Alabama Circuit Courts
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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 smallest population counties in the state.
Circuit Judges are elected to six-year terms in partisan elections with no limit on the number of terms excepting that no judge may seek re-election once he/she passes the age of seventy years. 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, a limited number of the circuits (i.e., 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
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
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
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
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
Jurisdiction- Tallappoosa, Chambers, Macon, and Randolph counties.
6th Circuit
Jurisdiction- Tuscaloosa County
7th Circuit
Jurisdiction- Calhoun and Cleburne counties.
8th Circuit
Jurisdiction- Morgan County.
9th Circuit
Jurisdiction- Dekalb and Cherokee counties.
10th Circuit
Jurisdiction- Jefferson County.
11th Circuit
Jurisdiction- Lauderdale County.
12th Circuit
Jurisdiction- Pike and Coffee counties.
13th Circuit
Jurisdiction- Mobile County.
14th Circuit
Jurisdiction- Walker County.
15th Circuit
Jurisdiction- Montgomery County.
16th Circuit
Jurisdiction- Etowah County.
17th Circuit
Jurisdiction- Marengo, Sumter, and Greene counties. Judge Eddie Hardaway is the only Judge covering all three Counties
18th Circuit
Jurisdiction- Shelby County.
19th Circuit
Jurisdiction- Autauga, Chilton, and Elmore counties.
20th Circuit
Jurisdiction- Houston and Henry Counties.
21st Circuit
Jurisdiction- Escambia County.
22nd Circuit
Jurisdiction- Covington County.
23rd Circuit
Jurisdiction- Madison County.
24th Circuit
Jurisdiction- Lamar, Fayette, and Pickens counties.
25th Circuit
Jurisdiction- Marion and Winston counties.
26th Circuit
Jurisdiction- Russell County.
27th Circuit
Jurisdiction- Marshall County.
28th Circuit
Covering Baldwin County Alabama
Circuit Court Judges
Carmen Bosch, Jody W. Bishop, C. Joseph Norton, Scott P. Taylor, J. Clark Stankoski
29th Circuit
Jurisdiction- Talledega County.
30th Circuit
Jurisdiction- Saint Claire County.
31st Circuit
Jurisdiction- Colbert County.
32nd Circuit
Jurisdiction- Cullman County.
33rd Circuit
Jurisdiction- Dale and Geneva Counties.
34th Circuit
Jurisdiction- Franklin County.
35th Circuit
Jurisdiction- Conecuh and Monroe counties.
36th Circuit
Jurisdiction- Lawrence County.
37th Circuit
Jurisdiction- Lee County.
38th Circuit
Jurisdiction- Jackson County.
39th Circuit
Jurisdiction- Limestone County.
40th Circuit
Jurisdiction- Clay and Coosa counties.
41st Circuit
Jurisdiction- Blount County.
See also
- Courts of Alabama
- Supreme Court of Alabama
- Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals
- Alabama Court of Civil Appeals
References
- ^ 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.