Our Alabama Supreme Court is a stellar group. All nine of our Alabama justices are Republicans. They are conservative Republicans and that is not bad. It is actually proper and appropriate given that we are one of the most conservative Republican states in America. Not only are all of the Supreme Court Jurists Republicans, every statewide elected official and constitutional officeholder in Alabama are GOP stalwarts, as well as both of our U.S. Senators.

Speaking of which, all of our constitutional offices are up for election in 2026. On the ballot next year, are all 140 State Legislative seats, Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, State Treasurer, Secretary of State, Auditor, as well as the seat of our Senior U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville.

We also have two of our State Supreme Court seats up for election next year. Justices Greg Shaw and Brad Mendheim are up for re-election. Both men are immensely qualified, proven conservative pro-business Republican Jurists. They are both running for re-election and should be re-elected and probably neither will or should receive any opposition.

Judge Brad Mendheim will be pursuing his second, full six-year term. He was born to be a judge. He was born and raised in Dothan. His father was a local pharmacist. He became a Circuit Judge for Houston and Henry Counties at a young age. He served as Wiregrass Circuit Judge for a decade. He is very well respected in his hometown. Home folks know you best. He is a pillar of the First Baptist Church of Dothan. He is only 56 years old and should be a mainstay of the Supreme Court for several more decades.

Speaking of mainstays, the senior member of the Supreme Court, Justice Greg Shaw, will be running for his fourth term on the Supreme Court. Greg Shaw has been doing appellate work for the State of Alabama for 40 years now – 16 years as a StaffAttorney of the Supreme Court, eight years as a Judge of the Court of Criminal Appeals, and 16 years as a Justice on the Supreme Court. So, he has been an Appellate Judge or Justice for 24 years.

Greg is married to another outstanding Alabamian, Samantha “Sam” Shaw. Sam Shaw was elected to two consecutive, four-year terms as State Auditor. She served with distinction without a lot of fanfare. Greg’s 24 years on the Bench is of the same recipe. He has been diligent, quiet and steady. The Shaws, Greg and Sam, are reflective of what is the best of Alabama.

Sam and Greg have been married for 45 years. They met while they were students at Auburn University from which they graduated. Greg went on to law school at Cumberland School of Law and graduated in 1982 and went to work at the Supreme Court soon thereafter. Sam and Greg are life-long Methodists.

They have two sons, Gregory William Shaw, a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, with a major in mechanical engineering. Their second son is also an engineer having graduated from Georgia Tech.

Greg and Sam were both born and raised in Jefferson County. Sam grew up in Homewood. Greg grew up in the Roebuck area of Birmingham. Sam and Greg live on a farm in Tallapoosa County. They have also gotten a second residence in Cullman to be near their grandchildren.

Greg is a master beekeeper. He loves it. Sam and Greg are happily enjoying their grandbabies, beekeeping, and taking care of their farm.

Greg Shaw is 67. Under State Law, a Judge cannot run for election after they turn 70. Therefore, Shaw will be running for his final six-year term on the Court.

Thankfully, Alabama will have the steady, mainstay conservative Judge, Greg Shaw, on the Supreme Court for the next seven and a half years.

See you next week.