SPEAKIN’ OUT NEWS
Judge Bill Lewis is the first Black Republican to serve on the Alabama Supreme Court. He is also the fourth Black justice in the court’s history, following Oscar W. Adams Jr., Ralph D. Cook, and John H. England Jr., all of whom were Democrats. Lewis was appointed by Governor Kay Ivey in May 2025 to replace Justice Jay Mitchell, who resigned.
(Official photo via Governor’s Office)
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — In a historic judicial appointment, Gov. Kay Ivey has named Judge Bill Lewis to the Alabama Supreme Court, making him the first Black Republican justice and only the fourth Black justice ever to serve on the state’s highest court.
Lewis replaces Justice Jay Mitchell, who submitted his resignation Monday. The appointment takes effect immediately.
“Judge Bill Lewis continues demonstrating justice and fairness under the law, as well as a willingness to serve the people of Alabama,” Ivey said. “His decades of experience will serve the Supreme Court of Alabama well, and I am confident he is the best choice.”
Lewis most recently served on the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals, where Ivey appointed him in February 2024. Before that, he served as presiding circuit judge in the 19th Judicial Circuit (Elmore County), and earlier as a senior law partner and assistant district attorney in the same circuit.
He earned degrees in political science and economics from the University of the South and his law degree from Cumberland School of Law.
Lewis joins a historically small group of Black justices to serve on Alabama’s Supreme Court: Oscar W. Adams Jr. (appointed in 1980), Ralph D. Cook (appointed in 1993), and John H. England Jr. (appointed in 1999). Lewis is the first in over two decades and the first to serve as a Republican.
Justice Jay Mitchell, who was first elected to the court in 2018 and re-elected unopposed in 2024, said in his resignation letter that he looks forward to “an announcement about [his] future in the coming days.” While not confirmed, Yellowhammer News has reported that Mitchell may launch a campaign for Alabama Attorney General.
Gov. Ivey will soon appoint a successor to Lewis on the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals.