HB398 Alabama 2019 Session

Updated Feb 26, 2026

Notable

Summary

Primary Sponsor: Andrew SorrellAuditor
Republican
Session: Regular Session 2019
Title: Lauderdale Co., Judicial Commission, created to nominate to the Gov., persons to fill vacancies for circuit or district court judges, Amendment No. 819 and 918 (Section 4.10, Lauderdale Co., Local Constitutional Amendment, Recompiled Constitution of Alabama of 1901, as amended), repealed, const. amend.
Summary: HB 398 would repeal Lauderdale County's local Judicial Commission provisions by removing Amendments 819 and 918 from the Alabama Constitution, with voters deciding the change in the 2020 General Election.
What This Bill Does
It proposes a constitutional amendment to repeal Amendments 819 and 918, which created the Lauderdale County Judicial Commission to nominate people for Governor appointments to Lauderdale County circuit or district court vacancies. If the amendment is approved, the Lauderdale County Judicial Commission would be eliminated and its nomination role would end. The amendment requires an election at the 2020 General Election and follows the state's election laws for such local amendments. The ballot will include language describing the change and a Yes/No option, as outlined in the bill.

Who It Affects
Lauderdale County residents, whose local process for filling judge vacancies would be removed and who would rely on other procedures for judicial nominations in Lauderdale County.
Members of the Lauderdale County Judicial Commission and potential nominees, whose authority to nominate judges in Lauderdale County would be repealed.

Key Provisions
Repeals Amendments 819 and 918 to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, now appearing as Section 4.10, Local Amendments, Lauderdale County, Official Recompilation, which established the Lauderdale County Judicial Commission.
Provides for a 2020 General Election vote on the proposed amendment, under existing constitutional and election laws.
Specifies ballot language and Yes/No voting options to describe the proposed repeal on the ballot.
Requires official certification and procedural steps for presenting and approving the amendment.

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