Alabama
Alabama’s highest court is the Supreme Court of Alabama. The court has eight associate justices and one chief justice. Justices serve six-year terms and are selected by popular vote. (Source: Alabama Supreme Court; Alabama Constitution)
Judicial Selection
Justices on the Supreme Court of Alabama are elected to six-year terms through partisan elections, and they may seek additional terms through partisan elections. There is no limit on the number of terms a justice may serve. The governor fills interim vacancies when a seat opens before the end of a term. The appointed justice holds office until Alabama’s next general election more than two years after they were appointed. Justices may not be appointed or elected after age 70.
State Constitution
Alabama has had seven constitutions adopted between 1819 and 2022. As of January 1, 2024, had 0 amendments. (Source: John Dinan, 2024)
Read more about Alabama’s constitution: The Alabama Constitution: Despite a Century of Updates, Traces of its Racist Past Linger.
Filters
Arrest of Black Pastor for Refusing to Show ID Reaches Alabama Supreme Court
A federal trial court asked the state high court to weigh in on whether police violated the law when they arrested a man who was watering his neighbors’ garden.
State Law Gives Litigators Extra Tools to Counter Originalism
Unique features of state courts allow lawyers to go beyond arguments available in federal courts.
The Untold Story of 150 Years of Women in State Judiciaries
A focus on the U.S. Constitution and federal judges has obscured a longer and more complex history of women serving on state benches — and how state constitutions mattered in their rise.
New Year Scholarship Roundup: Federal-State Conflict, State Courts, and Election Administration
Several new articles explore state power in times of federal-state and interstate conflict.
Who’s Hiring State Supreme Court Clerks?
State-by-state information to aid law students and young attorneys in securing a state clerkship.
Voting Rights and Democracy in State Courts
Transcript of panel from Symposium: The Power of State Constitutional Rights
State Constitutional Amendments and State Conventions
Transcript of panel from Symposium: The Power of State Constitutional Rights
The Diversity of Rights in State Constitutions
Transcript of panel from Symposium: The Power of State Constitutional Rights