The Political Round-Up
To a swear-thee well; More bench marks; Frazer by a nose; New name surfaces in USA football coaching search;
Paw-Paw time; Strange goings on; Artur's prospects
By Chip Drago
Mobile Bay Times
A swearing-in ceremony for newly-appointed Mobile County Circuit Judge Michael Youngpeter will be held Friday, Jan. 11 at 10:30 a.m. at the courthouse downtown.
Presiding Mobile County Circuit Judge Charlie Graddick will do the honors in administering the oath of office.
Youngpeter was tapped for the seat by Gov. Bob Riley from among three finalists chosen by a local judicial selection committee from a number of applicants. The other two finalists were Randy Crane and E.J. Saad.
Youngpeter, 50, was actually sworn in officially on Dec. 21 and assumed his duties Wednesday, Jan. 2. He takes the place of former Circuit Judge Herman Thomas who stepped down as a judicial ethics proceeding against him neared trial. Those authorities then lost jurisdiction over Thomas.
Babs DeKeyser, formerly a secretary to District Judge Michael McMaken, has joined Youngpeter's office as secretary. In between her assignments with the judges, the courthouse veteran served as a jill-of-all-trades, assisting in court administration, juries, bonding company renewals, purchasing, computer troubleshooting and inventory.
Vacancy on district court bench to be filled soon
The three finalists -- Barbara Brown, Ed Blount and Bob Sherling -- to succeed retired District Judge Judson Wells are expected to interview with Riley representatives perhaps as soon as next week.
Much of the early speculation has focused on Brown and Sherling, relegating Blount to long shot status because the drug court judge was the Democratic nominee opposing GOP sure-shot Graddick in a judicial election in 2004.
However, according to courthouse sources, Blount has the unanimous backing of the entirely Republican district court bench which respects his work over drug court and as a special district court judge. Blount was born and lived during childhood in the Panama Canal Zone. He worked as a bailiff for McMaken, driving to Montgomery where he attended Jones Law School in the evenings. He then served McMaken as a law clerk. McMaken himself is a former Democrat, initially holding office as a Democrat but switching parties a few years ago.
Perhaps another twist in Blount's aspirations for the bench can be seen in the history of the local judicial selection committee. Blount and 26 others sought appointment to the district bench following the death of Judge Delano Palughi in February 2003. Ultimately, the list was whittled to three finalists -- Crane, Sarah Stewart who subsequently was named to a circuit court opening with the death of then-Presiding Circuit Judge Bob Kendall and District Judge George Hardesty who claimed the seat that Palughi had held. Just last month, the committee deemed Crane among the three applicants most qualified for the circuit slot won by Youngpeter, but Crane failed to win the committee's favor for the district court vacancy just a few short weeks later and despite having led Blount less than five years ago.
Perhaps a trivial wrinkle, but a wrinkle nevertheless.
Neither Brown nor Sherling have ever sought elective office and neither has been notably active in politics.
Brown has been a Court Referee at Investigation & Recovery (Juvenile Division) hearing paternity, child support, contempt and bond reviews for the past six years. She sits three days a week, managing morning and afternoon dockets. Previously, she served as an assistant District Attorney at the Strickland Youth Center for 12 years handling delinquency (akin to criminal in adult court) and dependency cases. She spent five years in a solo practice before being recruited for the DA's office. She was a law clerk to then-U.S. Magistrate David Bagwell from August 1983 to August 1984 and law clerk to U.S. District Judge Emmett "Rip" Cox from December 1981 to August 1983.
Brown said she has worked in behalf of several Republican judicial candidates, among them, Juvenile District Judge George Brown (no relation) as well as having assisted with Republican phone banks.
Brown is not a newcomer to the short list. She was a finalist once before for the Domestic Relations slot which Rosemary Chambers received when Judge Charlie Dodson retired about 15 years ago. The third finalist was Merceria Ludgood (now the newly-elected District 3 Mobile County Commissioner). Chambers' appointment was made by Gov. Guy Hunt.
Sherling, 61, admitted that his partisan political history was limited.
"My political experience consists mainly of voting regularly," he said.
Sherling was involved in a celebrated federal case here back in the 1980's when Mobile attorney Ishmael Jaffree filed suit over prayer in public school.
Sherling and Montgomery lawyers Tom Parker and Tom Kotouch were engaged by 600 people who intervened in the lawsuit on the pro-prayer side. The case eventually worked its way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Sherling and his colleagues surrendered their time for oral argument before the justices to a Louisiana lawyer whose reputed experience and eloquence before the court would better serve their clients' interests.
"When he was done though, I wished I had done it myself," said Sherling. "I could have at least answered the questions the justices asked. They asked about the origins of the lawsuit and he said, 'well, a complaint was filed.' Of course, a complaint was filed."
Ultimately and in large measure, Jaffree prevailed.
Sherling has been in private practice with Jay York here for almost 20 years with a concentration on workman's compensation issues.
Sherling played football for Auburn University under Coach Shug Jordan in the late 1960's.
Riley is expected to choose before the end of the month.
Judicial Selection Committee gets new member
Mobile attorney Danner Frazer won the Mobile Bar Association election to replace Lyons, Pipes & Cook partner Ken Nixon on the Mobile County Judicial Selection Committee.
Local attorneys Pete Mackey, Jim Johnston and Frankie Fields Smith were also nominated for the post.
Nixon's six-year term will expire Jan. 16.
Other members of the committee include Graddick, attorney Billy Bedsole and lay members Sherry Moss and Freda Roberts.
New name surfacing in USA football coaching search
University of South Alabama athletic director Joe Gottfried will reportedly meet soon in Atlanta with Clemson Tigers assistant coach Dabo Swinney for an interview about the head coaching position over the Jaguars' fledgling football program. Swinney, a Birmingham native, is a former Univeristy of Alabama player and assistant coach.
Paw-paw time
U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions and lobbyist Taylor Harper recently became first-time grandfathers.
Sessions' and his wife Mary's grand-daughter, Jane Ritchie
Reinhardt, was born in the summer but was baptized at Ashland Place United Methodist Church here last Sunday, Dec. 30. She is the first born of their daughter Mary Abigail, the wife of U.S. Navy Lt. Commander Paul Reinhardt, a submariner recently assigned to training in Monterey, CA.
Ex-legislator Harper and his wife Julie, of Grand Bay, became first-time grandparents Saturday, Dec. 22 with the birth of Jackson Marshall Harper. The seven-pound boy is the son of Scott and Brittany Harper of Livingston. Scott worked as a graduate assistant for the University of West Alabama football team this fall. He is in a graduate program there working toward a teaching certificate and plans to go into coaching. Brittany is a licensed pharmacist working for Wal-Mart.
Strange goings on
Luther Strange, who fell short in his bid as the GOP nominee for lieutenant governor, has left the leading Alabama law firm of Bradley Arant to set up his own law practice.
According to Strange, he will focus his practice on "advising businesses, educational institutions and municipalities on economic development matters."
"I am currently involved in a number of major economic development projects in Alabama and this new venture will allow me to focus on this work while continuing to represent clients on a wide range of legal matters," Strange announced. "Having my own firm will also give me the flexibility to continue to pursue my interest in public policy issues and the political arena."
Strange is rumored to be considering a race for attorney general in 2010. His website is www.lutherstrange.com.
City Council Public Safety Committee sets meetings
City Council Public Safety Committee will meet twice next week. The first meeting will be on Monday at 2 p.m. in the 9th floor conference room. The committee will discuss changes to the taxicab fare increase that was discussed at an earlier committee meeting.
The second meeting will be Tuesday at 2 p.m. in the 9th floor conference room. This meeting will involve possible changes to the city’s sign ordinance as it relates to electronic signs.
Capitol news?
U.S. Rep. Artur Davis is leaning strongly toward a bid for governor in 2010, according to sources in Montgomery and Mobile.
The Harvard-educated attorney and Birmingham congressman may hope to follow the trail blazed in 2002 by ex-congressman Gov. Bob Riley who defeated Lt. Gov. Steve Windom for the GOP gubernatorial nomination. Incumbent Democratic Lt. Gov. Jim Folsom is regarded as a leading gubernatorial contender in 2010.
Davis will likely keep a close eye on the presidential race before making any decisions though. He has close ties to leading Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama who, if successful, may offer the former assistant U.S. attorney a prized post in the executive branch.
