Alabama Supreme Court elections, 2020

2020 State Judicial Elections
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The seats of justices Greg Shaw and Brad Mendheim were both up for partisan election on November 3, 2020. Both incumbents ran unopposed and won re-election. As a result of the election, Republicans kept their 9-0 majority on the Alabama Supreme Court.

Election procedure changes in 2020

See also: Changes to election dates, procedures, and administration in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.

Alabama modified its absentee/mail-in voting and candidate filing procedures for the November 3, 2020, general election as follows:

• Absentee/mail-in voting: Any qualified voter could cast an absentee ballot in the general election.
• Candidate filing procedures: The petition deadline for unaffiliated presidential candidates was extended to August 20, 2020.

For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.

Candidates and election results

Place 1

General election candidates

• Greg Shaw  (Incumbent) (Republican Party) ✔

 Democratic primary candidates

The Democratic Party primary was canceled. No candidates filed for this race.

 Republican primary candidates

• Greg Shaw (Incumbent) ✔
• Cam Ward

Did not make the ballot:

• Bryan Taylor

Place 2

General election candidates

• Brad Mendheim  (Incumbent) (Republican Party) ✔

 Democratic primary candidates

The Democratic Party primary was canceled. No candidates filed for this race.

 Republican primary candidates

This primary was canceled and this candidate advanced:

• Brad Mendheim (Incumbent) ✔

Note: Because incumbent Brad Mendheim was the only candidate to file for election, the primaries were canceled and he automatically advanced to the general election.

Past elections

2018

See also: Alabama Supreme Court elections, 2018

General election

General election for Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tom Parker (R)	57.4	975,564
		Robert S. Vance (D)	42.5	723,149
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	1,073

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,699,786 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Primary election

■ Chief Justice Lyn Stuart (i)
■ Robert S. Vance a
■ Tom Parker a

General election

General election for Alabama Supreme Court

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sarah Stewart (R)	96.8	1,098,344
		Other/Write-in votes	3.2	36,256

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,134,600 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Runoff

■ Brad Mendheim (i)
■ Sarah Stewart a

Primary election

■ Brad Mendheim (i)
■ Debra H. Jones
■ Sarah Stewart

General election

General election for Alabama Supreme Court

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tommy Bryan (R)	96.9	1,088,817
		Other/Write-in votes	3.1	35,234

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,124,051 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Primary election

■ Tommy Bryan (i) a

General election

General election for Alabama Supreme Court

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		William Sellers (R)	96.9	1,086,368
		Other/Write-in votes	3.1	34,216

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,120,584 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Primary election

■ William Sellers (i) a

General election

General election for Alabama Supreme Court

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jay Mitchell (R)	60.5	1,014,761
		Donna Wesson Smalley (D)	39.4	661,034
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	1,302

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,677,097 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Primary election

Note: Justice James Allen Main did not file for re-election.
■ Donna Wesson Smalley a
■ John Bahakel
■ Jay Mitchell a

Click [show] at the right to view more past election results.

2016 See also: Alabama Supreme Court elections, 2016 November 8 general election Alabama Supreme Court, Place 1, General Election, 2016 Party Candidate      Republican Michael Bolin Incumbent (unopposed) Alabama Supreme Court, Place 2, General Election, 2016 Party Candidate      Republican Kelli Wise Incumbent (unopposed) March 1 primary Alabama Supreme Court, Place 3, Republican Primary, 2016 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Tom Parker Incumbent 72.50% 448,747      Republican Donna Beaulieu 27.50% 170,194 Total Votes (100% Reporting) 618,941 Source: Alabama Secretary of State Certified Results

About the Alabama Supreme Court

See also: Alabama Supreme Court

The Alabama Supreme Court is composed of nine justices who are elected in statewide partisan elections. A full term on the court is six years. Judicial elections take place during Alabama's general elections, which are held every two years in even-numbered years.

Political composition

This was the political composition of the supreme court heading into the 2020 election. Justices on the Alabama Supreme Court are elected to their seats, and replacements are appointed by the governor in the case of midterm vacancies.

■ Tom Parker		Elected chief justice in 2018; elected to the court in 2004
■ Sarah Stewart		Elected in 2018
■ Tommy Bryan		Elected in 2012
■ William Sellers		Appointed by Kay Ivey (R) in 2017; elected in 2018
■ Jay Mitchell		Elected in 2018
■ Greg Shaw		Elected in 2008
■ Kelli Wise		Elected in 2010
■ Michael Bolin		Elected in 2004
■ Brad Mendheim		Appointed by Kay Ivey (R) in 2018

Selection

See also: Partisan election of judges

All justices on the Alabama Supreme Court are elected for six-year terms in partisan elections. The composition of the court consists of eight associate justices and one chief justice. Vacancies, which can occur when a justice dies, resigns, retires, or is removed from office, are filled through appointments by the governor of Alabama. The justice must run for the seat in the general election at least one year after being appointed.

Qualifications

To be considered a candidate for the supreme court, the person must:

• Be licensed to practice law in Alabama.
• Have lived in Alabama for at least one year.
• Be 70 years of age or younger at the time of candidacy.

Selection of the chief justice

The chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court is elected by popular vote.

See also

Alabama	Judicial Selection	More Courts
Courts in Alabama Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals Alabama Court of Civil Appeals Alabama Supreme Court	Elections: 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 Gubernatorial appointments Judicial selection in Alabama	Federal courts State courts Local courts

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• Alabama Supreme Court

Footnotes

Alabama courts

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Federal courts:

Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Northern District of Alabama, Middle District of Alabama, Southern District of Alabama • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Northern District of Alabama, Middle District of Alabama, Southern District of Alabama

State courts:

Alabama Supreme Court • Alabama Court of Civil Appeals • Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals • Alabama Circuit Courts • Alabama District Courts • Alabama Juvenile Courts • Alabama Municipal Courts • Alabama Probate Courts • Alabama Small Claims Courts

State resources:

Courts in Alabama • Alabama judicial elections • Judicial selection in Alabama