May 8, 1820

Known as the state’s court of last resort, the inaugural Alabama Supreme Court convened for the first time on May 8, 1820. Meeting in the capital of Cahaba, the court was composed of Alabama circuit court judges. Clement C. Clay, who later served in Congress and as governor, was appointed chief justice. Today, the Supreme Court of Alabama is composed of a chief justice and eight associate justices who have both judicial and administrative responsibilities. The Supreme Court has the authority to review decisions reached by lower courts, and may review matters of contention where the dollar amount exceeds $50,000, as long as no other Alabama court has jurisdiction.

Read more at Encyclopedia of Alabama.

Abner Lipscomb was the second chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, taking the seat when Clement Comer Clay resigned in 1823. Lipscomb fought in the Creek War of 1813-14, was a territorial legislator before Alabama became a state, and was one of the state’s first circuit court judges. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, courtesy of Alabama Department of Archives and History)

Portrait of C.C. Clay, c. 1844-1860. (Photograph by Mathew Brady, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division)

Seal of the Unified Judicial System of Alabama. (Wikipedia)

The Heflin-Torbert Judicial Building in Montgomery, 2012. (Chris Pruitt, Wikipedia)

For more on Alabama’s Bicentennial, visit Alabama 200.