---
title: "Sarah H. Stewart | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sarah-h-stewart-al-supreme-court"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-10-07"
---

# Sarah H. Stewart

Supreme Court of Alabama · Chief Justice

## Profile

- Court: Supreme Court of Alabama
- State: Alabama
- Role: Chief Justice
- Service status: active
- Last verified: 2026-08-22

## Summary

Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge.

## Before you appear

- Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed.
- Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance.
- Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding.

## Courtroom Rules

### media recording photography broadcasting

Scope: 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.

Evidence excerpt: 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](https://judicial.alabama.gov/docs/library/rules/cr9_4.pdf)
Source checked: 2026-07-26


## Sources

- [Official profile](https://judicial.alabama.gov/Appellate/SupremeCourt)
- [Official roster](https://judicial.alabama.gov/Appellate/SupremeCourt)
- [Alabama Judicial System official judicial roster](https://judicial.alabama.gov/Appellate/SupremeCourt)
- [Alabama Rule of Criminal Procedure 9.4: Televising, photographing, or radio broadcasting of judicial proceedings](https://judicial.alabama.gov/docs/library/rules/cr9_4.pdf)

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## Biography

### Professional career

- Sarah Hicks Stewart is an American lawyer and jurist serving as Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court since January 2025
- Sarah Hicks Stewart is an American lawyer who has held the role of the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama since 2025, after being elected in November 2024.
- A Republican, she previously held the role of associate justice from 2019 to 2025 and spent 13 years as a Mobile County Circuit Court judge, becoming the first female jury trial judge there

### Education

- BA and MA degrees in communication from the University of Arkansas and a JD from Vanderbilt University.

### Additional information

- Stewart held a position as a private practice attorney from 1992 until 2006, when Gov.
- Born April 26, 1963.
- Bob Riley (R) appointed her to serve on the 13th Circuit Court in Alabama.
- Before her judicial career, she practiced law for 14 years and was the first female president of the Mobile Young Lawyers.
- Stewart has received the Mobile Bar Association’s Trailblazer Award and is recognized for leadership in judicial associations and initiatives to improve access to justice.