Courts; to further provide for the election of justices of the Supreme Court and judges of the appellate courts

SB 284 would change how judges are elected in Alabama's Supreme Court and appellate courts. Currently, most justices and judges are elected statewide, but this bill would require associate justices of the Supreme Court and judges of the appellate courts to be elected by voters in specific geographic districts (based on State Board of Education districts), rather than statewide. It also removes the current method for selecting presiding judges of appellate courts, requiring them to be elected statewide instead of by court members or automatically by seniority. The bill modifies existing seat names (like "Place 1") to reflect the new district-based system and repeals current rules about presiding judge selection.