Alabama Criminal Court of Appeals Place 2

J. Elizabeth Kellum (I)

Party: Republican

Residence: Montgomery area

Political experience: Elected to the Court of Criminal Appeals in 2008. She worked as a congressional intern for Rep. Walter Flowers in Washington, D.C. in 1978.

Professional experience: Began work in 1985 as an assistant attorney general in the criminal appeals division; staff attorney for the Court of Criminal Appeals, 1987-1990; private practice with the Montgomery law firm of Robison & Belser; began in 1997 as a senior staff attorney for Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Jean Brown; senior staff attorney for the Alabama Supreme Court, 1999- 2001; senior staff attorney for Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Kelli Wise beginning in 2001.

Civic experience: Has served as a docent at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts; member of Landmarks Foundation of Montgomery along with a number of professional, civic, and political organizations.

Education: undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Alabama — a B.A. cum laude in May 1981, and a J.D. in May 1984. As an undergraduate, she majored in political science and minored in history; Brookwood High School in 1977

Main issues: “Our job as the Criminal Appeals Court is to review the actions and decisions of the trial courts, based on the records and evidence presented at those trials. We don’t make or interpret the laws. We are there to make sure the law, and the procedures laid down in the law, are followed correctly with fairness and without bias to either side,” she said during an event in October, Yellowhammer reported. “My pledge to the people of Alabama is that I will continue to be fair and unbiased in every case that comes before the Court of Criminal Appeals. … I believe that is the best way – indeed, the only way – we can ensure that justice and the rule of law is upheld in our Alabama trial courts.”

Top contributors: Loan from candidate, $150,000; PROGRESS PAC, $17,500; FARMPAC, $10,000, $2,071.67 in kind.