InAlabama, 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, which are outlined in the sections below.

Click a link for information about that court type.

• Federal courts
• State supreme court
• State court of appeals
• Trial courts

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.

Judicial selection process

See also:Judicial selection in Alabama andAlabama judicial elections

Thenine justices of theAlabama Supreme Court,five judges of theAlabama Court of Civil Appeals, andfive judges of theAlabama Court of Criminal Appeals are selected inpartisan elections. They appear on partisan election ballots statewide and must face re-election if they wish to serve again. Judges on these courts are elected to six-year terms.

The146 judges of thecircuit courts are selected to six-year terms inpartisan elections. Only voters residing in a particular circuit may vote for the circuit judge of that region.^[1]

Alabama'slimited jurisdiction courts (thedistrict courts,probate courts andmunicipal courts) vary in their selection processes.District court andprobate court judges are elected to six-year terms in partisan elections.Municipal court judges are appointed to terms of varying lengths by the governing body of their municipality.

To read more about judicial elections in Alabama,click here.

Federal courts

Thefederal district courts in Alabama are the:

• United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama
• United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama
• United States District Court for the Southern District of Alabama

Appeals from these districts go to theU.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit.

Active judges

Middle District

The list below displays the number of active judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences.

• Democratic appointed: 0
• Republican appointed: 3

Northern District

The list below displays the number of active judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences.

• Democratic appointed: 1
• Republican appointed: 7

Southern District

The list below displays the number of active judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences.

• Democratic appointed: 0
• Republican appointed: 3

District map

Judicial selection

Judges who sit on the federal district courts are nominated by thepresident of the United States and confirmed by theUnited States Senate. These judges serve life terms. To read more about the judges on these courts, clickhere.

Bankruptcy courts

There are threefederal bankruptcy courts in Alabama. These courts have subject-matter jurisdiction over bankruptcy cases. The federal bankruptcy courts in Alabama are:

• United States bankruptcy court, Middle District of Alabama
• United States bankruptcy court, Northern District of Alabama
• United States bankruptcy court, Southern District of Alabama

State supreme court

See also:Alabama Supreme Court

Alabama Supreme Court
Court Information
Justices: 9
Founded: 1819
Location:Montgomery
Salary
Associates: $207,625[2]
Judicial Selection
Method:Partisan elections
Term: 6 years
Active justices
Tommy Bryan,Greg Cook,Chris McCool,Brad Mendheim,Will Parker,William Sellers,Greg Shaw,Sarah Stewart,Kelli Wise

TheAlabama Supreme Court is the state'scourt 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 isSarah 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.^[3] The supreme court was established byArticle 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 lastDemocrat to sit on the court.^[4][5]

The Alabama Supreme Court meets in the Heflin-Torbert Judicial Building in Montgomery, Alabama.^[6]

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.

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.^[3]

The table below lists the current judges of theAlabama Supreme Court and the appointing governor.

State court of appeals

Civil appeals

See also:Alabama Court of Civil Appeals

TheAlabama Court of Civil Appeals is one of twointermediate appellate courts in theAlabama judicial system. This court considers civil matters, including those related to domestic situations such as divorce, adoptions, child custody, etc. Judges of these courts rule on cases appealed from certain state administrative agencies, such as workers' compensation. The Court of Civil Appeals also has jurisdiction in civil appeals where the amount in controversy does not exceed $50,000.

The following judges sit on the court:

Criminal appeals

See also:Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals

TheAlabama Court of Criminal Appeals is one of twointermediate appellate courts in theAlabama judicial system. The Court of Criminal Appeals hears appeals on felony and misdemeanor cases that have been decided at the circuit court level. Unlike the civil appellate court, the Court of Criminal Appeals can hear cases in panels. The presiding judge has the ability, if he or she chooses, to designate three judges to sit on a panel and decide cases.

The following judges sit on the court:

Trial courts

Circuit courts

See also:Alabama Circuit Courts

TheAlabama Circuit Courts are trial courts of general jurisdiction. These courts are where the majority of legal matters in Alabama can be addressed. The Circuit Courts have jurisdiction over all felony prosecutions and in proceedings where the disputed amount is more than $10,000. They may also exercise jurisdiction in juvenile courts, in proceedings where the disputed amount is more than $3,000, and in certain appeals from lower courts.

The map below shows each of those circuits by county.

Alabama Circuit Courts

District courts

See also:Alabama District Courts

TheAlabama District Courts are trial courts of limited jurisdiction that handle the cases where the dollar amount in question is more than $3,000 (small claims) but less than $10,000 (circuit court). District courts also have jurisdiction over criminal misdemeanors and may conduct preliminary hearings in felony prosecutions.

Municipal courts

See also:Alabama Municipal Courts

TheAlabama Municipal Courts are trial courts of limited jurisdiction that preside over cases involving municipal violations and criminal misdemeanors that fall within a city's police jurisdiction. Most Alabama cities have a municipal court.

Probate courts

See also:Alabama Probate Courts

TheAlabama Probate Courts are trial courts of limited jurisdiction that hear cases regarding wills, estates, guardianship of minors, partition of land, and name changes.

Juvenile courts

Juvenile courts are trial courts of limited jurisdiction over criminal and civil cases where the parties involved are under the age of 18. The juvenile court proceedings are considered confidential, a feature which applies only to juvenile courts in Alabama.

Small claims court

TheSmall Claims Court, a division of the district court, is a trial court of limited jurisdiction that hears cases concerning matters of less than $3,000.^[7]

In other states

See also

• Judicial selection in Alabama
• Alabama judicial elections

External links

Suggest a link

• Search Google News for this topic
• Alabama Judicial System
• Alabama Supreme Court

Footnotes

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