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Women dominated Birmingham’s judicial races, and the DA’s office is all about change
Whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican or, like many people fall somewhere in between, it is hard to ignore the different political leanings of some areas of our state. Jefferson County is one of those areas. This election was an example of ‘out with the old and in with the new’ after eight-year incumbent Republican DA Brandon Falls conceded the race to Democratic challenger Charles Todd Henderson. He will be Jefferson County’s first Democratic DA in three decades.
Henderson has promised to “bring about real criminal justice reform,” a move that is placing him on a national list of newly-elected, like-minded prosecutors across the country. Activist Glenn E. Martin tells The New York Times that changes like this are “one of the few areas where liberals and conservatives find themselves in agreement.”
Change is good, Birmingham! Especially when we work together to stop one of the country’s highest rates of capital punishment. Check out some of the “big ideas” Henderson has for the county.
Hey, don’t forget about that other district attorney race in Jefferson County, because it’s a big deal, too. The Bessemer Cutoff race for District Attorney is poised to elect Jefferson County’s first female, African-American prosecutor, Lynneice Washington, pictured above. Check out her recent interview on WIAT, talking about the tight race and her goals for Bessemer.
On Tuesday night, voters also elected 14 judges to serve on Jefferson County’s Circuit and District courts. Here are three things to know about them:
- There were 14 seats to fill among 28 candidates, and Democrats swept every one.
- African American women dominated the races, with voters electing nine female judges to the bench.
- Mayor Bell’s son, Democrat William A. “Tony” Bell, defeated Republican Riggs Walker.