HB280 Alabama 2019 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Matt Fridy

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2019

Title

Elections, courts, supreme court and courts of appeal, judicial seats further provided for

Summary

This bill would permanently standardize the naming of judicial seats on Alabama's supreme court and courts of appeals by assigning fixed Place numbers to each seat starting with the 2020 elections.

What This Bill Does

It creates permanent Place numbers for each seat on the Supreme Court, Court of Criminal Appeals, and Court of Civil Appeals. It specifies exact mappings from how seats were labeled in past elections (such as Place No. 1–4 in 2018, and other Place numbers in 2016 and 2014) to the new fixed Place numbers. The change takes effect starting with the 2020 statewide election and aims to make ballot labeling consistent across future elections, without changing the number of seats or their terms.

Who It Affects

• Voters in Alabama voting for the Supreme Court and the Court of Criminal Appeals and Court of Civil Appeals, who will see fixed Place numbers on ballots starting with the 2020 elections.
• Election officials, ballot designers, and county boards of registrars responsible for implementing and maintaining the permanent Place-name labeling on ballots.

Key Provisions

• Establish permanent Place numbers for each seat on the Supreme Court, the Court of Criminal Appeals, and the Court of Civil Appeals, with specific mappings from prior election ballots (e.g., 2018, 2016, and 2014 Place designations) to the new fixed Place numbers.
• Apply the new labeling starting with the 2020 statewide election and maintain these permanent Place numbers in future elections.
• Set the act to become effective on the first day of the third month after its passage and approval by the Governor (or once it becomes law by other means).

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 24, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Courts