Our Alabama Supreme Court docket is a stellar group. All 9 of our Alabama justices are Republicans. They’re conservative Republicans, and that isn’t unhealthy. It’s truly correct and acceptable, provided that we’re some of the conservative Republican states in America. Not solely are all the Supreme Court docket Jurists Republicans, each statewide elected official and constitutional officeholder in Alabama are GOP stalwarts, in addition to each of our U.S. Senators.
Talking of which, all of our constitutional places of work are up for election in 2026. On the poll subsequent yr are all 140 State Legislative seats, Governor, Lt. Governor, Lawyer Common, State Treasurer, Secretary of State, Auditor, in addition to the seat of our Senior U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville.
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We even have two of our State Supreme Court docket seats up for election subsequent yr. Justices Greg Shaw and Brad Mendheim are up for re-election. Each males are immensely certified, confirmed conservative pro-business Republican Jurists. They’re each operating for re-election and must be re-elected, and doubtless neither will or ought to obtain any opposition.
Choose Brad Mendheim might be pursuing his second, full six-year time period. He was born to be a choose. He was born and raised in Dothan. His father was a neighborhood pharmacist. He grew to become a Circuit Choose for Houston and Henry Counties at a younger age. He served as Wiregrass Circuit Choose for a decade. He’s very effectively revered in his hometown. House of us know you greatest. He’s a pillar of the First Baptist Church of Dothan. He’s solely 56 years previous and must be a mainstay of the Supreme Court docket for a number of extra a long time.
Talking of mainstays, the senior member of the Supreme Court docket, Justice Greg Shaw, might be operating for his fourth time period on the Supreme Court docket. Greg Shaw has been doing appellate work for the State of Alabama for 40 years now – 16 years as a Employees Lawyer of the Supreme Court docket, eight years as a Choose of the Court docket of Prison Appeals, and 16 years as a Justice on the Supreme Court docket. So, he has been an Appellate Choose or Justice for twenty-four years.
Greg is married to a different excellent Alabamian, Samantha “Sam” Shaw. Sam Shaw was elected to 2 consecutive, four-year phrases as State Auditor. She served with distinction with out plenty of fanfare. Greg’s 24 years on the Bench is of the identical recipe. He has been diligent, quiet, and regular. The Shaws, Greg and Sam, are reflective of what’s the better of Alabama.
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Sam and Greg have been married for 45 years. They met whereas they had been college students at Auburn College, from which they graduated. Greg went on to legislation faculty at Cumberland Faculty of Legislation and graduated in 198,2 and went to work on the Supreme Court docket quickly thereafter. Sam and Greg are lifelong Methodists.
They’ve two sons, Gregory William Shaw, a graduate of the USA Army Academy at West Level, with a serious in mechanical engineering. Their second son can be an engineer, having graduated from Georgia Tech.
Greg and Sam had been each born and raised in Jefferson County. Sam grew up in Homewood. Greg grew up within the Roebuck space of Birmingham. Sam and Greg dwell on a farm in Tallapoosa County. They’ve additionally gotten a second residence in Cullman to be close to their grandchildren.
Greg is a grasp beekeeper. He loves it. Sam and Greg are fortunately having fun with their grandbabies, beekeeping, and taking good care of their farm.
Greg Shaw is 67. Beneath State Legislation, a Choose can not run for election after they flip 70. Due to this fact, Shaw might be operating for his closing six-year time period on the Court docket.
Fortunately, Alabama could have the regular, mainstay conservative Choose, Greg Shaw, on the Supreme Court docket for the subsequent seven and a half years.
See you subsequent week.
Steve Flowers is Alabama’s main political columnist. His weekly column seems in over 60 Alabama newspapers. He served 16 years within the state legislature. Steve could also be reached at [email protected].
