6 former justices, including 3 Republicans, endorse Democrat Bob Vance for chief justice
Six former Alabama Supreme Court justices, including three Republicans, signed a letter on Monday endorsing Democratic Judge Bob Vance in the race for chief justice. The former justices, including two former chief justices, urged voters to pick Vance over Republican Associate Justice Tom Parker in the Nov. 6 election. Parker is a current member of the court. The former justices called Vance, a circuit judge in Jefferson County for the past 16 years, the most qualified for the position and said he would be a chief justice “of whom we could all be proud.” “He is clearly the most qualified candidate for this high office,” the letter read. “Bob also has judicial temperament and the legal acumen required to decide cases on their merit. He knows that politics has no place in legal decisions.” The three Republicans who signed the letter are former Chief Justice Drayton Nabers, former Associate Justice Tom Woodall and former Acting Chief Justice Gorman Houston. The Democrats signing the letter are former Chief Justice Sue Bell Cobb and former associate justices John England and Mark Kennedy. The Parker campaign did not immediately respond to the endorsement letter. Vance received a similar endorsement in 2012 when he unsuccessfully ran for chief justice against Republican Roy Moore, for whom Parker once worked. Moore was twice stripped of chief justice duties after an ethics panel said he defied, or urged defiance of, federal court orders regarding same-sex marriage and the display of the Ten Commandments. In a campaign ad, Vance has contended Parker will be “another Roy Moore” if elected to head the state court system. Parker was elected to the Supreme Court in 2004. He won the GOP nomination this year after defeating Chief Justice Lyn Stuart with a campaign that appealed to social conservatives and emphasized his hope of one day overturning U.S. Supreme Court decisions such as the one that legalized abortion. Republished with permission from the Associated Press.
Five things you need to know about Bob Vance
Now that the runoff elections are over, voters are turning their attention to the November General Election less than 90 days away. In the race for Chief Justice, Democratic nominee Judge Bob Vance ran without opposition in the June 5 primary. Now he moves to the General Election, facing Republican nominee Associate Justice Tom Parker. With that in mind, here are the five things you need to know about Bob Vance: 1. Worked as a lawyer for 16 years before becoming a judge Vance attended the University of Virginia School of Law, returning to Birmingham in 1986 to join the law firm of Johnston Barton Proctor Swedlaw & Naff. There, he focused his practice on several forms of litigation, including commercial and class action defense and employment cases, according to his campaign website. 2. He’s been a Circuit Judge since 2002 Vance was appointed to fill a vacancy in the Jefferson County Circuit Court in 2002 – and it stuck. 3. He ran for re-election in 2004, 2010 and 2016 — without opposition. Since his appointment in 2002, Vance has sought re-election to the seat three times, running without opposition. As a Circuit Judge, Vance has presided over numerous civil actions cases including: medical malpractice, automobile accident disputes, and workers’ compensation claims. 4. He’s run for this seat before In 2012, Vance entered what he knew was going to be an uphill battle for the Chief Justice seat, running against former Chief Justice Roy Moore. Although he knew the fight to the top would be tough, Vance came within 4 points of beating Moore. “We have gotten our message out effectively. We have competed against a very well-known opponent in a very red state, and we have fought down to the wire, and I am proud of our efforts in that regard,” Vance told AL.com. 5. He’s the son of Robert S. Vance, former chairman for the Alabama Democratic Party Robert S. Vance was the Chairman for the Alabama Democratic Party in the mid 1960’s. “He was very much a supporter of the Civil Rights Movement,” Bob Vance told AL.com. “He got involved in politics and eventually he was elected as chair of the Alabama Democratic Party, I believe in 1966.” In 1989, Robert Vance received a package, he brought it inside, and placed it on the table in front of his wife. As he opened the package a pipe-bomb exploded across the kitchen, killing Vance, and severely injuring his wife. “At first I was angry. I was angry and frustrated,” Vance continued. “And of course for a while I had those questions. Who did this, Why did he do it?” In 1991 Walter Leroy Moody was convicted of killing Vance, Moody himself was executed by the state of Alabama earlier this year.
Chief Justice Lyn Stuart announces candidacy, seeking full term
Lyn Stuart on Tuesday announced she will seek a full term as Alabama’s Chief Justice. Stuart was appointed by Gov. Kay Ivey in April following the resignation of former chief justice, and current U.S. Senate candidate, Roy Moore. She is the first female Republican Chief Justice in the history of the State of Alabama. “I am proud to announce my campaign for Chief Justice because we need to continue making Alabama a place where justice is served and the law is evenly applied to all parties,” Stuart said in a news release. “We need a judicial system where our justices follow the law, not make the law. And we need justices who strictly interpret the constitution. I’m proud of my record of doing just that and I look forward to speaking with the voters to get that message out there over the coming months.” Stuart has been elected to the Alabama Supreme Court three times — in 2000, 2006 and 2012. Prior to that she was elected a District Judge in 1988 and again in 1994. In 1997 she was appointed a Circuit Court Judge and was elected to the position in 1998. A native of Atmore, Ala. Stuart received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Auburn University with high honor in 1977 and her Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Alabama in 1980. Her legal career includes stints as an Assistant State Attorney General, Special Assistant Attorney General for the State Department of Corrections, and as an Assistant District Attorney for Baldwin County. “Securing adequate financial resources for our courts is a primary responsibility of the Chief Justice. State government is experiencing tough financial times,” Stuart continued. “Everyone in our court system is having to do more with less. It’s important to have someone with my background, experience and work ethic, someone who will work hard every day to keep our courts fair and running smoothly. That’s what I’ve been doing for 29 years and, if elected, that’s what I intend to keep doing.“
