Thirteen attorneys are now under consideration to fill a vacancy on the Mobile County District Court bench, a seat left open after Judge Jill Phillips was recently appointed to the Circuit Court. The Mobile County Judicial Nominating Commission will review the full slate of candidates before recommending finalists to fill the position.
The pool of applicants includes several attorneys who have previously sought judicial office, among them two candidates who unsuccessfully ran for a district judge seat in the past, one who previously lost a bid for a circuit judge position, and a current associate municipal judge, giving the commission a mix of first-time applicants and attorneys with prior judicial campaign experience to evaluate.
The full list of candidates includes Carvine Adams, Edward Carter Blount Jr., Sondra Annette Dempsey, Grant William Gibson, Lars T. Granade, Carol Carr Little, Melinda Lee Maddox, Edward Russell March III, Charles Zackery Moore, David Rankin Quittmeyer, Derrick V. Williams, John Conrad Williams and George Michael Zoghby.
As part of the vetting process, members of the public were invited to submit confidential comments about any of the candidates to the commission through Feb. 13, giving the community a direct, if private, voice in shaping who ultimately fills the seat. The Judicial Nominating Commission reviewing the applications includes Mobile County Circuit Court Judge Michael Youngpeter, along with attorneys Peter Mackey and Warren Butler, and commission members Jamie Ison and Deloris Bagsby.
District Court judges in Mobile County handle a broad range of matters, including misdemeanor criminal cases, traffic violations, small claims and preliminary hearings in felony cases before they move to Circuit Court, making the position an important entry point into the local justice system for many residents. The process of filling the vacancy underscores how judicial nominating commissions work in Alabama, relying on public input and a vetting process involving both sitting judges and practicing attorneys before a final appointment is made to the bench.