Bill Lewis Appointed as Alabama Supreme Court’s First Black Republican Justice
Montgomery, Ala. — Governor Kay Ivey has appointed Judge Bill Lewis to the Alabama Supreme Court, marking a historic moment as he becomes the first Black Republican to serve on the state’s highest court. Lewis, who previously held a position on the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals after being appointed by Ivey in 2022, replaces Justice Jay Mitchell, who resigned on May 19.
In a statement, Ivey praised Lewis’s commitment to justice and extensive legal experience, expressing confidence in his ability to serve Alabama well. Lewis is notably the fourth Black justice on the Alabama Supreme Court, following Oscar Adams, Ralph Cook, and John England, all of whom were Democrats.
The appointment comes at a time when Alabama’s judiciary has been criticized for lacking diversity. The state’s appellate judges are elected in statewide partisan elections, and the Supreme Court has been entirely Republican for over a decade. Since 2001, the court has comprised only white justices, raising concerns about representation in a state with a population where one in four residents is Black. In 2016, a group of Black voters filed an unsuccessful federal lawsuit challenging the all-white composition of Alabama’s courts.
Mitchell, who resigned to pursue a more active role in politics, highlighted his commitment to aligning state governance with President Trump’s constitutional agenda in his resignation letter. He is known for a controversial ruling on frozen embryos that briefly disrupted IVF services in Alabama due to concerns around civil liability.
As the court prepares for this transition, Ivey will now appoint a successor to fill Lewis’s previous role on the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals.
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