S. Wesley Pipes at a glance
- Current role
- Circuit Court Judge
- Jurisdiction
- Alabama · State
- Judicial service
- Active
S. Wesley Pipes
Circuit Court Judge · Alabama Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Biography
Professional career
- Pipes stated that Graddick’s attorney‐client relationship with the City of Mobile’s Office of Professional Responsibility required recusal from certain Mobile Police Department cases, and that past cases he presided over in 2024 might need review WKRG News 5
- In August 2024, Judge Pipes publicly addressed a conflict of interest involving another judge, Charlie Graddick, who was assisting the court in clearing a criminal case backlog.
- In March 2023, he was elected by members of the 13th Judicial Circuit to serve as the Presiding Judge for a three‐year term beginning April 1, 2023 Lagniappe Mobile
- As Presiding Judge, he acts as the spokesperson and leader for the circuit’s 11 circuit judges, 6 district judges, and the circuit clerk, coordinating communication with local and state agencies and overseeing administrative functions Lagniappe Mobile
- Circuit Court Judge and the current Presiding Judge for Alabama’s 13th Judicial Circuit, which covers Mobile County and surrounding areas
Education
Additional information
- Term: 3‐year Presiding Judge term (2023–2026)
- Admitted to Alabama State Bar: 1995
- This was not a direct conflict for Pipes himself, but it was a matter of judicial ethics and transparency.
- Alabama Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
- handling criminal and civil cases in Mobile County.
- Notable recent action: Publicly addressed conflict of interest in another judge’s case
- Professional affiliation: Member of the Mobile Bar Association
Applicable Court Rules & Procedures
Recording and broadcasting
Statewide
Alabama Rule of Criminal Procedure 9.4 permits televising, photographing, or radio broadcasting of judicial proceedings only as provided by Alabama judicial ethics canons, law, or another court rule.
The taking of television pictures or other photographs in or of the courtroom during the progress of judicial proceedings or the radio broadcasting of judicial proceedings may be permitted as provided in Canon 3(A)(7) and (7B), Canons of Judicial Ethics, promulgated by the Alabama Supreme Court, or as otherwise may be permitted by law or other rule of court.Alabama Rule of Criminal Procedure 9.4: Televising, photographing, or radio broadcasting of judicial proceedings ↗
Published courtroom rules
Shared court rules
Alabama Rule of Criminal Procedure 9.4: Televising, photographing, or radio broadcasting of judicial proceedings
Alabama Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Scope is limited to the court class in the source claim. Criminal proceedings only. Shared court context only; case-type restrictions, exceptions, later amendments and case orders apply. This is not a personal preference or a complete rules inventory.
Official source ↗ · Collected 2026-07-26Sources
Identity source checked July 29, 2026.
Biography sources checked July 29, 2026.
Alabama Administrative Office of Courts official judicial roster
Identity source · HTML · Source checked July 29, 2026
View Alabama Administrative Office of Courts official judicial roster ↗Alabama Rule of Criminal Procedure 9.4: Televising, photographing, or radio broadcasting of judicial proceedings
Statewide source · PDF · Source checked July 26, 2026
View Alabama Rule of Criminal Procedure 9.4: Televising, photographing, or radio broadcasting of judicial proceedings ↗