U.S. administration plans to put forward Alabamian candidates for district court positions within the federal system
President Donald Trump has announced three judicial nominees for Alabama, recommended by Senators Katie Britt and Tommy Tuberville. The nominees are Edmund LaCour Jr., Harold Mooty, and Bill Lewis.
Edmund LaCour Jr.
Currently serving as Alabama’s Solicitor General since May 2019, LaCour has also been Deputy Solicitor General. Before joining the Attorney General’s office, he was a partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP in Washington, D.C., with extensive experience arguing cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and other federal courts. LaCour is a native of Dothan, Alabama, and earned his J.D. from Yale Law School. Prior to his legal career, he attended Birmingham-Southern College for his undergraduate degree.
Harold Mooty
Harold Mooty, a partner at a law firm in Huntsville, Alabama, is another nominee. While details on his biography in the search results are limited, he is recognized as a highly qualified nominee with significant legal practice experience in Alabama. Mooty attended both undergraduate and law school at the University of Alabama. He currently works at Bradley Arant Boult Cummings, LLP in Huntsville, specializing in business and commercial litigation.
Bill Lewis
A Republican justice on the Alabama Supreme Court, appointed by Governor Kay Ivey in May 2025, Bill Lewis is the third nominee. He previously served as a judge on the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals. Before his judicial service, Lewis was in private practice in Wetumpka, Alabama. He grew up in Wetumpka and attended the University of the South for his undergraduate degree and Cumberland School of Law in Birmingham, Alabama, for his J.D. As presiding circuit judge on the 19th Judicial Circuit, Lewis oversaw a district that includes the state capital, Montgomery.
All three nominees have been praised for their commitment to conservative values, upholding the Constitution, and maintaining law and order in Alabama. Senator Britt and Tuberville have expressed their strong support for these nominees.
It's worth noting that Edmund LaCour was previously nominated to be a U.S. District Judge by President Trump, but his nomination was withdrawn by President Biden. However, he was later nominated again for the same position.
The confirmation process for these nominees is yet to begin, and their appointments are subject to Senate approval. If confirmed, Lewis’s nomination would mark the first elevation from a state supreme court to a federal judgeship since March 2023.
[1] Alabama Daily News [2] The Hill [3] Montgomery Advertiser [4] ABC 33/40 [5] Alabama Political Reporter
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