Alabama Supreme Court
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The Alabama Supreme Court was founded in 1819, as provided in the state constitution, and as the paramount state court, it has both judicial and administrative responsibilities. The first court convened in May 1820 in Cahaba, and the initial judges were: C. C. Clay, Reuben Saffold, Henry Y. Webb, and Richard Ellis. Hon. A. S. Lipscomb, the final member of the initial court, was absent from the first meeting. C.C. Clay was nominated and subsequently elected chief justice by a vote of his peers. [1] As the highest court, it has the prerogative to review decisions made in lower state courts, and has the exclusive privilege to settle monetary disputes above $50,000. [2]
Until 1868, any given prospective judge had to be approved by a joint vote of both the state legislature and the General Assembly, but after the Civil War, part of southern reconstruction measures required judges be put to popular vote.
Election and appointment
All justices and judges in the Alabama court system, with the exception of municipal court judges, are elected by the qualified voters of a respective court's jurisdiction for six-year terms in partisan elections. Judges of the municipal courts are not elected to office but are appointed by the governing body of the municipality. Full-time municipal court judges are appointed for four-year terms, while part-time municipal judges are appointed for two-year terms.
Supreme Court Justices and judges of the other two appellate courts (the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals and the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals) are elected statewide in partisan elections and may live anywhere in the state.[3] The Supreme Court is comprised of eight Associate Justices and one Chief Justice.
A vacancy in a judicial position occurs when a judge dies, resigns, retires, or is removed from office. Vacancies in state judicial positions are filled by appointments made by the governor. Vacancies in municipal court positions are filled by appointments made by the municipal governing bodies.[4]
Jurisdiction
The Supreme Court is Alabama's highest court and has the authority to review the decisions reached by the lower courts. The Supreme Court is also authorized to review matters of contention where the dollar amount in question exceeds $50,000 (if no other Alabama court has jurisdiction).
Current justices
Justices on the Alabama Supreme court are elected to six year terms in partisan elections.
Removal from office
Judges in Alabama can be removed in one of two ways:
- They may be impeached.
- The judicial inquiry commission will investigate complaints against judges and produce a filed complaint with the court of the judiciary. This court may censure, suspend, or remove the judge in question. These decisions, however, may be appealled to the Supreme Court.
See also
External links
- Alabama Supreme Court Justice Harold See: His Twelve-Year Legacy -- A Special Issue Report (October 2008)
- Staying the Course: An Update on the Alabama Supreme Court by Marc James Ayers (October 2006)
- The Road Back from "Tort Hell": The Alabama Supreme Court, 1994-2004
- Fringe Tactics: Special Interest Groups Target Judicial Races
- Alabama Supreme Court
- Alabama judicial system chart
References
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