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Alabama Supreme Court Denies Judgeship for Elected Jefferson County Candidate and Gives it to Madison County

Tiara Hudson will be blocked from vying for office, and Jefferson County will lose a judge

MONTGOMERY, Ala. 鈥 Today, the Alabama Supreme Court permitted the Alabama Judicial Resources Allocation Commission (JRAC) to from diverse Jefferson County to majority-white Madison County. This means Tiara Hudson, who won a primary election for the judgeship before JRAC decided to relocate it, will still be blocked from a seat on the bench.

The high court upheld the decision of the trial court to dismiss the case. The case, Hudson v. Ivey, was filed by the 澳彩开奖 (澳彩开奖) and the on behalf of Tiara Hudson.

A copy of the court鈥檚 decision can be found HERE.

鈥淛efferson County residents deserve fair representation on the bench and a court system that meets their needs, but allowing the removal of an elected judgeship denies them both,鈥 said Jess Unger, senior staff attorney for voting rights with the 澳彩开奖. 鈥淲e鈥檙e disappointed that the court has refused to prioritize defending the rights of the Jefferson County community to fair representation and fair access to resources.鈥

"The Alabama Supreme Court's decision leaves in place a judgeship that lacks the proper constitutional authority to adjudicate cases in Madison County and strips the Jefferson County courts of a judgeship that it is supposed to retain under Alabama law," said Tish Gotell Faulks, Legal Director of the ACLU of Alabama. "Alabamians need and deserve clarity about how judicial resources are to be distributed so that every jurisdiction has the judges needed to reduce the statewide backlog of cases."

鈥淚鈥檓 disappointed to be denied consideration for the seat I won a primary election for, but I鈥檓 even more disappointed that Jefferson County will be denied their right to an elected judge,鈥 said plaintiff Tiara Hudson. 鈥淭he decision to allow commissions to redistribute judicial seats without legislative approval diminishes the voice of a diverse community in choosing which judges will serve them.鈥