By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
The Justices of the Alabama Supreme Court unanimously selected attorney Julia Weller to be the next Clerk for the Alabama Supreme Court.
Chief Justice Roy Moore (R) said in a written statement, “Julia Weller was selected from over 50 qualified candidates for Supreme Court clerk. She is a very experienced attorney who has demonstrated exceptional professionalism and integrity throughout her career in law. We believe that Mrs. Weller will be an outstanding servant of the people of this State.”
Mrs. Weller will be the first female to ever serve as Alabama Supreme Court Clerk. She is a Chief Administrative Law Judge in the Office of the Attorney General. Judge Weller is an extremely experienced attorney who has worked for the Alabama Attorney General’s Office, a First Assistant U.S. Attorney, and has worked in private practice in both Montgomery and Birmingham.
Mrs. Weller’s long and distinguished career is not without some controversy. As a First Assistant U.S. Attorney for then U.S. Attorney Leura Canary, Weller oversaw parts of the prosecution against disgraced Alabama Governor Don Seigelman (D). Canary recused herself because of her political ties and appointed Weller to lead the prosecution. Weller has received some criticism from liberal bloggers for her role in the Seigelman case and for her alleged close ties to Republicans, including Canary (who hired her) and to former Alabama Attorney General Bill Pryor (R). Harper’s Scott Horton alleged that Pryor was a client of Weller’s husband. According to 2007 reporting by Times’ Adam Zagorin, Weller investigated accusations by Lanny Young against both Senator Jeff Sessions and Bill Pryor and found those statements not to be credible, however Young’s accusations against Don Seigelman were accepted into evidence and were part of the successful DOJ case against the former Governor. Canary later placed her senior prosecutor, Louis V. Franklin in charge of the historic case.
When Mrs. Weller left the U.S. Attorney’s office in Montgomery she was hired by then Alabama Attorney General Troy King (R).
Mrs. Weller is a former law clerk to the Honorable Joel F. Dubina with the U.S. Court of Appeals. Weller is also graduate of the Cumberland School of Law and of the University of Alabama.
Mrs. Weller and her husband, attorney Christopher P. Weller, have two children, Christopher Jr. and Florence. The two attend St. Peter Catholic Church in Montgomery.
