Governor Kay Ivey announced the appointment of Ben Baxley as District Judge in Elmore County on Wednesday.
Baxley will fill the vacancy left by Judge Patrick Pinkston, who was sworn in on April 5 as circuit judge on the 19th Judicial Circuit, which serves Autauga, Chilton and Elmore Counties.
“A dedicated prosecutor and legal scholar, Ben Baxley possesses 35 years’ solid experience in both the state and federal judicial systems,” Ivey said on Wednesday. “He brings to the bench integrity and great knowledge of our legal system. I have no doubt that he will serve the people of Elmore County with honor and professionalism.”
Baxley began his legal career in 1990 as an assistant District Attorney in Tuscaloosa County where he handled drug prosecutions. In 1995, he became chief deputy district attorney for DeKalb and Cherokee Counties, where he prosecuted drug cases and major crimes of violence. In 2007, he was appointed as a prosecutor for the Alabama Attorney General’s Office handling public corruption and violent crimes throughout the state. In 2015, he assumed the position of assistant United States attorney for the Middle District of Alabama. In 2020, Baxley returned to the Alabama Attorney General’s Office as chief of the opinions division.
A Sylacauga native, Baxley graduated from B.B. Comer High School at 16 before receiving his undergraduate degree with a double major in English and History from the University of Montevallo. He earned his law degree from the University of Alabama.
Baxley plans to begin serving as district judge on May 17.
“I am grateful and humbled to be selected for this position,” Baxley said. “Being chosen to serve the people of Elmore County as District Judge is one of the greatest honors of my life. The judges and staff of the 19th Judicial Circuit have already welcomed me with open arms, and I look forward to providing Elmore County with the same fair justice that they have come to expect from the Elmore County court system.”
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email caleb.taylor@1819News.com.
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