Bill Lewis, most recently an Alabama Court of Civil Appeals judge, is the newest member of the Alabama Supreme Court.
Gov. Kay Ivey appointed Lewis, a Republican, to the state’s top court Tuesday, following the Monday resignation of Associate Justice Jay Mitchell to run for Alabama attorney general in 2026.
“Judge Bill Lewis continues demonstrating justice and fairness under the law, as well as a willingness to serve the people of Alabama,” Ivey said in a written statement. “His decades of experience will serve the Supreme Court of Alabama well, and I am confident he is the best choice.”
Lewis has undergraduate degrees in political science and economics from the University of the South and a law degree from the Cumberland School of Law.
Mitchell was reelected to a second six-year term in 2024. The state constitution requires Lewis to run for reelection in 2028. His appointment is immediate.
He was appointed to the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals in February 2024. He had been a circuit court judge and presiding judge for the 19th Judicial Circuit in Elmore County.
He was a senior partner of the Lewis Law Firm, a firm he started in 2006, according to Ivey’s office. Prior to that, he was an assistant district attorney for the 19th Judicial Circuit.
Alabama Chief Justice Sarah Stewart praised the appointment.
“We are excited that Gov. Ivey made such an impressive appointment to our bench,” Stewart told Alabama Daily News. “Justice Lewis brings with him years of experience as a respected circuit court judge as well as his time as a scholarly voice on the court of civil appeals. He will make an outstanding associate justice that truly cares about Alabama.”
Ivey will soon appoint Lewis’ replacement on the Court of Civil Appeals.
Alabama Daily News’ Alexander Willis contributed to this report.