Alabama Supreme Court

Alabama Supreme Court
Court Information
Justices: 9
Founded: 1819
Location: Montgomery
Salary
Associates: $189,353
Judicial Selection
Method: Partisan elections
Term: 6 years
Active justices
Tommy Bryan, Greg Cook, Bill Lewis, Chris McCool, Brad Mendheim, William Sellers, Greg Shaw, Sarah Stewart, Kelli Wise

The Alabama Supreme Court is the state's court of last resort. The court was founded in 1819 as a part of the state's first Constitution in which Alabama was admitted into the Union. The chief justice of the court is Sarah Stewart. The court has the authority to review decisions reached by the lower courts and may also review matters of contention where the dollar amount in question exceeds $50,000, as long as no other Alabama court has jurisdiction. The court consists of nine justices: eight associate justices and one chief justice. The supreme court was established by Article VI of the Alabama Constitution, Section 139.

As of May 2025, all nine judges on the court were either elected in partisan elections as a Republican or appointed by a Republican governor. Sue Bell Cobb, who retired in 2011, was the last Democrat to sit on the court.

The Alabama Supreme Court meets in the Heflin-Torbert Judicial Building in Montgomery, Alabama.

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.

Jurisdiction

The supreme court has jurisdiction to review the decisions reached by lower courts within the state. It is also authorized to review matters of contention where the dollar amount in question exceeds $50,000 (if no other Alabama court has jurisdiction) and to review cases over which no other state court has jurisdiction. The court also hears appeals from the Alabama Public Service Commission. The supreme court has a supervisory role over the other courts in the state and is charged with making rules governing administration, practice, and procedure in all courts.

The chief justice of the supreme court has administrative authority over the state's judicial system. The supreme court also makes rules governing the administration, practice, and procedures of the state's courts.

Alabama's supreme court is not a trial court and its cases do not involve juries and witnesses. The court reviews the actions and decisions of trial courts and appellate courts to determine whether procedural errors may have occurred. Decisions of the supreme court may be appealed for a rehearing within 14 days of the judgment. The court is the state's court of last resort, and decisions rendered by the court are considered final, although federal issues and constitutional questions may be appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States.

The following text from Article IV, Section 140 of the Alabama Constitution covers the organization and jurisdiction of the court:

“	Jurisdiction of Supreme Court Generally; Power of Supreme Court to Issue Certain Remedial and Original Writs Except in cases otherwise directed in this Constitution, the supreme court shall have appellate jurisdiction only, which shall be coextensive with the state, under such restrictions and regulations, not repugnant to this Constitution, as may from time to time be prescribed by law, except where jurisdiction over appeals is vested in some inferior court, and made final therein; provided, that the supreme court shall have power to issue writs of injunction, habeas corpus, quo warranto, and such other remedial and original writs as may be necessary to give it a general superintendence and control of inferior jurisdictions.	”
—Alabama Constitution, Article IV, Section 140

Justices

The table below lists the current judges of the Alabama Supreme Court, their political party, when they assumed office, and the appointing governor.

The justices of the Alabama Supreme Court in 2019

Office	Name	Party	Date assumed office	Appointed by
Alabama Supreme Court	Tommy Bryan	Republican	2013	Elected
Alabama Supreme Court	Greg Cook	Republican	January 16, 2023
Alabama Supreme Court	Bill Lewis	Republican	May 20, 2025	Kay Ivey (R)
Alabama Supreme Court	Chris McCool	Republican	January 20, 2025
Alabama Supreme Court	Brad Mendheim	Republican	December 28, 2018	Kay Ivey (R)
Alabama Supreme Court	William Sellers	Republican	May 25, 2017	Kay Ivey (R)
Alabama Supreme Court	Greg Shaw	Republican	2009	Elected
Alabama Supreme Court	Kelli Wise	Republican	2011	Elected
Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice	Sarah Stewart	Republican	January 20, 2025

Judicial selection

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. 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).

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.

Vacancies

See also: How vacancies are filled in state supreme courts

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.

The map below highlights how vacancies are filled in state supreme courts across the country.

Elections

See also: Alabama Supreme Court elections

2024

See also: Alabama Supreme Court elections, 2024

The terms of five Alabama Supreme Court justices expired on January 19, 2025. The five seats were up for partisan election on November 5, 2024. The primary was March 5, 2024, and a primary runoff was April 16, 2024. The filing deadline was November 10, 2023.

Candidates and results

Chief Justice

General election

General election for Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice

Sarah Stewart defeated Greg Griffin in the general election for Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sarah Stewart (R)	65.8	1,458,501
		Greg Griffin (D)	34.1	756,675
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	2,350

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,217,526
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Greg Griffin advanced from the Democratic primary for Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice

Sarah Stewart defeated Bryan Taylor in the Republican primary for Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sarah Stewart	61.5	334,135
		Bryan Taylor	38.5	209,217

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 543,352
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Jerry M. Blevins (R)

Place 1

General election

General election for Alabama Supreme Court

Chris McCool won election in the general election for Alabama Supreme Court on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Chris McCool (R)	97.6	1,564,832
		Other/Write-in votes	2.4	38,088

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,602,920
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Chris McCool advanced from the Republican primary for Alabama Supreme Court.

Place 2

General election

General election for Alabama Supreme Court

Incumbent Tommy Bryan won election in the general election for Alabama Supreme Court on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tommy Bryan (R)	97.7	1,560,072
		Other/Write-in votes	2.3	36,383

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,596,455
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Tommy Bryan advanced from the Republican primary for Alabama Supreme Court.

Place 3

General election

General election for Alabama Supreme Court

Incumbent William Sellers won election in the general election for Alabama Supreme Court on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		William Sellers (R)	97.8	1,557,606
		Other/Write-in votes	2.2	35,479

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,593,085
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent William Sellers advanced from the Republican primary for Alabama Supreme Court.

Place 4

General election

General election for Alabama Supreme Court

Incumbent Jay Mitchell won election in the general election for Alabama Supreme Court on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jay Mitchell (R)	97.8	1,555,235
		Other/Write-in votes	2.2	35,034

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,590,269
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Jay Mitchell advanced from the Republican primary for Alabama Supreme Court.

Judges not on the ballot

■ Tom Parker (Chief Justice)

2022

See also: Alabama Supreme Court elections, 2022

The terms of two Alabama Supreme Court justices expired on January 15, 2023. The two seats were up for partisan election on November 8, 2022.

General election

General election for Alabama Supreme Court

Greg Cook defeated Anita L. Kelly in the general election for Alabama Supreme Court on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Greg Cook (R)	67.4	943,177
	Submit photo	Anita L. Kelly (D)	32.5	454,878
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	1,271

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,399,326
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Anita L. Kelly advanced from the Democratic primary for Alabama Supreme Court.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Alabama Supreme Court

Greg Cook defeated Debra H. Jones in the Republican primary for Alabama Supreme Court on May 24, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Greg Cook	55.3	318,366
		Debra H. Jones	44.7	256,827

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 575,193
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

General election

General election for Alabama Supreme Court

Incumbent Kelli Wise won election in the general election for Alabama Supreme Court on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kelli Wise (R)	97.5	998,043
		Other/Write-in votes	2.5	25,490

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,023,533
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Kelli Wise advanced from the Republican primary for Alabama Supreme Court.

Judges not on the ballot

• Michael Bolin (Place 5)

2020

See also: Alabama Supreme Court elections, 2020

The terms of two Alabama Supreme Court justices expired on January 18, 2021. The two seats were up for partisan election on November 3, 2020. A primary was scheduled for March 3, 2020. Incumbents Greg Shaw (R) and Brad Mendheim (R) won.

Candidates and results

Place 1

General election candidates

• Greg Shaw  (Incumbent) (Republican Party) ✔

 Democratic primary candidates

The Democratic Party primary was canceled. No candidates filed for this race.

 Republican primary candidates

• Greg Shaw (Incumbent) ✔
• Cam Ward

Did not make the ballot:

• Bryan Taylor

Place 2

General election candidates

• Brad Mendheim  (Incumbent) (Republican Party) ✔

 Democratic primary candidates

The Democratic Party primary was canceled. No candidates filed for this race.

 Republican primary candidates

This primary was canceled and this candidate advanced:

• Brad Mendheim (Incumbent) ✔

Note: Because incumbent Brad Mendheim was the only candidate to file for election, the primaries were canceled and he automatically advanced to the general election.

2018

See also: Alabama Supreme Court elections, 2018

The terms of five Alabama Supreme Court justices expired on January 13, 2019. These justices stood for election by voters in 2018 in order to remain on the bench. The primary election took place on June 5, 2018, and the general election took place on November 6, 2018.

Candidates and results

Chief justice

General election

General election

General election for Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tom Parker (R)	57.4	975,564
		Robert S. Vance (D)	42.5	723,149
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	1,073

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,699,786 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Primary election
■ Chief Justice Lyn Stuart (i)
■ Robert S. Vance a
■ Tom Parker a

Place 1

General election

General election

General election for Alabama Supreme Court

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sarah Stewart (R)	96.8	1,098,344
		Other/Write-in votes	3.2	36,256

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,134,600 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Primary Runoff
■ Brad Mendheim (i)
■ Sarah Stewart a Primary election
■ Brad Mendheim (i)
■ Debra H. Jones
■ Sarah Stewart

Place 2

General election

General election

General election for Alabama Supreme Court

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tommy Bryan (R)	96.9	1,088,817
		Other/Write-in votes	3.1	35,234

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,124,051 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Primary election
■ Tommy Bryan (i) a

Place 3

General election

General election

General election for Alabama Supreme Court

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		William Sellers (R)	96.9	1,086,368
		Other/Write-in votes	3.1	34,216

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,120,584 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Primary election
■ William Sellers (i) a

Place 4

General election

General election

General election for Alabama Supreme Court

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jay Mitchell (R)	60.5	1,014,761
		Donna Wesson Smalley (D)	39.4	661,034
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	1,302

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,677,097 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Primary election
Note: Justice James Allen Main did not file for re-election.
■ Donna Wesson Smalley a
■ John Bahakel
■ Jay Mitchell a

In January 2018, Gov. Kay Ivey (R) appointed Brad Mendheim (R) to the court to replace former Justice Glenn Murdock (R), who retired.

2017

In May 2017, Gov. Kay Ivey (R) appointed William Sellers (R) to the court to replace Lyn Stuart (R), who was named chief justice in April 2017. Sellers was elected to a full six-year term on November 6, 2018.

2016

See also: Alabama Supreme Court elections, 2016

Three seats on the Alabama Supreme Court were on the general election ballot on November 8, 2016. A primary was held on March 1.

Justice Kelli Wise (R), Justice Michael Bolin (R), and Justice Tom Parker (R) held the seats heading into the election. All nine seats on the court were held by Republicans prior to the election. Each justice elected to the court serves a six-year term.

Only Place 3, held by Tom Parker, was contested in the 2016 election cycle. This was a primary challenge between two Republicans; the seat was not contested in the general election.

General election candidates

Place 1

■ Kelli Wise (R) (Incumbent/Unopposed)

Place 2

■ Michael Bolin (R) (Incumbent/Unopposed)

Place 3

■ Tom Parker (R) (Incumbent/Unopposed)

Election results

November 8 general election

Incumbent Michael Bolin ran unopposed in the general election for the Alabama Supreme Court, Place 1.

Alabama Supreme Court, Place 1, 2016
Party		Candidate
	Republican	Michael Bolin Incumbent (unopposed)

Incumbent Kelli Wise ran unopposed in the general election for the Alabama Supreme Court, Place 2.

Alabama Supreme Court, Place 2, 2016
Party		Candidate
	Republican	Kelli Wise Incumbent (unopposed)

Incumbent Tom Parker ran unopposed in the general election for the Alabama Supreme Court, Place 3.

Alabama Supreme Court, Place 3, 2016
Party		Candidate
	Republican	Tom Parker Incumbent (unopposed)

March 1 primary election

Alabama Supreme Court, Place 3, Republican Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Tom Parker Incumbent	72.50%	448,747
	Republican	Donna Beaulieu	27.50%	170,194
Total Votes (100% Reporting)				618,941
Source: Alabama Secretary of State Certified Results

• Election history, 2002-2014 (click to expand)

  2014

  See also: Alabama judicial elections, 2014

  Unopposed	Judge Greg Shaw (Seat 1)

  2012

  See also: Alabama judicial elections, 2012

  Candidate	Incumbency	Party	Place	Primary Vote	Election Vote
  GraddickCharles Graddick	No	Republican	Chief Justice	25.5%
  MaloneCharles Malone (Alabama)	Yes	Republican		24.5%
  JonesDebra H. Jones	No	Republican	Place 1	34.8%
  PoynterGinger Poynter	No	Independent		n/a	A
  MurdockGlenn Murdock   A	Yes	Republican			98.16%   A
  LyonHarry Lyon	No	Democratic	Chief Justice		A
  MainJames Allen Main   A	Yes	Republican	Place 4		98.13%   A
  StuartLyn Stuart   A	Yes	Republican			98.13%   A
  MaddoxMelinda Lee Maddox	No	Independent	Chief Justice	n/a	A
  VanceRobert S. Vance	No	Democratic	Place 21		48.23%   A
  Roy Moore
  BryanTommy Bryan   A	No	Republican		65.1%A	98.07%   A

  2010

  In 2010, two incumbents were re-elected to the Alabama Supreme Court. Kelli Wise was elected to the seat vacated by Justice Patricia Smith.

  Candidate	Incumbent	Seat	Party	Election votes	Election %
  Kelli Wise A	No	Place 1	Republican	912,254	62.9%
  Rhonda Chambers	No	Place 1	Democratic	537,112	37%

  Candidate	Incumbent	Seat	Party	Election votes	Election %
  Michael Bolin A	Yes	Place 2	Republican	907,029	62.7%
  Tracy W. Cary	No	Place 2	Republican

  Candidate	Incumbent	Seat	Party	Election votes	Election %
  Tom Parker A	Yes	Place 3	Republican	849,106	58.9%
  Mac Parsons	No	Place 3	Democratic	591,133	41%
  James R. Houts	No	Place 3	Republican
  Eric Johnston	No	Place 3	Republican

  2008

  Harold See retired from the court, leaving an open seat.

  Candidate	Incumbent	Seat	Party	Election votes	Election %
  Greg Shaw A	No		Republican	1,021,371	50.3%
  Deborah Bell Paseur	No		Democratic	1,008,479	49.6%

  2006

  Democrat Sue Bell Cobb was elected Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, defeating appointed Chief Justice Drayton Nabers, Jr. Glenn Murdock was also elected to the court in 2006, defeating incumbent Justice Jean Brown.

  Incumbent Justices Thomas Woodall and Lyn Stuart were re-elected in 2006, after each fending off primary and general election challenges. Justice Champ Lyons was re-elected after running unopposed in the general election.

  Candidate	Incumbent	Seat	Party	Election votes	Election %
  Sue Bell Cobb A	No	Chief Justice	Democratic	634,494	51.5%
  Drayton Nabers, Jr.	Yes	Chief Justice	Republican	596,237	48.4%
  Tom Parker	No	Chief Justice	Republican

  Candidate	Incumbent	Seat	Party	Primary votes	Primary %	Election votes	Election %
  Champ Lyons A	Yes	Place 1	Republican	60.3%	220,886
  Ben Hand	No	Place 1	Republican	39.6%	145,105

  Candidate	Incumbent	Seat	Party	Primary votes	Primary %	Election votes	Election %
  Thomas Woodall A	Yes	Place 2	Republican	253,732	71.6%	665,610	56.7%
  Gwendolyn Thomas Kennedy	No	Place 2	Democratic			506,691	43.2%
  Hank Fowler	No	Place 2	Republican	28.3%	100,565

  Candidate	Incumbent	Seat	Party	Primary votes	Primary %	Election votes	Election %
  Lyn Stuart A	Yes	Place 3	Republican	267,201	71.7%	680,103	57.8%
  Albert Johnson	No	Place 3	Democratic			495,846	42.1%
  Alan Zeigler	No	Place 3	Republican	28.2%	105,288

  Candidate	Incumbent	Seat	Party	Primary votes	Primary %	Election votes	Election %
  Glenn Murdock A	No	Place 4	Republican	219,594	61.1%	651,057	54.9%
  John England	No	Place 4	Democratic			532,837	45%
  Tracy Gwyn BirdSong	No	Place 4	Republican	44,262	12.3%	6
  Jean Brown	Yes	Place 4	Republican	95,287	26.5%

  2004

  Republicans Tom Parker, Patricia Smith and Michael Bolin were all elected to the court after facing challenges in Republican primaries and the general election.

  Candidate	Incumbent	Seat	Party	Primary votes	Primary %	Election votes	Election %
  Tom Parker A	No	Place 1	Republican	107,325	50.9%	986,530	55.8%
  Robert H. Smith	No	Place 1	Democratic			781,197	44.1%
  Jean Brown	Yes	Place 1	Republican	103,241	49%

  Candidate	Incumbent	Seat	Party	Election votes	Election %
  Patricia Smith A	No	Place 2	Republican	1,070,789	59.9%
  Roger M. Monroe	No	Place 2	Democratic	716,691	40%
  Pam Baschab	No	Place 2	Republican

  Candidate	Incumbent	Seat	Party	Primary votes	Primary %	Election votes	Election %
  Michael Bolin A	No	Place 3	Republican	99,964	49.9%	1,056,642	59.7%
  John E. Rochester	No	Place 3	Democratic			712,569	40.2%
  Peggy Givhan	No	Place 3	Republican	34,328	17.1%
  (No first name given) Holloway	No	Place 3	Republican	13,913	6.9%

  2002

  Harold See was re-elected to the court in 2002.

  Candidate	Incumbent	Seat	Party	Election votes	Election %
  Harold See A	Yes		Republican	676,539	51.4%
  James H. Anderson	No		Democratic	609,490	46.3%
  Tom Bear	No		Libertarian	29,247	2.2%

Appointments

2025

See also: Alabama Supreme Court Justice vacancy (May 2025)

On May 20, 2025, Governor Kay Ivey (R) appointed Bill Lewis to the Alabama Supreme Court. 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. 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.

2018

See also: Alabama Supreme Court justice vacancy (January 2018)

Gov. Kay Ivey (R) appointed Brad Mendheim in January 2018 to replace former Justice Glenn Murdock, who retired.

In December 2018, Ivey appointed Mendheim to a vacancy created by Tom Parker's elevation to chief justice.

Caseloads

The table below details the number of cases filed with the court and the number of dispositions (decisions) the court reached each year.

Alabama Supreme Court caseload data
Year	Filings	Dispositions
2023	894	846
2022	906	823
2021	902	1,028
2020	1,097	1,111
2019	1,070	1,026
2018	1,216	1,237
2017	1,168	1,232
2016	1,366	1,407
2015	1,436	1,499
2014	1,511	1,654
2013	1,487	1,488
2012	1,641	1,681
2011	1,576	1,654
2010	1,789	1,987
2009	1,810	1,812
2008	1,730	1,763
2007	1,828	1,804

Analysis

Ballotpedia Courts: Determiners and Dissenters (2021)

See also: Ballotpedia Courts: Determiners and Dissenters

In 2020, Ballotpedia published Ballotpedia Courts: Determiners and Dissenters, a study on how state supreme court justices decided the cases that came before them. Our goal was to determine which justices ruled together most often, which frequently dissented, and which courts featured the most unanimous or contentious decisions.

The study tracked the position taken by each state supreme court justice in every case they decided in 2020, then tallied the number of times the justices on the court ruled together. We identified the following types of justices:

• We considered two justices opinion partners if they frequently concurred or dissented together throughout the year.
• We considered justices a dissenting minority if they frequently opposed decisions together as a -1 minority.
• We considered a group of justices a determining majority if they frequently determined cases by a +1 majority throughout the year.
• We considered a justice a lone dissenter if he or she frequently dissented alone in cases throughout the year.

Summary of cases decided in 2020

• Number of justices: 9
• Number of cases: 692
• Percentage of cases with a unanimous ruling: 83.4% (577)
• Justice most often writing the majority opinion: Justice Mitchell (90)
• Per curiam decisions: 21
• Concurring opinions: 44
• Justice with most concurring opinions: Justice Mendheim (9)
• Dissenting opinions: 33
• Justice with most dissenting opinions: Justice Shaw (10)

For the study's full set of findings in Alabama, click here.

Ballotpedia Courts: State Partisanship (2020)

See also: Ballotpedia Courts: State Partisanship

Last updated: June 15, 2020

In 2020, Ballotpedia published Ballotpedia Courts: State Partisanship, a study examining the partisan affiliation of all state supreme court justices in the country as of June 15, 2020.

The study presented Confidence Scores that represented our confidence in each justice's degree of partisan affiliation, based on a variety of factors. This was not a measure of where a justice fell on the political or ideological spectrum, but rather a measure of how much confidence we had that a justice was or had been affiliated with a political party. To arrive at confidence scores we analyzed each justice's past partisan activity by collecting data on campaign finance, past political positions, party registration history, as well as other factors. The five categories of Confidence Scores were:

• Strong Democrat
• Mild Democrat
• Indeterminate
• Mild Republican
• Strong Republican

We used the Confidence Scores of each justice to develop a Court Balance Score, which attempted to show the balance among justices with Democratic, Republican, and Indeterminate Confidence Scores on a court. Courts with higher positive Court Balance Scores included justices with higher Republican Confidence Scores, while courts with lower negative Court Balance Scores included justices with higher Democratic Confidence Scores. Courts closest to zero either had justices with conflicting partisanship or justices with Indeterminate Confidence Scores.

Alabama had a Court Balance Score of 11.89, indicating Republican control of the court. In total, the study found that there were 15 states with Democrat-controlled courts, 27 states with Republican-controlled courts, and eight states with Split courts. The map below shows the court balance score of each state.

Bonica and Woodruff campaign finance scores (2012)

See also: Bonica and Woodruff campaign finance scores of state supreme court justices, 2012

In October 2012, political science professors Adam Bonica and Michael Woodruff of Stanford University attempted to determine the partisan outlook of state supreme court justices in their paper, "State Supreme Court Ideology and 'New Style' Judicial Campaigns." A score above 0 indicated a more conservative-leaning ideology while scores below 0 were more liberal. The state Supreme Court of Alabama was given a campaign finance score (CFscore), which was calculated for judges in October 2012. At that time, Alabama received a score of 0.79. Based on the justices selected, Alabama was the 4th most conservative court. The study was based on data from campaign contributions by judges themselves, the partisan leaning of contributors to the judges, or—in the absence of elections—the ideology of the appointing body (governor or legislature). This study was not a definitive label of a justice but rather an academic gauge of various factors.

Noteworthy cases

The following are noteworthy cases heard before the Alabama Supreme Court. For a full list of opinions published by the court, click here. Know of a case we should cover here? Let us know by emailing us.

• Alabama Supreme Court upholds mask mandate (2021)	Click for summary→
Munza v. Ivey: On August 11, 2020, Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge Greg Griffin dismissed a lawsuit challenging Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey’s (R) authority to mandate the wearing of face masks to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19. In their complaint, the plaintiffs argued that the mask mandate was promulgated in violation of the Alabama Administrative Procedure Act (AAPA). The plaintiffs alleged that the Alabama Board of Health failed to meet statutory notice and administrative review requirements prior to the issuance of the mask mandate. As a result, the plaintiffs argued, the order was "nothing more than an expression, and does not carry the weight of law and it cannot be valid or effective against any person or party until the proper procedures are met." In their motion to dismiss, state officials argued that the plaintiffs incorrectly challenged the legal basis for the mask mandate. They argued that because Ivey incorporated the order into a gubernatorial proclamation under her own authority, granted by the Emergency Management Act, the plaintiffs' claims were without merit. After hearing oral arguments, Griffin dismissed the case from the bench without explanation. The plaintiffs appealed to the state supreme court. On March 19, 2021, the Alabama Supreme Court unanimously affirmed the lower court's dismissal, finding that the plaintiffs lacked standing to proceed with their action. Justice Michael Bolin (R), writing for the court, said that the plaintiffs had failed to prove they were directly injured by the statewide mask order. Bolin also said that the plaintiffs had failed "to even state that they have refused to wear masks or facial coverings in public such that they could be subject to an enforcement action." Alabama's mask mandate was set to expire on April 9, 2021.

• Alabama Supreme Court halts same-sex marriage in the state (2015)	Click for summary→
Despite the January 2015 order by U.S. District Court Judge Callie Granade lifting Alabama’s ban on same-sex marriage, the Alabama Supreme Court voted 7-1 to halt same-sex marriages in the state. In its March 4, 2015, per curiam ruling, the court said that, by law, marriage in the state was between one man and one woman. The court stated that nothing in the U.S. Constitution or any other federal law overrode Alabama’s right to make its own law on marriage. Justice Greg Shaw was the lone dissenter in the Alabama court opinion. He argued in his dissent that the Alabama Supreme Court lacked jurisdiction to issue its ruling. Same-sex marriage was made legal across the United States through the U.S. Supreme Court decision, Obergefell v. Hodges, on June 26, 2015.

• Landmark meth lab ruling (2014)	Click for summary→
On April 4, 2014, the Alabama Supreme Court issued a ruling that allowed police and fire personnel to enter a building without a warrant if they suspected a meth lab to be present. The underlying case involved an instance where emergency units acted on a report of a possible meth lab in an apartment complex on January 7, 2014. When the police and firefighters arrived they reported smells that were consistent with the meth-making process. Upon entering the apartment, the police and firefighters located an inactive meth lab in a disposable cooler, and the adults were charged with the manufacturing of a controlled substance. The case moved up the Alabama courts after the trial court found the warrantless search to be unlawful. The Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals upheld the lower court's ruling, but the case was appealed to the Alabama Supreme Court. While the lower courts found the search to be unlawful, the supreme court agreed with the actions of the police on the grounds that the serious risk a meth lab posed was sufficient for warrantless entry.

Before the U.S. Supreme Court

This section focuses on cases the U.S. Supreme Court heard that originated in this court. To suggest cases we should cover here, email us.

2024-2025 term

See also: Supreme Court cases, October term 2024-2025

The following case was heard by the U.S. Supreme Court during the 2024-2025 term.

2024-2025 Alabama Supreme Court
Case	Opinion author	Decision	Vote
Williams v. Reed	Brett Kavanaugh	reversed and remanded	9-0

Ethics

Judges in Alabama must follow the state's Canons of Judicial Ethics. The canons govern the judges' professional conduct.

• Canon 1 - A judge should uphold the integrity and independence of the judiciary.
• Canon 2 - A judge should avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety in all his activities.
• Canon 3 - A judge should perform the duties of his office impartially and diligently.
• Canon 4 - A judge may engage in activities to improve the law, the legal system, and the administration of justice.
• Canon 5 - A judge should regulate his extra-judicial activities to minimize the risk of conflict with his judicial duties.
• Canon 6 - A judge should regularly file reports of his financial interests.
• Canon 7 - A judge or a judicial candidate shall refrain from political activity inappropriate to judicial office.

Removal of judges

In Alabama, judges may be removed:

• by the Court of the Judiciary upon a complaint filed by the Judicial Inquiry Commission.
• by being impeached.

Judicial Inquiry Commission

If a canon of judicial conduct is broken, or a complaint is made suggesting that a canon was not followed, the Judicial Inquiry Commission is charged with investigating. The commission is made up of nine members. According to the Alabama Appellate Courts website, "if a majority of the members of the commission decide that a reasonable basis exists to charge a judge with a violation of any Canon of Judicial Ethics" or other professional wrongdoing, then the commission may file a complaint with the Court of the Judiciary, which will hear the matter.

Court of the Judiciary

This court hears complaints from the Judicial Inquiry Commission against judges. It is composed of nine members. One intermediate appellate court judge, two circuit court judges selected by the Circuit Judges' Association, one district court judge selected by the District Judges' Association, two members of the state bar selected by the bar's governing body, and three non-lawyers appointed by the governor of Alabama. The appointments made by the governor must be confirmed by the Alabama State Senate.

After the court investigates the complaint and holds a public hearing, the court has the ability to:

“

(1) to remove from office, suspend without pay, or censure a judge, or apply such other sanction as may be prescribed by law, for violation of a Canon of Judicial Ethics, misconduct in office, failure to perform his duties, or (2) to suspend with or without pay, or to retire a judge who is physically or mentally unable to perform his duties.

”

History of the court

Alabama Supreme Court building in Montgomery, Alabama

The supreme court was founded in 1819 as a part of the state's first Constitution in which Alabama was admitted into the Union. The constitution also provided for circuit courts, justices of the peace, and courts of chancery. The responsibilities of the first court were carried out by the state's five circuit court judges, who were elected by a joint vote of both houses of the legislature. The court's first term was held in Cahawba, the state capitol at the time, and the five judges issued 23 opinions in the first session.

In 1832 the system was reorganized and the supreme court was made into a separate, independent court with three judges serving six-year terms. The state's Reconstruction Era constitution of 1868 provided for the partisan election of judges for the first time. Over time the number of judges on the court increased, until 1969 when the state legislature passed Act 602, increasing the number of justices to nine, where it remains today.

Courts in the state underwent a modernization, initiated by Alabama State Bar President and future legislator Howell Heflin in 1966, who organized a Citizen's Conference to work with Governor Albert Brewer on modernizing the judiciary. The reforms defined the separation of powers in the state and provided for a unified judicial system. They required the state's 450 courts to follow a uniform set of rules and procedures; imposed six-year term limits on all judges, except municipal judges; required all judges, except probate judges, to be qualified attorneys; required the state government to fund all courts, except probate and municipal courts; created the Administrative Office of Courts for the chief justice to implement the rules of practice and procedure; and created the Judicial Inquiry Commission and Court of the Judiciary to enforce ethical standards. The modernization, known as Amendment 328, passed via referendum on December 18, 1973 with 62% of state voters voting in favor.

Notable firsts

• Former Justice Janie Shores was the first woman to serve on the court. She was elected as a Democrat in 1974. With this election, she was also the first woman elected as a judge of an appellate court in the country.
• Former Chief Justice Sue Bell Cobb was the first woman elected to the position of chief justice in the state of Alabama.
• Justice Oscar William Adams, Jr. was the first African-American to serve on the court. He was appointed by Governor Fob Jones in 1980.

Former chief justices

All former chief justices of the Alabama Supreme Court:	click for list →
Name:	Dates served:
Clement C. Clay	1820-1823
Abner S. Lipscomb	1823-1834
Ruben Saffold	1834-1836
Henry Hitchcock	1836-1837
Arthur F. Hopkins	1837
Henry W. Collier	1837-1849
Edward S Dargan	1849-1852
William P. Chilton	1852-1856
George Goldthwaite	1856
Samuel F. Rice	1856-1859
A.J. Walker	1859-1868
E. Wolsey Peck	1868-1873
Thomas M. Peters	1873-1874
Robert C. Brickell	1874-1884
George W. Stone	1884-1894
Robert C. Brickell	1894-1898
Thomas N. McClellan	1898-1906
Samuel D. Weakley	1906-1907
John R. Tyson	1907-1909
James R Dowdell	1909-1914
John C. Anderson	1914-1940
Lucien D. Gardner	1940-1951
J. Ed Livingston	1951-1971
Howell T. Heflin	1971-1977
C.C. Torbert, Jr.	1977-1989
Sonny Hornsby	1989-1995
Perry Oliver Hooper, Sr.	1995-2001
Roy Moore	2001-2003
Drayton Nabers, Jr.	2003-2007
Sue Bell Cobb	2007-2011
Charles Malone	2011-2013

Courts in Alabama

See also: Courts in Alabama

In Alabama, there are three federal district courts, a state supreme court, a state court of appeals, and trial courts with both general and limited jurisdiction. These courts serve different purposes.

The image below depicts the flow of cases through Alabama's state court system. Cases typically originate in the trial courts and can be appealed to courts higher up in the system.

The structure of Alabama's state court system.

Party control of Alabama state government

A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government. A state supreme court plays a role in the checks and balances system of a state government.

Alabama has a Republican trifecta. The Republican Party controls the office of governor and both chambers of the state legislature.

See also

Alabama	Judicial Selection	More Courts
Courts in Alabama Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals Alabama Court of Civil Appeals Alabama Supreme Court	Elections: 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 Gubernatorial appointments Judicial selection in Alabama	Federal courts State courts Local courts

External links

• Alabama Judicial System
• Alabama Bar Association

Footnotes

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Alabama courts

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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