By Bill Britt
Alabama Political Reporter
Rumors are part of the stock-in-trade of Montgomery politicos, and this past Friday it churned out buzz that Supreme Court Associate Justice Glenn Murdock was going to make a big announcement by day’s end.
In an attempt to run the gossip to ground, The Alabama Political Reporter called Murdock in the early afternoon. After leaving a voicemail, the clock ran out at 5 p.m. with no announcement – after 5 p.m. on a Friday, the only news from the political world are stories they want people to ignore.
But Murdock did return APR’s call before completing his day, and the rumor, while just more grist for the mill, led to an interesting conversation in which Murdock said he was looking at various options where he might serve the state.
Murdock told APR that he had been approached by supporters who asked him to consider a run for governor, lieutenant governor or state attorney general. Murdock said he was seriously considering stepping down from the court to run for another office but had yet to make a final decision. During the conversation, he expressed a desire to seek a position that would give him the flexibility to voice his aspirations for a better Alabama by dedicating his time and energy to bring about positive change in his home state.
First elected to the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals in 2000, he served in that capacity from January 2001 to January 2007. He was elected to the Alabama Supreme Court in 2006 and began serving on that Court in January 2007. Justice Murdock was reelected to the Supreme Court without opposition in 2012. His seat will once again be on the ballot in 2019.
Murdock says he is weighing his options and plans to remain in government service.
According to his official bio, Murdock was born in Enterprise, Alabama on June 25, 1956. After graduating from Enterprise High School in 1974, he attended The University of Alabama, where he served as Student Government Vice President. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude in 1978, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Economics. He received his Juris doctorate in 1981 from the University of Virginia Law School.
Upon returning to Alabama, Justice Murdock served for a year as a law clerk to the late Clarence W. Allgood, United States District Judge for the Northern District of Alabama. After that, he engaged in private practice, emphasizing commercial, constitutional and election law. He also served as in-house counsel to a national corporation and as a state administrative law judge. His practice included cases before the state and federal courts of Alabama, as well as the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. In 1994 and 1995, he served as an attorney to The Honorable Perry O. Hooper Sr., in the successful year-long federal court litigation to establish the lawful winner of the 1994 Alabama chief justice election.
Justice Murdock has been married for 37 years to the former Margaret Gilchrist of Hartselle, Alabama. They have three children and three grandchildren. Justice Murdock is a member of the Rotary Club of Birmingham.
