Justice Sarah Stewart:

Justice Sarah Stewart was elected as a Republican in November 2018 for a six year term as an Associate Justice on the Alabama Supreme Court. Prior to her election, Justice Stewart served for thirteen years as a Circuit Judge in Mobile, disposing of over 1800 criminal and civil cases per year.  Justice Stewart was appointed Circuit Judge by Governor Bob Riley in January 2006 and was elected as a Republican without opposition in November 2006, 2010 and 2016.

 

When Justice Stewart was appointed in 2006, she was the first female jury trial judge in Mobile. Justice Stewart was active in the leadership of the Circuit Judges Association and was elected by her fellow judges as the first female president in July of 2018. Prior to that she served as Judicial Education Chair for eight years, implementing continuing education programs for circuit and district judges.

 

Justice Stewart served as the co-chair on the Alabama State Bar’s Professionalism in the Bench and Bar Committee, on the Supreme Court’s standing committee on the Alabama Rules of Evidence, and on many other Alabama State Bar and judicial committees. In 2020, Justice Stewart received the Trailblazer Award recognizing her judicial leadership and achievements by the Mobile Bar Association.

 

Prior to her appointment to the Circuit Bench in 2006, Justice Stewart was in private practice for fourteen years, practicing with both defense and plaintiffs firms (Hand Arendall LLC, Ezell & Sharbrough LLC), and finally managing Stewart & Hicks with her brother Charlie. As a lawyer, Justice Stewart was the president of the Mobile Young Lawyers and was very active in the Mobile Bar Association.

 

Justice Stewart earned her J.D. from Vanderbilt Law School in 1992, where she received the prestigious American Jurisprudence Award for the highest grade in two classes and graduated in the top ten percent of her class.  

 

Justice Stewart earned a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in Communication at the University of Arkansas in 1985 and 1986. While in college, she was President of the Student Government Association, a member of Kappa Alpha Theta, Mortar Board, Omicron Delta Kappa, and Order of Omega, among other scholastic and leadership achievements.

 

Justice Stewart has been married to Craig Richard Stewart, originally of Selma, since 1989. They have two children, three dogs and three cats. Justice Stewart has been active in the Mobile community as a member of Leadership Mobile, Junior League of Mobile, 15 Place Homeless Service Center Board, Girl Scouts of the Magic Empire Board, and Ashland Place Methodist Church.