Municipal Judge Elizabeth Haney recently qualified as an independent candidate for the 16th Judicial Circuit Court Judge, Place 4, in Etowah County.
“I believe the role of a Judge should be independent and blind, and not be bound by political influence or expectation,” said Haney. “Therefore, when I decided to run for this position, I chose to run as an independent, so that my accountability will be to the citizens I will serve, and not to partisan leadership.”
If elected, Ms. Haney, in addition to being the county’s first non-partisan Circuit Judge, would also be the first female Circuit Judge to serve in Etowah County.
“I think it is very important to have a diverse panel of judges, and I would be honored to have the distinction of being the first female Circuit Judge to serve Etowah County,” Haney sad,
The sixteenth judicial circuit consists solely of Etowah County, and currently has 4 judicial places. Ms. Haney is seeking Place 4, which is being vacated by the retirement of Honorable William H. Rhea, III.
Ms. Haney has presided for the last six years as Municipal Judge for Rainbow City, AL.
A number of jurists, including former Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court Sue Bell Cobb (D), have called on the state to make judicial races non-partisan or even totally non-political and switching to appointed judges.
Currently, Alabama judicial candidates have to declare a party affiliation and then win a major party primary to run for a judgeship or they have got to collect signatures to get ballot access as an independent or minor party candidate.
Haney collected over a thousand signatures from Etowah County voters in order to even be on the November 6 general election ballot.
