SB292 Alabama 2021 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Greg AlbrittonSenator

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2021

Title

Judicial compensation, to establish a uniform pay plan for circuit judges, district judges, appellate court judges, supreme court justices, and the chief justice of the supreme court, eliminate salary supplements and expense allowance, Sec. 12-17-68 repealed

Summary

SB292 creates a uniform statewide pay plan for Alabama judges and justices, requires licensure and continuing legal education, and ends county supplements for circuit and district judges while updating salaries for district attorneys and the Attorney General.

What This Bill Does

It sets initial salaries for the chief justice, associate justices, appellate judges, circuit judges, and district judges, and then provides 7.5% salary increases for circuit and district judges after 6, 12, and 18 years of service. It also specifies how salary moves between different judicial roles should be handled based on bench experience, and protects current pay from being reduced. The bill requires all judges to be licensed attorneys and to complete at least 12 hours of approved continuing legal education annually (including 1 hour of ethics), with disciplinary action for noncompliance. It redefines district attorney and Attorney General salaries, repeals local salary supplements for circuit and district judges, and states that any compensation tied to judge pay must align with 9/30/2021 levels; the act becomes effective October 1, 2021.

Who It Affects

• Judges and justices in Alabama (chief justice, associate justices, appellate court judges, circuit judges, and district judges) — subject to a uniform state pay plan, licensure requirement, annual CLE, and specified salary increases and movement rules between roles.
• District attorneys and the Attorney General — their salaries are adjusted under the new plan (initial and subsequent increases for DAs; AG salary tied to Supreme Court salaries) and protections regarding existing compensation; counties/local entities are affected by the elimination of county salary supplements for circuit and district judges.

Key Provisions

• Establishes a uniform pay plan: chief justice $176,000; associate justices $175,000; appellate court judge $174,000 (presiding appellate judge receives an extra $500/year); circuit judge $140,000; district judge $139,000.
• Increases for circuit/district judges: 7.5% after 6 years, 7.5% after 12 years, and 7.5% after 18 years of service; bench experience rules allow adjusted initial salaries if judges move between roles.
• Judges must be licensed attorneys and complete at least 12 hours of approved continuing legal education annually (1 hour of ethics); failure to comply can lead to disciplinary action.
• Compensation of judges in service on Oct 1, 2021 cannot be diminished; any potential reduction is avoided and increases only after bench experience exceeds current pay.
• District Attorneys: initial salary equals $1,000 less than the highest paid circuit judge; newly appointed/elected DAs after Oct 1, 2021 start at $140,000; DA salaries increase by 7.5% after each of three terms.
• Attorney General: initial salary equals the salary of an Associate Justice; starting from the next term after Oct 1, 2021, the AG's salary equals the Chief Justice's salary; increases occur after term completion.
• Eliminates county salary supplements and expense allowances for circuit and district judges; local conflicting laws are repealed; all such compensation must come from the State Treasury.
• Section 4 sets rules for compensation tied to judge pay for other state officials or subdivisions, basing those pay levels on the judge/justice pay as of Sep 30, 2021.
• Section 5 ratifies existing pay scales approved before Oct 1, 2021.
• Section 6 repeals Section 12-17-68, which previously governed local salary supplements for district court judges.
• Effective date: October 1, 2021.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 23, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Judicial Compensation