Riggs Walker
Riggs Walker (Republican Party) is running for election for judge of the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals. He declared candidacy for the Republican primary scheduled on May 19, 2026.[source]
Elections
2026
See also: Alabama intermediate appellate court elections, 2026
General election
The primary will occur on May 19, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
Republican primary
Republican primary for Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals
Incumbent J. Elizabeth Kellum (R) and Riggs Walker (R) are running in the Republican primary for Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals on May 19, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | J. Elizabeth Kellum | |
 | Riggs Walker | |
| ||||
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Endorsements
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2018
General election
General election for Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals
Richard Minor won election in the general election for Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Richard Minor (R) | 97.0 | 1,080,637 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 3.0 | 32,927 | ||
| Total votes: 1,113,564 | |||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals
Richard Minor defeated Riggs Walker in the Republican primary for Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Richard Minor | 65.5 | 258,805 | |
| Riggs Walker | 34.5 | 136,174 | |
| Total votes: 394,979 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Selection method
- See also: Partisan election of judges
All judges on the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals and Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals are elected for six-year terms in partisan elections.[1]
There are five judges on the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals and five on the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals. Vacancies, which can occur when a judge dies, resigns, retires or is removed from office, are filled through appointments by the governor of Alabama. Any judge appointed in this fashion must then stand for election in the next general election occurring at least one year after taking office.[2]
Qualifications
To be considered a candidate for either court, the person must:
- Be licensed to practice law in Alabama.
- Have lived in Alabama for at least one year.
- Be 70 years of age or younger at the time of candidacy.[3]
Selection of the chief judge
In the civil appeals court, the chief is chosen by seniority; in the criminal appeals court, the chief is chosen by peer vote. Both courts maintain their chief judges for indefinite terms.[2]
2016
Alabama held general elections for local judicial offices in 2016. A primary election took place on March 1, 2016, with a primary runoff on April 12, 2016. The general election was held on November 8, 2016.
William A. Bell Jr. defeated Riggs Walker in the general election for the Jefferson County District Court Place 4 seat.[4]
| Jefferson County District Court (Place 4), General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  William A. Bell Jr. |
52.53% | 148,604 | |
| Republican | Riggs Walker | 47.38% | 134,028 | |
| Write-in votes | 0.09% | 261 | ||
| Total Votes | 282,893 | |||
| Source: Alabama Votes, "2016 Unofficial General Election Results," accessed November 10, 2016 | ||||
Selection method
- 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.[5]
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
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Campaign finance summary
Campaign finance information for this candidate is not yet available from OpenSecrets. That information will be published here once it is available.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Alabama Unified Judicial System, "Qualifications of Judges," accessed July 30, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Alabama," archived October 2, 2014
- ↑ Alabama Unified Judicial System, "Alabama Appellate Courts," accessed July 30, 2014
- ↑ Alabama Votes, "2016 Election Information," accessed May 5, 2016
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Alabama; Limited Jurisdiction Courts," archived October 2, 2014
