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Local judge's bid for Supreme Court rebuffed by voters

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Debra Jones’ second attempt in two years to take down a well-established judge didn’t go as well as her first.

Jones, a Calhoun County circuit judge, lost Tuesday night in a race for a Supreme Court seat against Tommy Bryan, a Montgomery judge currently in his second term on the state Court of Criminal Appeals.

The 47-year-old Anniston woman had better luck in the last area elections. During the November 2010 race, Jones won her seat at the Calhoun County Courthouse by defeating a 20-year veteran.

No such luck in her bid for the state’s highest court. With 67 percent of state votes counted, Jones only had 33 percent of the vote to Bryan's 67 percent, according to numbers reported by the Associated Press.

"We're excited for the opportunity ... and humbled by the vote," Bryan said late Tuesday evening. He told The Star he expects the job on the highest court to be similar to the work he's done in the past.

The Montgomery judge is a former assistant attorney general with time on the Supreme Court’s Rules of Judicial Administration and Appellate Rules and Dispute Resolution committees.

He and Jones were competing for an open seat on the Supreme Court; Judge Thomas Woodall had held that place but did not run for another term. No Democrats qualified to run for the seat.

“We are disappointed in the outcome but had a good race,” Jones told a Star reporter around 10 p.m. Tuesday. “We’d be really dangerous if we had some money, huh?”

Campaign finance reports show Bryan spent more than $380,000 throughout his campaign – nearly 30 times as much as the $13,000 spent by Jones.

Despite that disparity in funding, Jones was optimistic about her chances during an interview earlier Tuesday, before polls had closed.

The Calhoun County circuit judge said she put her faith in the power of a grassroots campaign: Shaking hands, getting to know people on a first-name basis and traveling across the state means much to voters, Jones said Tuesday morning.

“I truly believe we’ll have a successful night,” she said during that interview. “So many times, the political machines and the PAC groups pick the candidates for the people, and good, qualified people don’t feel like they can run.”

Her desire to change that culture of only big-name judges serving on the state’s highest court led her to run for the office after just one year of her first six-year term as a trial judge in Calhoun County.

Now, she’ll continue with her judicial work on the local bench. Jones said she values her job here and will continue to serve with gratitude.

“I love what I’m doing now,” the mother of five said. “I love being trial judge.”

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Keywords: Supreme Court, judge, Debra Jones, Calhoun County, voters

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