Supreme Court candidate meets with residents

Alabama Supreme Court candidate Rhonda Chambers meets with State Sen. Roger Bedford and Circuit Judge Terry Dempsey Wednesday. | Nathan Strickland/FCT

State Senator Roger Bedford escorted Alabama Supreme Court Justice candidate Rhonda Chambers as she shook hands and sought support Wednesday for the upcoming election season.

Bedford proclaimed Chambers to be the best candidate for the job as they toured the Franklin County Courthouse, meeting with several city officials and local residents.

“This will be my first time to run for the office but I have wanted to serve the state of Alabama for more than 20 years,” Chambers said. “I started off out of law school clerking for Justice Oscar Adams on the Alabama Supreme Court, one of the last great Democrats that we’ve had on the court. Justice Adams planted the seed in my heart that I too could one day be a justice on the court.”

Chambers grew up in Birmingham, attended Judson College and went to law school in Birmingham.

Chambers handed out pamphlets containing a brief history of her background and a quote posted on the card stating:

“Throughout my adult life three values have guided me on a straight path and put me where I am today: my faith, my family and my love for the rule of law.  As I undertake this new challenge, pursuing my long held goal of becoming a Justice on the Alabama Supreme Court, these values will continue to keep me on that path.  As a Supreme Court Justice, I will continue to rely upon my faith, my family and my love for the rule of law to make the right decisions, independent of the influence of special interest groups. I hope that throughout the coming months, you will join me on this path.”

Chambers explained her passion for law and pledged to uphold the law, “which is what every judge must do” as she addressed people inside the courthouse.

If elected, Chambers will take the place of State Supreme Court Justice Patricia “Patti” Mungenast Smith who has served on the Alabama Supreme Court since 2005 along with eight other justices.

Smith was first elected to a six-year term on the court in 2004 and her current term expires in 2010.

Smith has announced that she does not intend to run for another term.

Chambers will be running against Republican nominee and Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals Presiding Judge Kelli Wise for the vacant seat in November.