Jefferson County just elected 9 black women to become judges
After the polls closed Tuesday, Jefferson County voters had placed nine black women into judgeships on their circuit court. The majority Democratic county voted in Javan Patton, Debra Bennett Winston, Shera Craig Grant, Nakita “Niki” Perryman Blocton, Tamara Harris Johnson, Elisabeth French, Agnes Chappell, and Brendette Brown Green, all of whom will be sworn in in January. In addition to those nine judges, voters in the left-leaning county also elected Democrats Lauren Petro, Clyde Jones, David Hobdy, Bob Vance, Stephen Wallace, and Reginald Jeter. French, who has served on the Jefferson County Circuit Court since 2010, told The Birmingham Times her hard work and experience helped her win re-election to her seat. “I think the people don’t necessarily just support you just because of your race and gender. I think voters expect more than that,” she said. “They look at our qualifications and make a decision about who they can trust with the leadership position.” Democrats won all 14 seats up for election to the Jefferson County Circuit Court.
