Governor Kay Ivey will have been Governor for almost a decade when she leaves office in January of 2027. She will have been Governor longer than anyone in state history other than George Wallace. She is also the first woman elected Governor in her own right. In addition, she is the first female Republican Governor in history.

Governor Kay Ivey would go down in the annals at the State Archives as unique and accomplished for these reasons alone. However, she has been a very good Governor.

Her legacy in her cabinet and judicial appointments have been spectacular. The Governor has an enormously large number of important appointments. This power of the Governor is often overlooked and underestimated. Governor Ivey has shown stellar acumen and reason in her choices. In my estimation, this inherent power has become one of the most important achievements of Governor Ivey’s administration.

Over the past two years, she has made some outstanding and important appointments. The legislature created the cabinet position of Workforce Transformation. She selected the perfect and probably obvious choice to head this new department. State Senator Greg Reed of Jasper is one of the most profound leaders to come out of the Senate in the past few decades. He had risen to be the President Pro Tem of the Senate. She convinced him to leave his powerful Senate post to take charge of Workforce Development. He is doing a good job.

Kay Ivey convinced another popular and powerful legislator to leave the legislature and take a state position. She garnered Tuscaloosa State Representative Cynthia Lee Almond to take the job of President of the State Public Service Commission. This is a very important position, which Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh handled successfully for years. Twinkle left to head the USDA in the state for the Trump Administration.

The most profound and significant of Governor Ivey’s stellar appointments has been in the realm of her outstanding judicial appointments. First, she has had an amazing number of judicial appointments. Kay Ivey has appointed 42 District Court Judges, 33 Circuit Court Judges, 12 Probate Judges, one Judge to the Court of Criminal Appeals, two Judges to the Court of Civil Appeals, and five Justices to the Alabama Supreme Court.

One of her best judicial appointments was Judge Bill Lewis to the State Supreme Court. He served decades as the Circuit Judge for Elmore County. The governor appointed Lewis to the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals in February 2024, then to the Alabama Supreme Court last year. Shortly thereafter, our U.S. Senators plucked him from our State Supreme Court and appointed him as a federal judge.

Governor Ivey chose another successful and qualified judge to take the vacancy on the State Court of Civil Appeals. Covington County Circuit Judge Ben Bowden will move to that State Appellate Court. He is a veteran Circuit Judge, and prior to that was Covington County Probate Judge.

Governor Ivey has chosen outstanding, qualified people for local judicial positions throughout the state. Her choices have been reasonable and logical, and met with overwhelming approval, locally.

She appointed judges in Jefferson County, who are qualified and electable. In Democratic Montgomery County, she has appointed Tiffany McCord as a Circuit Judge. In addition, she chose Azzie Taylor Oliver as Montgomery County District Attorney. Governor Ivey made Scott Brewer the District Judge of Talladega County. She appointed Ashley Siebert as a District Judge in Baldwin County. She also appointed Laurie Hoyt to serve as a new Circuit Judge in Baldwin County. In Jackson County, she appointed Matthew Mitchell to a District Judgeship.Governor Ivey appointed Grace Jeter as a Circuit Judge in Covington County. Grace has been an assistant District Attorney for 20 years.

Her latest judicial appointment may be one of her best. She appointed her General Counsel, Will Parker, to the State Supreme Court in November 2025. Parker served as Governor Ivey’s General Counsel for six years. He did an excellent job in this role. Prior to his work with Governor Ivey, he served 10 years as an Assistant Attorney General in the Constitutional Division, which is perfect training for the Supreme Court.

Governor Kay Ivey has a legacy for appointments, especially judicial.

See you next week.