Alabama Circuit Courts

State trial courts in Alabama

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

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Counties Served: Choctaw, Clarke, Washington

Circuit Seats: Choctaw County Courthouse (Butler), Clarke County Courthouse (Grove Hill), Washington County Courthouse (Chatom)

Current Judges[5] Title | Name | Seat | Duty Station | Term | Seat Up

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Presiding Circuit Judge | Gaines C. McCorquodale | 1 | Grove Hill | 2009–present | 2022
Circuit Judge | Charles R. Montgomery | 2 | Chatom | 2010–present | 2022

## 2nd Circuit

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Counties Served: Butler, Crenshaw, Lowndes

District Seats: Butler County Courthouse (Greenville), Crenshaw County Courthouse (Luverne), Lowndes County Courthouse (Hayneville)

Current Judge[6] Title | Name | Duty Station | Term | Seat Up

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Presiding Circuit Judge | Terri Bozeman Lovell | Greenville | 2010–present | 2018

## 3rd Circuit

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Counties Served: Barbour, Bullock

District Seats: Barbour County Courthouse (Clayton), Bullock County Courthouse (Union Springs)

Current Judge[7] Title | Name | Duty Station | Term | Seat Up

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Presiding Circuit Judge | Leon Bernard Smithart | Union Springs | 1999–present | 2022

## 4th Circuit

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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)

Current Judges[8] Title | Name | Seat | Duty Station | Term | Seat Up

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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

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Counties Served: Chambers, Macon, Randolph, Tallapoosa

## 6th Circuit

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Counties Served: Tuscaloosa

## 7th Circuit

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Counties Served: Calhoun, Cleburne

## 8th Circuit

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Counties Served: Morgan

## 9th Circuit

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Counties Served: Cherokee, DeKalb

## 10th Circuit

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Counties Served: Jefferson

## 11th Circuit

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Counties Served: Lauderdale

## 12th Circuit

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Counties Served: Coffee, Pike

## 13th Circuit

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Counties Served: Mobile

## 14th Circuit

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Counties Served: Walker

## 15th Circuit

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Counties Served: Montgomery

## 16th Circuit

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Counties Served: Etowah

## 17th Circuit

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Counties Served: Greene, Marengo, Sumter

Judge Eddie Hardaway is the only Judge covering all three Counties

## 18th Circuit

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Counties Served: Shelby

## 19th Circuit

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Counties Served: Autauga, Chilton, Elmore

## 20th Circuit

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Counties Served: Henry, Houston

## 21st Circuit

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Counties Served: Escambia

## 22nd Circuit

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Counties Served: Covington

## 23rd Circuit

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Counties Served: Madison

## 24th Circuit

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Judge: Sam Junkin

Counties Served: Fayette, Lamar, and Pickens.

District Seats: Fayette Courthouse (Fayette), Lamar Courthouse (Vernon), Pickens Courthouse (Carrollton).

## 25th Circuit

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Counties Served: Marion, Winston

## 26th Circuit

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Counties Served: Russell

Current Judges  Party | Title | Name | Seat | Duty Station | Term | Seat Up

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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

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Counties Served: Marshall

## 28th Circuit

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Counties Served: Baldwin

Circuit Court Judges

Carmen Bosch, Jody W. Bishop, C. Joseph Norton, Scott P. Taylor, J. Clark Stankoski

## 29th Circuit

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Counties Served: Talledega

## 30th Circuit

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Counties Served: St. Clair

## 31st Circuit

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Counties Served: Colbert

## 32nd Circuit

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Counties Served: Cullman

## 33rd Circuit

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Counties Served: Dale, Geneva

## 34th Circuit

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Counties Served: Franklin

## 35th Circuit

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Counties Served: Conecuh, Monroe

## 36th Circuit

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Counties Served: Lawrence

## 37th Circuit

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Counties Served: Lee

## 38th Circuit

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Counties Served: Jackson

## 39th Circuit

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Counties Served: Limestone

## 40th Circuit

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Counties Served: Clay, Coosa

## 41st Circuit

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Counties Served: Blount

## See also

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* Courts of Alabama
* Supreme Court of Alabama
* Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals
* Alabama Court of Civil Appeals

## References

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1. ^ a b The Guide to Alabama Courts
2. ^ District Courts may hear guilty pleas in felony cases not invoking capital punishment.
3. ^ Alabama Unified Judicial System Structure Archived 2010-05-27 at the Wayback Machine.
4. ^ Williams & Garrett, The Alabama Guide (2009)
5. ^ "Search: Circuit 1". Alabama State Bar. Accessed 4 Apr. 2017
6. ^ "Search: Circuit 2". Alabama State Bar. Accessed 4 Apr. 2017.
7. ^ "Search: Circuit 3". Alabama State Bar. Accessed 4 Apr. 2017.
8. ^ "Search: Circuit 4". Alabama State Bar. Accessed 4 Apr. 2017.