SB144 Alabama 2023 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Will BarfootSenator

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2023

Title

To provide for additional circuit judgeships and additional district judgeships to be funded out of the State General Fund in Fiscal Years 2024, 2025, and 2026; and to provide for the authority of the judges and for the compensation and benefits of the judges.

Summary

SB144 would add 13 new judgeships (8 circuit and 5 district) across Alabama from 2024 to 2026, funded by the State General Fund, with rules on where they sit, how they are elected, and how they are paid.

What This Bill Does

The bill creates new circuit and district judgeships in several circuits and counties, naming where each seat sits and, in at least one case, which division the judge will join. These seats would be filled at the next general election after the act becomes law, with initial six-year terms. Payment and benefits would follow existing judge compensation rules, with no salary supplements for judges first elected after October 1, 2001. Funding for these positions comes from the State General Fund to the Unified Judicial System in the specified fiscal years (2024, 2025, 2026) as each group of seats is created.

Who It Affects

• Judges and court system staff: gain 13 new judgeships across multiple circuits and counties, with specified residency options and divisions, and follow existing pay/benefits rules.
• Counties, voters, and taxpayers in the affected areas: counties listed (Lauderdale; Autauga, Chilton, Elmore; Baldwin; DeKalb; Tuscaloosa; Madison; Lee; Mobile; Shelby) will have new judges; funding for salaries/benefits comes from the State General Fund.

Key Provisions

• FY2024: create 3 additional circuit judgeships (Eleventh Circuit Judgeship 4 in Lauderdale County; Nineteenth Circuit Judgeship 4 in Autauga/Chilton/Elmore; Twenty-eighth Circuit Judgeship 6 in Baldwin) and 2 additional district judgeships (Baldwin District 3; DeKalb District 2).
• FY2024: the judge for Nineteenth Circuit Judgeship 4 may reside anywhere in the 19th Circuit and shall be assigned to the domestic relations division.
• FY2025: create 3 additional circuit judgeships (Sixth Circuit Judgeship 7 in Tuscaloosa; Twenty-third Circuit Judgeship 9 in Madison; Thirty-seventh Circuit Judgeship 4 in Lee) and 2 additional district judgeships (Mobile District 6; Shelby District 3).
• FY2026: create 2 additional circuit judgeships (Nineteenth Circuit Judgeship 5 in Autauga/Chilton/Elmore; Twenty-eighth Circuit Judgeship 7 in Baldwin) and 1 additional district judgeship (Madison District 5).
• Initial elections: the new judgeships created under subsections (a) of Sections 1–3 will be filled at the next general election after the act becomes law.
• Term length and office: initial judges will serve a six-year term starting after the general election, with full powers and duties of their office.
• Compensation and benefits: initial judges’ pay follows Chapter 10A, Title 12 of the Alabama Code, including the rule that those elected after October 1, 2001 may not receive salary supplements or expense allowances.
• Funding: the new judgeships in Section 1 are funded from the State General Fund to the Unified Judicial System beginning in FY2024; Section 2 funding begins in FY2025; Section 3 funding begins in FY2026.
• Effective dates: Section 1 becomes effective immediately; Section 2 effective October 1, 2024; Section 3 effective October 1, 2025.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 22, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.