The Alabama Circuit Courts are the state trial courts of general jurisdiction in the State of Alabama. The Circuit Courts have jurisdiction to hear civil and criminal cases. For civil cases, the courts has authority to try cases with an amount in controversy of more than $3,000 and has exclusive original jurisdiction over claims for more than $10,000. The Circuit Courts are the criminal trial courts for most felony charges, and for some misdemeanors and lesser included offenses. The Circuit Courts also have appellate jurisdiction over certain cases arising from the Alabama District Courts (the trial courts of limited jurisdiction in Alabama).
The state has 146 Circuit Court judges divided among 41 judicial circuits with the number of judges to each circuit set by acts of the Alabama Legislature. The legislature distribution is roughly based upon caseloads of the various circuits. The largest circuit in the state is the 10th Judicial Circuit which encompasses Jefferson County (approximately 20 % of the state's population) and is the seat of 27 of the judges. The smallest circuits are the 2nd, 3rd, 24th, 34th, 35th, 36th, 40th, and 41st which each contain just a single judge and represent many of the smallest population counties in the state.
Circuit Judges are elected to six-year terms in partisan elections with no limit on the number of terms excepting that no judge may seek re-election once he/she passes the age of seventy years. The partisan alignment of the Circuit Judges as of August, 2015 is 78 Republicans, 67 Democrats, and 1 Independent. In the event of a vacancy during a term of office, the Governor of Alabama usually has the authority to fill the unexpired terms. However, a limited number of the circuits (i.e., the 10th, 18th, 28th Circuits) have judicial commissions which submit nominess from which the Governor is obligated to choose.
1st Circuit
Counties Served: Choctaw, Clarke, Washington
Circuit Seats: Choctaw County Courthouse (Butler), Clarke County Courthouse (Grove Hill), Washington County Courthouse (Chatom)
2nd Circuit
Counties Served: Butler, Crenshaw, Lowndes
District Seats: Butler County Courthouse (Greenville), Crenshaw County Courthouse (Luverne), Lowndes County Courthouse (Hayneville)
3rd Circuit
Counties Served: Barbour, Bullock
District Seats: Barbour County Courthouse (Clayton), Bullock County Courthouse (Union Springs)
4th Circuit
Counties Served: Bibb, Dallas, Hale, Perry, Wilcox
District Seats: Bibb County Courthouse (Centreville), Dallas County Courthouse (Selma), Hale County Courthouse (Greensboro) Perry County Courthouse (Marion), Wilcox County Courthouse (Camden)
5th Circuit
6th Circuit
7th Circuit
8th Circuit
9th Circuit
10th Circuit
11th Circuit
12th Circuit
13th Circuit
14th Circuit
15th Circuit
16th Circuit
17th Circuit
18th Circuit
19th Circuit
20th Circuit
21st Circuit
22nd Circuit
23rd Circuit
24th Circuit
25th Circuit
26th Circuit
27th Circuit
28th Circuit
29th Circuit
30th Circuit
31st Circuit
32nd Circuit
33rd Circuit
34th Circuit
35th Circuit
36th Circuit
37th Circuit
38th Circuit
39th Circuit
40th Circuit
41st Circuit
See also
- Courts of Alabama