Alabama Supreme Court Justice and Wetumpka resident Bill Lewis has been nominated by President Donald Trump to serve on the federal bench.
Trump announced the nomination on social media. Lewis has been nominated to serve as a federal district court judge for the Middle District of Alabama. The court meets in the federal building in downtown Montgomery.
“As a Justice on the Alabama Supreme Court, Judge on the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals. State Court Trial Judge and Assistant District Attorney, Bill has proven his dedication to the Rule of Law throughout his entire career,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “He is a courageous Patriot, who will ensure Law and Order and always put our Constitution FIRST. Congratulations Bill.”
Alabama Supreme Court Justice Bill Lewis previously served on the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals.
Lewis could not be reached for comment. He is one of three Alabama men Trump has nominated for the federal bench. The men will have to go through Senate confirmation, and if the Senate confirms, it is a lifetime appointment.
Lewis’ career has taken a rocket ship trajectory over the past 18 months. In February 2024, Gov. Kay Ivey appointed him to the court of civil appeals. He was serving as Elmore County circuit judge, hearing cases in Autauga, Chilton and Elmore counties. On May 20, Ivey appointed him to the Alabama Supreme Court.
Before becoming a judge, he served as an assistant district attorney in the 19th Judicial Circuit, serving Autauga, Chilton and Elmore counties. After serving as a prosecutor, he set up private practice in Wetumpka, before he was appointed to serve out the term of retiring Elmore County Circuit Judge John Bush.
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He attended the University of the South for his undergraduate degree and Cumberland School of Law in Birmingham, Alabama, for his law degree.
Alabama’s two Republican U.S. senators praised Trump’s nominations.
“The White House knocked it out of the park with these Alabama nominees,” said U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville in a statement. “Ever since President Trump took office, deranged, activist judges have done everything they can to stop President Trump’s agenda. That won’t happen in Alabama under my watch. Each of these Alabama nominees are committed to restoring law and order and ensuring our state remains a safe place for all Alabamians. I am confident that these nominees will uphold the Constitution in every decision and refuse to allow the judicial system to be weaponized for political gain.”
Federal judge nominations are important, said U.S. Sen. Katie Britt.
“As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I have worked tirelessly to bring Alabama’s conservative values to the forefront of the committee’s work, especially when it comes to evaluating nominees for the federal judiciary,” Britt said in a statement. “In order to maintain the credibility of the judiciary, federal judges have a responsibility to faithfully interpret and apply the law in accordance with the Constitution and the laws that Congress has passed rather than seeking to legislate from the bench.
“I’m strongly supportive of President Trump’s nominees to fill three federal judicial vacancies in the great state of Alabama. I believe they will uphold the rule of law, honor the judicial oath, and keep Alabamians safe. I am confident they will serve our state well, and I look forward to their confirmations.”
Trump’s other nominees from Alabama include:
Edmund LaCour, U.S. District Judge Nominee, Northern District
Edmund “Eddie” LaCour is currently the Solicitor General for the State of Alabama. Before assuming this role, he served as Deputy Solicitor General. Prior to that, he worked in private practice in Washington, D.C. He was previously nominated to be a U.S. District Judge by President Trump at the end of the first administration, but his nomination was withdrawn by President Biden. A native of Dothan, LaCour attended Birmingham-Southern College for his undergraduate degree and Yale Law School for his law degree.
Harold Mooty, U.S. District Judge Nominee, Northern District
Harold “Hal” Mooty is a partner at Bradley Arant Boult Cummings, LLP in Huntsville, Alabama, specializing in business and commercial litigation. Mooty was elected as the 2016-2017 president of the Alabama Defense Lawyers Association’s (ADLA) Young Lawyers Section and previously served on the Young Lawyers Executive Committee to the Alabama State Bar. He is originally from Montgomery and went to both undergraduate and law school at the University of Alabama.
Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Marty Roney at mroney@gannett.com. To support his work, please subscribe to the Montgomery Advertiser.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Trump nominates Bill Lewis, two others to federal bench in AL