Baldwin County has a District Judge vacancy to fill, and the decision now rests with the governor’s office after a local judicial panel narrowed the field to three finalists.
The Baldwin County Judicial Commission selected three area attorneys as candidates for the open seat: Thomas Pilcher of Robertsdale, William “Bill” Scully Jr. of Daphne, and Clark Stankoski of Fairhope. Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley is expected to make the final appointment from among the trio.
The vacancy opened up in late June after a reshuffling of judicial posts in the county. Circuit Judge Robert Wilters had retired from the bench earlier in the month, and Bentley tapped then-District Judge Scott Taylor to move up and fill Wilters’ unexpired term on the circuit court. That promotion left Taylor’s former District Judge seat open, setting the current selection process in motion.
The three finalists represent different pockets of Baldwin County’s legal community. Robertsdale, Daphne and Fairhope each have active local bars, and having a nominee from each city gives the governor a range of professional backgrounds and geographic ties within the county to weigh before making an appointment.
Adding a wrinkle to the local judicial landscape, Wilters, the retired circuit judge, did not step away from public life. He announced plans to challenge incumbent Baldwin County District Attorney Hallie Dixon in the Republican primary set for March 1, 2016, putting a familiar name from the bench into a contested county race.
District judges in Baldwin County handle a broad docket that includes misdemeanor criminal cases, traffic offenses, small claims, and preliminary hearings in felony matters before they are bound over to circuit court. The position plays a significant day-to-day role in how residents across Bay Minette, Robertsdale, Foley, Daphne, Fairhope and the rest of the county experience the local justice system.
Judicial vacancies in Alabama’s circuit and district courts are typically filled through a nominating process at the county level, with local judicial commissions vetting candidates before submitting names to the governor for a final appointment. The appointee generally serves out the remainder of the unexpired term before facing voters in the next regularly scheduled judicial election.
No timeline was given for when Bentley’s office would announce a decision on the Baldwin County appointment. Residents and members of the local bar were watching closely, given the ongoing shuffle of judicial seats across the county stemming from Wilters’ retirement and his subsequent entry into the district attorney’s race.