed Lewis to the seat vacated by Jay Mitchell. To learn more about this appointment, click here.[4] Upon receving commission to the district court, Lewis resigned from the Alabama Supreme Court, giving Gov. Ivey the opportunity to appoint his replacement. To learn more about this vacancy, click here.
Prior to serving on the Alabama Supreme Court, Lewis served on the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals. He was appointed to this position by Gov. Ivey in February 2024. He also previously served as a circuit court judge for the Alabama 19th Judicial Circuit.[4]
Judicial nominations and appointments
United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama (2025-present)
- See also: Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump
On September 2, 2025, President Donald Trump (R) nominated Lewis to the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama.[2] He was confirmed by a 58-40 vote of the U.S. Senate on October 27, 2025.[1] Lewis received commission on November 6, 2025.[3] To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.
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| Nominee Information |
| Name: Bill Lewis |
| Court: [[United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama]] |
| Progress |
| Confirmed 55 days after nomination. |
 Nominated: September 2, 2025
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| ABA Rating: Well qualified
|
| Questionnaire: Questionnaire |
| Hearing: September 3, 2025
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| Hearing Transcript: Hearing Transcript |
| QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more) |
| Reported: October 1, 2025
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| Confirmed: October 27, 2025
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| Vote: 58-40
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Confirmation vote
The U.S. Senate confirmed Lewis by a vote of 58-40 on October 27, 2025.[1] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.
| Lewis confirmation vote (October 27, 2025) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Yea | Nay | No vote | ||||||
 Democratic |
5 | 39 | 1 | ||||||
 Republican |
52 | 0 | 1 | ||||||
 Independent |
1 | 1 | 0 | ||||||
| Total | 58[5] | 40 | 2 | ||||||
Senate Judiciary Committee hearing
Bill Lewis was reported to the full Senate on October 1, 2025, after a 14-8 committee vote.[6]
Nomination
On August 13, 2025, President Donald Trump (R) announced his intent to nominate Lewis to the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama. The president officially nominated Lewis on September 2, 2025. Click here for a list of other nominees who have been nominated by President Donald Trump.
Lewis was nominated to replace Judge Andrew Brasher, who was elevated to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit on June 30, 2020.[7]
The American Bar Association (ABA) rated Lewis well qualified.[8] To read more about ABA ratings, click here.
Alabama Supreme Court
On May 20, 2025, Governor Kay Ivey (R) appointed Bill Lewis to the Alabama Supreme Court.[4] Lewis replaces Justice Jay Mitchell, who retired on May 19, 2025. Mitchell resigned to focus on his campaign for Alabama Attorney General, which is scheduled for election in November 2026.[9] Lewis is Gov. Ivey's fourth nominee to the nine-member supreme court.
In Alabama, state supreme court justices are elected in partisan elections. There are eight states that use this selection method. To read more about the partisan election of judges, click here.
Should a vacancy occur between regularly scheduled elections, which take place in November of even-numbered years, an interim justice is appointed by the governor. Any justice appointed in this fashion must then stand for election in the next general election occurring at least one year after taking office.[10]
Biography
Lewis obtained a B.A. from The University of the South and a J.D. from Cumberland School of Law.[11]
Lewis was senior counsel at his own law firm, the Law Office of Bill Lewis, LLC. His professional experience also includes work as a prosecutor and as an indigent defender for the Elmore County District Court.[11]
Lewis has served as president and secretary of the Elmore County Bar Association, as a member of the Federal Criminal Justice Act Panel, and on the boards of directors of the River Region United Way, the Elmore County Community Foundation, and the Wetumpka Chamber of Commerce.[11]
About the court
The Middle District of Alabama has original jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.
There are three court divisions, each covering the following counties:
The Eastern Division, covering Chambers, Lee, Macon, Randolph, Russell, and Tallapoosa counties.
The Northern Division, covering Autauga, Barbour, Bullock, Butler, Chilton, Coosa, Covington, Crenshaw, Elmore, Lowndes, Montgomery, and Pike counties.
The Southern Division, covering Coffee, Dale, Geneva, Henry, and Houston counties.
State supreme court judicial selection in Alabama
- See also: Judicial selection in Alabama
The nine justices on the Alabama Supreme Court are selected through partisan elections for six-year terms. They appear on partisan election ballots statewide and face re-election if they wish to serve again.[10] For more information about these elections, visit the Alabama judicial elections page.
Qualifications
To serve on this court, a judge must be:
- licensed to practice law for at least 10 years;
- a state resident for at least one year;
- under the age of 70 at the time of election (judges who turn 70 in office may serve until their terms expire).[12][13]
Chief justice
The chief justice of the court is selected by popular vote, serving in that office for his or her full six-year term.[10][14]
Vacancies
Should a vacancy occur between regularly scheduled elections, which take place in November of even-numbered years, an interim justice is appointed by the governor. Any justice appointed in this fashion must then stand for election in the next general election occurring at least one year after taking office.[10][15]
The map below highlights how vacancies are filled in state supreme courts across the country.
See also
- United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama
- United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
External links
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Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Congress.gov, "PN466-3 — Bill Lewis — The Judiciary," accessed October 28, 2025
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The White House, "Nominations Sent to the Senate," accessed September 9, 2025
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama, "Judge Bill Lewis," accessed November 17, 2025
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Office of the Governor, "Governor Ivey Appoints Judge Bill Lewis to Serve on Supreme Court of Alabama," May 20, 2025 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "appt" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Note: The bolded number reflects the largest number.
- ↑ U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, "RESULTS OF COMMITTEE EXECUTIVE BUSINESS MEETING," accessed October 9, 2025
- ↑ Federal Judicial Center, "Brasher, Andrew Lynn," accessed July 7, 2020
- ↑ American Bar Association, "STANDING COMMITTEE ON THE FEDERAL JUDICIARY," accessed October 2, 2025
- ↑ Alabama.com, "Alabama Supreme Court justice resigning to run for another office in 2026," May 19, 2025
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Alabama Judicial System, "Qualification of Judges," accessed March 23, 2023
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Law Office of Bill Lewis, LLC, "Attorneys," accessed October 14, 2016
- ↑ Judicial Retirement Laws, "Alabama: Mandatory Retirement Provisions Applicable Generally," accessed August 10, 2021
- ↑ Alabama Secretary of State, "Minimum Qualifications for Public Office," accessed March 23, 2023
- ↑ Justia, "Article VI, Alabama Constitution - Section 152," accessed March 23, 2023
- ↑ Brennan Center for Justice, "Judicial Selection: An Interactive Map," accessed March 23, 2023
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Andrew Brasher |
United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama 2025-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
Alabama Supreme Court 2025-2025 |
Succeeded by Will Parker (R) |
| Preceded by William Thompson (R) |
Alabama Court of Civil Appeals 2024-2025 |
Succeeded by Ben Bowden (R) |
| Preceded by - |
Alabama 19th Judicial Circuit -2024 |
Succeeded by - |
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 |
Thomas Parker • Elizabeth Branch • Neil Gorsuch • Amul Thapar • David C. Nye • John K. Bush • Kevin Newsom • Timothy J. Kelly • Ralph Erickson • Scott Palk • Trevor McFadden • Joan Larsen • Amy Coney Barrett • Allison Eid • Stephanos Bibas • Donald Coggins Jr. • Dabney Friedrich • Greg Katsas • Steven Grasz • Don Willett • James Ho • William L. Campbell Jr. • David Stras • Tilman E. Self III • Karen Gren Scholer • Terry A. Doughty • Claria Horn Boom • John Broomes • Rebecca Grady Jennings • Kyle Duncan • Kurt Engelhardt • Michael B. Brennan • Joel Carson • Robert Wier • Fernando Rodriguez Jr. • Annemarie Carney Axon • | ||
| 2018 |
Andrew Oldham • Amy St. Eve • Michael Scudder • John Nalbandian • Mark Bennett • Andrew Oldham • Britt Grant • Colm Connolly • Maryellen Noreika • Jill Otake • Jeffrey Beaverstock • Emily Coody Marks • Holly Lou Teeter • Julius Richardson • Charles B. Goodwin • Barry Ashe • Stan Baker • A. Marvin Quattlebaum Jr. • Terry F. Moorer • Susan Baxter • William Jung • Alan Albright • Dominic Lanza • Eric Tostrud • Charles Williams • Nancy E. Brasel • James Sweeney • Kari A. Dooley • Marilyn J. Horan • Robert Summerhays • Brett Kavanaugh • David Porter • Liles Burke • Michael Juneau • Peter Phipps • Lance Walker • Richard Sullivan • Eli Richardson • Ryan Nelson • Chad F. Kenney, Sr. • Susan Brnovich • William M. Ray, II • Jeremy Kernodle • Thomas Kleeh • J.P. Hanlon • Mark Norris • Jonathan Kobes • Michael Brown • David Counts | ||
| 2019 |
Eric Miller • Chad Readler • Eric Murphy • Neomi Rao • Paul Matey • Allison Jones Rushing • Bridget S. Bade • Roy Altman • Patrick Wyrick • Holly Brady • David Morales • Andrew Brasher • J. Campbell Barker • Rodolfo Ruiz • Daniel Domenico • Michael Truncale • Michael Park • Joseph Bianco • Raúl Arias-Marxuach • Daniel Collins • Joshua Wolson • Wendy Vitter • Kenneth Kiyul Lee • Kenneth Bell • Stephen Clark • Howard Nielson • Rodney Smith • Jean-Paul Boulee • Sarah Daggett Morrison • Rossie Alston • Pamela A. Barker • Corey Maze • Greg Guidry • Matthew Kacsmaryk • Allen Winsor • Carl Nichols • James Cain, Jr. • Tom Barber • J. Nicholas Ranjan • Clifton L. Corker • Peter Phipps • Daniel Bress • Damon Leichty • Wendy W. Berger • Peter Welte • Michael Liburdi • William Shaw Stickman • Mark Pittman • Karin J. Immergut • Jason Pulliam • Brantley Starr • Brian Buescher • James Wesley Hendrix • Timothy Reif • Martha Pacold • Sean Jordan • Mary Rowland • John M. Younge • Jeff Brown • Ada Brown • Steven Grimberg • Stephanie A. Gallagher • Steven Seeger • Stephanie Haines • Mary McElroy • David J. Novak • Frank W. Volk • Charles Eskridge • Rachel Kovner • Justin Walker • T. Kent Wetherell • Danielle Hunsaker • Lee Rudofsky • Jennifer Philpott Wilson • William Nardini • Steven Menashi • Robert J. Luck • Eric Komitee • Douglas Cole • John Sinatra • Sarah Pitlyk • Barbara Lagoa • Richard Myers II • Sherri Lydon • Patrick Bumatay • R. Austin Huffaker • Miller Baker • Anuraag Singhal • Karen Marston • Jodi Dishman • Mary Kay Vyskocil • Matthew McFarland • John Gallagher • Bernard Jones • Kea Riggs • Robert J. Colville • Stephanie Dawkins Davis • Gary R. Brown • David Barlow • Lewis Liman | ||
| 2020 |
Lawrence VanDyke • Daniel Traynor • John Kness • Joshua Kindred • Philip Halpern • Silvia Carreno-Coll • Scott Rash • John Heil • Anna Manasco • John L. Badalamenti • Drew Tipton • Andrew Brasher • Cory Wilson • Scott Hardy • David Joseph • Matthew Schelp • John Cronan • Justin Walker • Brett H. Ludwig • Christy Wiegand • Thomas Cullen • Diane Gujarati • Stanley Blumenfeld • Mark Scarsi • John Holcomb • Stephen P. McGlynn • Todd Robinson • Hala Jarbou • David Dugan • Iain D. Johnston • Franklin U. Valderrama • John Hinderaker • Roderick Young • Michael Newman • Aileen Cannon • James Knepp • Kathryn Kimball Mizelle • Benjamin Beaton • Kristi Johnson • Toby Crouse • Philip Calabrese • Taylor McNeel • Thomas Kirsch • Stephen Vaden • Katherine Crytzer • Fernando Aenlle-Rocha • Charles Atchley • Joseph Dawson | ||
| 2025 |
Whitney Hermandorfer • Joshua Divine • Cristian M. Stevens • Zachary Bluestone • Emil Bove • Edward Artau • Kyle Dudek• Maria Lanahan• Jennifer Mascott• Anne-Leigh Gaylord Moe• Chad Meredith• Harold Mooty• Jordan Pratt• Edmund LaCour• Bill Lewis• Eric Tung• Rebecca Taibleson• Joshua D. Dunlap• Bill Mercer | ||
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Current judges | Tommy Bryan, Greg Cook, Chris McCool, Brad Mendheim, Will Parker, William Sellers, Greg Shaw, Sarah Stewart, Kelli Wise | ||
| Former judges | Michael Bolin, Sue Bell Cobb, Bill Lewis, James Allen Main, Jay Mitchell, Roy Moore, Glenn Murdock, Tom Parker, Tom Parker, Sarah Stewart, Lyn Stuart, Thomas A. Woodall | ||
Federal courts:
Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Northern District of Alabama, Middle District of Alabama, Southern District of Alabama • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Northern District of Alabama, Middle District of Alabama, Southern District of Alabama
State courts:
Alabama Supreme Court • Alabama Court of Civil Appeals • Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals • Alabama Circuit Courts • Alabama District Courts • Alabama Juvenile Courts • Alabama Municipal Courts • Alabama Probate Courts • Alabama Small Claims Courts
State resources:
Courts in Alabama • Alabama judicial elections • Judicial selection in Alabama
