SB227 Alabama 2025 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Will BarfootSenator

Republican

Session

2025 Regular Session

Title

Courts, compensation of certain judicial officials and district attorneys further provided for

Summary

SB227 would raise and standardize pay for Alabama judges and district attorneys, add cost-of-living adjustments, and shield salaries from reductions, while pursuing a constitutional change on when district attorneys’ pay can be adjusted.

What This Bill Does

It sets baseline 2021 salaries for key judicial offices and allows cost-of-living adjustments to adjust those amounts. It adds a 7.5% salary increase for circuit and district judges after 6, 12, and 18 years of service, with similar step increases for chief justice, Supreme Court justices, and appellate court judges. It removes county salary supplements for judges and district attorneys, requiring most pay to come from the State Treasury, and establishes specific DA salary rules for current and new DAs, tied to bench experience and COLAs. It also includes a proposed constitutional amendment to limit when district attorneys’ salaries may be changed, with the act taking effect on October 1, 2025.

Who It Affects

• District attorneys: existing DAs as of October 1, 2021 would be paid a salary equal to the highest paid circuit judge minus $1,000; new DAs would start at $140,000; DA salaries would increase by 7.5% after each term (up to three terms) and would be adjusted by COLAs; salaries would be paid by the State Treasury with no county supplements.
• Judges and justices: base salaries for the Chief Justice, associate justices, appellate court judges, circuit judges, and district judges would be set and adjusted over time with cost-of-living adjustments and automatic increases after specified years of service; all such compensation would come from the State Treasury, with local county salary supplements generally eliminated; moves between courts would use appropriate bench experience and base amounts.

Key Provisions

• Amends Sections 12-10B-1 and 12-10B-3 to remove restrictions on district attorney salary increases and to set base salaries and COLA adjustments for judges, with salaries to be paid by the State Treasury and not by counties.
• Establishes 2021 base salaries: Chief Justice $176,000; Associate Supreme Court Justice $175,000; Appellate Court Presiding Judge $174,000 plus $500/year; Circuit Judge $140,000; District Judge $139,000, with adjustments by the Administrative Office of Courts for COLA after Oct 1, 2021.
• Judges’ salary increases: 7.5% increases for circuit and district judges after 6, 12, and 18 years of service; similar 7.5% increases after 6, 12, and 18 years for Chief Justice, Supreme Court justices, and appellate judges.
• 12-17-182 changes: existing district attorneys serving on Oct 1, 2021 get a salary equal to the highest circuit judge minus $1,000; new DAs start at $140,000 and receive 7.5% increases after each term; COLAs enacted by the Legislature not yet granted will be added; DA salaries are protected from diminution and will be funded from the state.
• Local salary supplements for judges and district attorneys are restricted; compensation for Oct 1, 2021 and beyond must be based on state-provided salaries, with local additions limited by the new rules.
• Effective date: this act would become effective October 1, 2025, with the accompanying constitutional amendment addressing when DA salaries may be altered.

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

Subjects

Courts & Judges