![Seal of the Unified Judicial System of Alabama](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/55/Seal_of_the_Unified_Judicial_System_of_Alabama.svg)
The Alabama Court of Civil Appeals is one of two
appellate courts
A court of appeals, also called a court of appeal, appellate court, appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In much of ...
in the
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
judicial system. The court was established in 1969 when what had been one unitary state Court of Appeals was broken into a criminal appeals court and a civil appeals court. The unified Court of Appeals had been operative since 1911. The initial court's members were appointed by Governor
Albert P. Brewer. The court is currently housed in the
Alabama Judicial Building
Heflin-Torbert Judicial Building, commonly called the Alabama Judicial Building, is a state government building in Montgomery, Alabama. It houses several state judicial agencies, most notably the Supreme Court of Alabama, Alabama Court of Civil A ...
in
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 202 ...
. Judges on the court are elected in partisan elections on staggard six year terms. Today, the court's membership is all Republican but it was composed of just Democrats between 1969 and 1989. At that time, Republican Governor
Guy Hunt
Harold Guy Hunt (June 17, 1933 – January 30, 2009) was an American politician, pastor, and convicted felon who served as the 49th governor of Alabama from 1987 to 1993. He was the first Republican to serve as governor of the state since Re ...
appointed Robert J. Russell to the bench on April 16, 1989 thus becoming the first Republican on the court. Ironically, Russell was defeated for re-election in 1990 but was again appointed almost immediately to another vacancy on the court by Governor Hunt in January 1991.
The Court of Civil Appeals hears
civil
Civil may refer to:
*Civic virtue, or civility
*Civil action, or lawsuit
* Civil affairs
*Civil and political rights
*Civil disobedience
*Civil engineering
*Civil (journalism), a platform for independent journalism
*Civilian, someone not a membe ...
matters, including those related to domestic situations such as
divorce
Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the ...
, adoptions,
child custody
Child custody is a legal term regarding '' guardianship'' which is used to describe the legal and practical relationship between a parent or guardian and a child in that person's care. Child custody consists of ''legal custody'', which is the righ ...
, etc. They will rule on cases appealed from certain state administrative agencies, such as worker's compensation. The Court of Civil Appeals also has
jurisdiction
Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' + 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United States, areas of jurisdiction apply to local, state, and federal levels.
Jur ...
in civil appeals where the amount in controversy does not exceed $50,000.
The Court of Civil Appeals has jurisdiction of all appeals from administrative agencies in which a judgment was rendered in the circuit court. The court also exercises jurisdiction over appeals in workmen's compensation cases and domestic relations cases, including annulment, divorce,
alimony
Alimony, also called aliment (Scotland), maintenance (England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Wales, Canada, New Zealand), spousal support (U.S., Canada) and spouse maintenance (Australia), is a legal obligation on a person to provide financial suppo ...
, child support, adoption, and child custody cases.
The Clerk of the Court is Rebecca C. Oates.
Judges of the court
Election of judges
Judges are elected to the court in statewide partisan elections for six-year terms on the court. However, the Governor may fill vacancies should they occur during a term of office. On November 6, 2012, Judge Tommy Bryan was elected to the Alabama Supreme Court and upon his resignation, Governor Bentley appointed Tuscaloosa Circuit Judge, Scott Donaldson to the seat on January 15, 2013. The other four judges came to their positions through election. By statute, the senior judge of the Civil Appeals Court serves as its Presiding Judge. William Thompson, is the Presiding Judge. He was first elected in 1996, when he was only 34 years old. Judge Thompson is today the longest serving of any statewide judge in Alabama.
Current judges
Judge
Craig Sorrell Pittman retired at the end of his most recent term and did not seek re-nomination in the June, 2018 primary. The seat was won by Christy O. Edwards, who first defeated fellow Republican, Michelle Thomason, the presiding District Judge of Baldwin County in the primary and then went on to win the General Election in November, 2018. Chad Arthur Hanson defeated incumbent Judge
Terri Willingham Thomas
Terri Willingham Thomas (born October 13, 1964) was a Judge of the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals from 2007–2019.
Early life and education
Thomas was born October 13, 1964. She earned undergraduate degrees from Athens State University and Wal ...
for re-nomoination and then won that seat in the November election. Judge Donaldson has already announced that he will retire at the end of his current term and therefore, did not seek re-election in 2020. Donaldson's seat was won uncontested in the General Election by
Matt Fridy following his primary win.
Qualifications
To serve on the court, a person must:
* Be licensed to practice law in the state of Alabama and have 10 years practice experience as a lawyer.
* Have resided in the state for a minimum of one year.
* Be no more than 70 years of age at time of appointment or election.
About the Alabama appellate courts
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Former judges of Court of Civil Appeals
* Tommy Bryan
Tommy may refer to:
People
* Tommy (given name)
* Tommy Atkins, or just Tommy, a slang term for a common soldier in the British Army
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* ''Tommy'' (1931 film), a Soviet drama film
* ''Tommy'' (1975 fil ...
(R)
* Glenn Murdock (R)
* Sharon G. Yates (D)-p
* John Crawley
John Paul Crawley (born 21 September 1971) is a former English first-class cricketer who played at international level for England and county cricket for Hampshire and Lancashire. Crawley, one of three brothers who all played first-class crick ...
(R)-p
* William E. Robertson (D)-p
* Roger M. Monroe (D)
* Charles A. Thigpen (D)
* Robert J. Russell (R)
* Kenneth F. Ingram (D)-p
* Richard L. Holmes (D)-p
* Robert P. Bradley (D)-p
* L. Charles Wright (D)-p
* T. Werth Thagard (D)-p
* Terri Willingham Thomas
Terri Willingham Thomas (born October 13, 1964) was a Judge of the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals from 2007–2019.
Early life and education
Thomas was born October 13, 1964. She earned undergraduate degrees from Athens State University and Wal ...
(R) (2007–2019)
* Craig Sorrell Pittman (R) (2001–2019)
* Scott Donaldson
Scott Donaldson (born 19 March 1994) is a Scottish professional snooker player.
Donaldson turned professional in 2012 after winning the 2012 EBSA European Snooker Championship and gained a two-year tour card for the 2012–13 and 2013–14 ...
(R) (2013-2021)
p = served as Presiding Judge
See also
* Supreme Court of Alabama
The Supreme Court of Alabama is the highest court in the state of Alabama. The court consists of a chief justice and eight associate justices. Each justice is elected in partisan elections for staggered six-year terms. The Supreme Court is hous ...
* Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County
, LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham
, area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...
References
External links
Alabama Court of Civil Appeals
History of the Alabama judiciary
{{State Intermediate Appellate Courts
Alabama state courts
1969 establishments in Alabama
Courts and tribunals established in 1969
State appellate courts of the United States