SB335 Alabama 2021 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Greg AlbrittonSenator

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2021

Title

Courts, Twenty-eighth Judicial Circuit, Thirteenth Judicial Circuit, Twenty-third Judicial Circuit, Thirty-Seventh Judicial Circuit, Seventeenth Judicial Circuit, Eleventh Judicial Circuit, additional circuit judge, compensation, election

Summary

The bill adds six new circuit judge positions in six Alabama circuits and sets how they’re filled and paid.

What This Bill Does

It creates six new circuit judgeships designated as numbers 6 (Twenty-eighth/Baldwin), 12 (Thirteenth/Mobile), 8 (Twenty-third/Madison), 4 (Thirty-seventh/Lee), 2 (Seventeenth/Marengo-Greene-Sumter), and 4 (Eleventh/Lauderdale). The initial judges will serve under the Alabama Constitution and have full circuit-jurisdiction powers and duties, with the positions filled through the normal vacancy process and effective October 1, 2021. Compensation for these judges will follow Chapter 10A of Title 12, including a rule that no judge first elected or appointed after October 1, 2001 shall receive a salary supplement or expense allowance.

Who It Affects

• Residents of Baldwin County, Mobile County, Madison County, Lee County, Marengo/Greene/Sumter Counties, and Lauderdale County, who will gain additional circuit-level judicial resources.
• Individuals who may become or are appointed as judges to these new seats, who will operate under the constitutional process and the state pay rules, including the salary-supplement restriction for those first elected or appointed after October 1, 2001.

Key Provisions

• Creates six additional circuit judgeships in six circuits with specific designations (Sixth in Twenty-eighth, Twelfth in Thirteenth, Eighth in Twenty-third, Fourth in Thirty-seventh, Second in Seventeenth, Fourth in Eleventh).
• Fills these positions through the standard vacancy process and makes them effective October 1, 2021.
• Appointed judges will have full jurisdiction, powers, rights, and duties of circuit judges and operate under Section 153 of the Alabama Constitution.
• Compensation for these judges is set under Chapter 10A of Title 12, including the restriction that no judge first elected or appointed after October 1, 2001 shall receive a salary supplement or expense allowance.

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

Subjects

Courts