Alabama Circuit Courts
The Alabama Circuit Courts are the state trial courts of general jurisdiction in the State of Alabama. The Circuit Courts have jurisdiction to hear civil and criminal cases. For civil cases, the courts has authority to try cases with an amount in controversy of more than $3,000 and has exclusive original jurisdiction over claims for more than $10,000.[1] The Circuit Courts are the criminal trial courts for most felony charges,[2] and for some misdemeanors and lesser included offenses.[1] The Circuit Courts also have appellate jurisdiction over certain cases arising from the Alabama District Courts (the trial courts of limited jurisdiction in Alabama).
The state has 148 Circuit Court judges divided among 41 judicial circuits[3] with the number of judges to each circuit set by acts of the Alabama Legislature. The legislature distribution is roughly based upon caseloads of the various circuits. The largest circuit in the state is the 10th Judicial Circuit which encompasses Jefferson County (approximately 20% of the state's population) and is the seat of 27 of the judges. The smallest circuits are the 2nd, 3rd, 24th, 34th, 35th, 36th, 40th, and 41st which each contain just a single judge and represent many of the least populous counties in the state.
Circuit Judges are elected to six-year terms in partisan elections with no limit on the number of terms. Judges may not seek re-election upon turning seventy years of age. The partisan alignment of the Circuit Judges following the 2018 general election is 92 Republicans, 55 Democrats, and 1 Independent.[4] However, a large majority (35) of the Democrats 55 judgeships are in just two counties (Jefferson and Montgomery) while the Republican judgeships are spread among 45 different counties. In the event of a vacancy during a term of office, the Governor of Alabama usually has the authority to fill the unexpired terms. However, the 10th, 18th, 28th Circuits have judicial commissions which submit nominees from which the Governor is obligated to choose. Upon retirement judges may choose to become active retired where they serve as special judges when called upon and are still held to the cannon of ethics. Judges may also serve as special judges outside of their respective circuit while holding office when called upon.
1st Circuit
[edit]Counties Served: Choctaw, Clarke, Washington
Circuit Seats: Choctaw County Courthouse (Butler), Clarke County Courthouse (Grove Hill), Washington County Courthouse (Chatom)
| Title | Name | Seat | Duty Station | Term | Seat Up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Presiding Circuit Judge | Gaines C. McCorquodale | 1 | Grove Hill | 2009–present | 2022 |
| Circuit Judge | Charles R. Montgomery | 2 | Chatom | 2010–present | 2022 |
2nd Circuit
[edit]Counties Served: Butler, Crenshaw, Lowndes
District Seats: Butler County Courthouse (Greenville), Crenshaw County Courthouse (Luverne), Lowndes County Courthouse (Hayneville)
| Title | Name | Duty Station | Term | Seat Up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Presiding Circuit Judge | Terri Bozeman Lovell | Greenville | 2010–present | 2018 |
3rd Circuit
[edit]Counties Served: Barbour, Bullock
District Seats: Barbour County Courthouse (Clayton), Bullock County Courthouse (Union Springs)
| Title | Name | Duty Station | Term | Seat Up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Presiding Circuit Judge | Leon Bernard Smithart | Union Springs | 1999–present | 2022 |
4th Circuit
[edit]Counties Served: Bibb, Dallas, Hale, Perry, Wilcox
District Seats: Bibb County Courthouse (Centreville), Dallas County Courthouse (Selma), Hale County Courthouse (Greensboro) Perry County Courthouse (Marion), Wilcox County Courthouse (Camden)
| Title | Name | Seat | Duty Station | Term | Seat Up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Presiding Circuit Judge | Marvin W. Wiggins | 3 | Greensboro | 1999–present | 2022 |
| Circuit Judge | Collins Pettaway, Jr. | 1 | Selma | 2013–present | 2018 |
| Circuit Judge | Donald McMillan | 2 |
5th Circuit
[edit]Counties Served: Chambers, Macon, Randolph, Tallapoosa
6th Circuit
[edit]Counties Served: Tuscaloosa
7th Circuit
[edit]Counties Served: Calhoun, Cleburne
8th Circuit
[edit]Counties Served: Morgan
9th Circuit
[edit]Counties Served: Cherokee, DeKalb
10th Circuit
[edit]Counties Served: Jefferson
11th Circuit
[edit]Counties Served: Lauderdale
12th Circuit
[edit]13th Circuit
[edit]Counties Served: Mobile
14th Circuit
[edit]Counties Served: Walker
15th Circuit
[edit]Counties Served: Montgomery
16th Circuit
[edit]Counties Served: Etowah
17th Circuit
[edit]Counties Served: Greene, Marengo, Sumter
Judge Eddie Hardaway is the only Judge covering all three Counties
18th Circuit
[edit]Counties Served: Shelby
19th Circuit
[edit]Counties Served: Autauga, Chilton, Elmore
20th Circuit
[edit]Counties Served: Henry, Houston
21st Circuit
[edit]Counties Served: Escambia
22nd Circuit
[edit]Counties Served: Covington
23rd Circuit
[edit]Counties Served: Madison
24th Circuit
[edit]Counties Served: Fayette, Lamar, Pickens
25th Circuit
[edit]Counties Served: Marion, Winston
26th Circuit
[edit]Counties Served: Russell
| Party | Title | Name | Seat | Duty Station | Term | Seat Up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Presiding Circuit Judge | Michael Bellamy | 1 | Phenix City | 2013–present | 2022 |
| Democratic | Circuit Judge | Albert David Johnson | 2 | Phenix City | 2014–present | 2026 |
27th Circuit
[edit]Counties Served: Marshall
28th Circuit
[edit]Counties Served: Baldwin
Circuit Court Judges
Carmen Bosch, Jody W. Bishop, C. Joseph Norton, Scott P. Taylor, J. Clark Stankoski
29th Circuit
[edit]Counties Served: Talledega
30th Circuit
[edit]Counties Served: St. Clair
31st Circuit
[edit]Counties Served: Colbert
32nd Circuit
[edit]Counties Served: Cullman
33rd Circuit
[edit]34th Circuit
[edit]Counties Served: Franklin
35th Circuit
[edit]Counties Served: Conecuh, Monroe
36th Circuit
[edit]Counties Served: Lawrence
37th Circuit
[edit]Counties Served: Lee
38th Circuit
[edit]Counties Served: Jackson
39th Circuit
[edit]Counties Served: Limestone
40th Circuit
[edit]41st Circuit
[edit]Counties Served: Blount
See also
[edit]- Courts of Alabama
- Supreme Court of Alabama
- Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals
- Alabama Court of Civil Appeals
References
[edit]- ^ a b The Guide to Alabama Courts
- ^ District Courts may hear guilty pleas in felony cases not invoking capital punishment.
- ^ Alabama Unified Judicial System Structure Archived 2010-05-27 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ Williams & Garrett, The Alabama Guide (2009)
- ^ "Search: Circuit 1". Alabama State Bar. Accessed 4 Apr. 2017
- ^ "Search: Circuit 2". Alabama State Bar. Accessed 4 Apr. 2017.
- ^ "Search: Circuit 3". Alabama State Bar. Accessed 4 Apr. 2017.
- ^ "Search: Circuit 4". Alabama State Bar. Accessed 4 Apr. 2017.