Jefferson County District Court, Alabama
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The Jefferson County District Court resides in Alabama. Click on the links below to learn more about the court's...
Jurisdiction
This court holds the following jurisdiction:[1]
| “ | District courts have jurisdiction over criminal misdemeanor offenses and the preliminary hearings held in felony prosecutions. District courts also have jurisdiction in civil matters where the amount in con- troversy exceeds $3,000, but does not exceed $10,000. Each county has a district court.[2] | ” |
Judges
| Office | Name | Party | Date assumed office |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County District Court Place 1 | Martha Cook | March 19, 2019 | |
| Jefferson County District Court Place 2 | Maria Fortune | Democratic | January 18, 2021 |
| Jefferson County District Court Place 3 | Jacquelyn Grant-Jones | Democratic | January 20, 2025 |
| Jefferson County District Court Place 4 | William A. Bell Jr. | Democratic | |
| Jefferson County District Court Place 5 | Vacant | ||
| Jefferson County District Court Place 6 | Tanita Cain | Democratic | January 20, 2025 |
| Jefferson County District Court Place 7 | Ruby D. Clark | Democratic | January 18, 2021 |
| Jefferson County District Court Place 8 | Alan Summers | ||
| Jefferson County District Court Place 9 | Debra Weston-Pickens | 2019 | |
| Jefferson County District Court Place 10 | Kathy-Ann Alexis | Democratic | January 16, 2023 |
| Jefferson County District Court Place 11 | Chuantae Brown | Democratic | January 20, 2025 |
| Jefferson County District Court Place 12 | Stephanie Hunter | Democratic | January 20, 2025 |
Elections
Alabama is one of 43 states that hold elections for judicial positions. To learn more about judicial selection in Alabama, click here.
- Alabama local trial court judicial elections, 2025
- Alabama local trial court judicial elections, 2024
- Alabama local trial court judicial elections, 2023
- Alabama local trial court judicial elections, 2022
- Alabama local trial court judicial elections, 2021
- Alabama local trial court judicial elections, 2020
- Alabama local trial court judicial elections, 2019
- Alabama local trial court judicial elections, 2018
- Alabama local trial court judicial elections, 2017
- Alabama local trial court judicial elections, 2016
- Alabama judicial elections, 2014
- Alabama judicial elections, 2012
- Alabama judicial elections, 2010
Selection method
- See also: Judicial selection in the states
- See also: Partisan elections
There are 98 judgeships on the Alabama District Courts, each elected to six-year terms. The elections for this court are partisan contested elections. To serve on this court, a judge must have been licensed to practice law for three years.[3]
Judicial elections in Alabama
- See also: Alabama judicial elections
Alabama is one of 11 states that uses partisan elections to select judges and does not use retention elections for subsequent terms. To read more about how states use judicial elections to select judges across the country, click here.
Primary election
Candidates for judge or justice who wish to run on a party ticket must qualify to run in an open primary by obtaining the legally required number of signatures to get on the ballot.[4] Primary elections in years without a presidential primary are held on the first Tuesday in June.[5] Candidates can only qualify for one party. The winners from each party proceed to a general election in November.
If no candidate in a race wins more than 50 percent of the vote, a runoff determines who will advance to the general election. The top two vote recipients in the primary advance to the runoff. Primary runoffs are held six weeks after the primary election.[6][7]
If a candidate qualifies on a party ticket and is unopposed, their name is not placed on the primary ticket, but instead is placed automatically on the general election ballot.[8] Political parties can make rules restricting who participates in primaries, and residents can only vote in a single party's primary.[9]
General election
Alabama general elections are held on the first Tuesday in November of every even-numbered year. If a victory margin is within 0.5 percent, an automatic recount will take place unless the defeated candidate waives his or her right to the recount.[10]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Alabama State Bar Association, "Alabama's Court System," accessed May 10, 2023
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Alabama; Limited Jurisdiction Courts," archived October 2, 2014
- ↑ Fairvote.org, "Congressional and Presidential Primaries: Open, Closed, Semi-Closed, and 'Top Two,'" accessed April 29, 2014
- ↑ The Code of Alabama, "§17-13-3," accessed September 20, 2017
- ↑ Alabama Election Code, "§17-14-6," accessed April 28, 2014
- ↑ The Code of Alabama, "§17-13-3," accessed September 24, 2017
- ↑ Alabama Election Code, "§17-13-5(c)," accessed April 29, 2014
- ↑ Alabama Election Code, "§17-13-7," accessed April 29, 2014
- ↑ Alabama Election Code, "§17-16-20," accessed April 29, 2014
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
