SB39 Alabama 2023 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Sam GivhanSenator

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2023

Title

Relating to judges; to provide for additional circuit judgeships and additional district judgeships; to provide for the authority of the judges and for the compensation and benefits of the judges; to prohibit the Judicial Resources Allocation Commission from reallocating any vacant judgeships until January 1, 2027; and to require the Administrative Office of Courts to provide certain statistical data annually.

Summary

SB39 would add numerous new circuit and district judgeships across several Alabama circuits and counties, set rules for their pay and duties, pause vacancy reallocations until 2027, and require annual court statistics.

What This Bill Does

It creates several new circuit judgeships in various circuits (Eleventh CJ4; Nineteenth CJ4 and CJ5; Twenty-Third CJ9; Twenty-Eighth CJ6; Sixth CJ7; Thirty-Seventh CJ4; plus additional district seats in Baldwin, DeKalb, Mobile, Madison, and Shelby counties). Some new seats specify residency within the circuit and, for at least one Nineteenth Circuit seat, assignment to the domestic relations division. The initial elections for these new seats are staggered (2024 for the Section 1 seats and 2026 for the Section 2 seats), with six-year terms starting after the election, and pay is governed by existing compensation rules (no salary supplements for some judges elected after October 1, 2021). The bill also pauses the Judicial Resources Allocation Commission’s reallocation of vacant seats through January 1, 2027 and requires the Administrative Office of Courts to publish detailed annual statistics by circuit. Finally, it becomes effective immediately upon governor’s approval.

Who It Affects

• Residents, attorneys, and litigants in the affected circuits and counties who may experience changes in court resources and caseload handling due to the additional judgeships.
• Judges, judicial candidates, and court administrators who will fill the new seats, manage compensation under existing rules, and compile and report the required statistics.

Key Provisions

• Creates new circuit judgeships: Eleventh Circuit (CJ Number 4); Nineteenth Circuit (CJ Number 4 with residency within the circuit and assigned to the domestic relations division); Twenty-Third Circuit (CJ Number 9); Twenty-Eighth Circuit (CJ Number 6).
• Creates additional circuit judgeships: Sixth Circuit (CJ Number 7); Nineteenth Circuit (CJ Number 5); Twenty-Eighth Circuit (CJ Number 7); Thirty-Seventh Circuit (CJ Number 4).
• Creates new district judgeships: Baldwin County (District Judgeship Number 3); DeKalb County (District Judgeship Number 2); Mobile County (District Judgeship Number 6); Madison County (District Judgeship Number 5); Shelby County (District Judgeship Number 3).
• Filling schedule: Section 1 seats to be filled at the 2024 General Election; Section 2 seats to be filled at the 2026 General Election.
• Term length and duties: initial judges elected to the new seats serve six-year terms, with full jurisdiction, powers, rights, and duties, and qualifications as other judges.
• Compensation: pay for the new judges follows Chapter 10B of Title 12, with the restriction that judges first elected or appointed after October 1, 2021 may not receive a salary supplement or expense allowance.
• Moratorium on reallocations: a pause on the Judicial Resources Allocation Commission reallocating vacant judgeships through January 1, 2027.
• Annual statistics: Administrative Office of Courts must provide circuit-by-circuit annual statistics on various caseload and court activity categories, and share this information with specified legislative and judicial leaders by January 15 each year.
• Effective date: immediate upon passage and governor’s approval.

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