(a) There is provided in every county in the state a circuit court with all the jurisdiction and powers that are conferred on the circuit court by the Constitution and laws of this state.

Terms Used In Alabama Code 12-11-1

  • circuit: means judicial circuit. See Alabama Code 1-1-1
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • person: includes a corporation as well as a natural person. See Alabama Code 1-1-1
  • preceding: means next before. See Alabama Code 1-1-1
  • state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Alabama Code 1-1-1
(b) Persons elected to or appointed to a circuit court judgeship must have been admitted to practice law in this state a combined total of seven years or more, or admitted to practice law by any other state for a combined total of seven years or more, prior to beginning a term of office or appointment to serve a vacant term of office. In addition, the person must not have received from any state or state bar association a suspension or disbarment within the 10 years preceding election or appointment.