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Tom Parker (judge)

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Tom Parker
33rd Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 11, 2019
Preceded byLyn Stuart
Associate Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court
In office
January 14, 2005 – January 11, 2019
Preceded byJean Brown
Succeeded byBrady E. Mendheim Jr.
Personal details
Born (1951-08-19) August 19, 1951 (age 73)
Montgomery, Alabama, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
EducationDartmouth College (BA)
Vanderbilt University (JD)

Tom Parker (born August 19, 1951)[1] is an American lawyer serving as the chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court since 2019. He previously served as an associate justice on the court having been elected to that position in 2004 and re-elected in 2010.

Early life and education

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Parker was born and raised in Montgomery, Alabama.[2] His family was middle-class.[3] He attended Sidney Lanier High School,[4] where he was elected as the class president.[5] Afterwards, Parker was educated at Dartmouth College and initially intended to be a historian.[3] He graduated cum laude from Dartmouth, and then attended Vanderbilt University Law School, where he received his Juris Doctor degree.[5][6] He studied at the Law School of the University of São Paulo in Brazil as a Rotary International fellow.[7]

Career

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In 1989, Parker became the founding executive director of the Alabama Family Alliance (later renamed the Alabama Policy Institute),[8] a conservative think tank.[6] At other points in his career, Parker was an Alabama assistant attorney general, deputy administrative director of Alabama courts, general counsel for Alabama trial courts, and director of the Alabama Judicial College.[9] He had been an assistant attorney general under Jeff Sessions, who became United States Attorney General under President Donald Trump.[10]

Parker defeated Robert H. Smith to become an associate justice on the Alabama Supreme Court in 2004 and was sworn in on January 14, 2005.[11] He was re-elected in 2010.[6] In 2016, Parker successfully sought a third term as associate justice.[7]

On June 5, 2018, Parker won the Republican nomination for Chief Justice over incumbent Chief Justice Lyn Stuart,[12] although seven current and former Alabama Supreme Court justices publicly supported Stuart over Parker in the primary, two of whom—despite being Republicans—would contribute to Parker's Democratic opponent in the general election.[6] Parker went on to defeat the Democratic nominee, Circuit Judge Bob Vance, in the general election on November 6, 2018.[6][13] The campaign was marked by negative television advertising in which Parker's campaign ran ads accusing Vance (who was supported by a moderate coalition) of being backed by "leftist billionaires" and in which Vance's campaign ran ads saying that Parker was "another Roy Moore" who would bring more "chaos and controversy" to Alabama.[6] It was also notable for the significant support Parker received from the trial lawyers via the Progress for Justice PAC.[14]

Parker was sworn in as Chief Justice of Alabama on January 11, 2019.[15] He currently sits on the Board of Jurists at the Blackstone and Burke Center for Law and Liberty, at Faulkner University.[16] On Indigenous Peoples' Day in 2022 Parker sent a letter of apology to the Echota Cherokee Tribe on behalf of the past actions against their people during the times of removal.[17]

In January 2025, Parker will become the first Alabama chief justice to complete a full term (6 years) since Sonny Hornsby left the office in 1995.[18][19]

Controversies

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Alleged support of white supremacist groups

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As a candidate in 2004, he was criticized by the Southern Poverty Law Center for distributing Confederate flags at a funeral of a Confederate widow.[20] Parker was photographed at the funeral standing between Leonard Wilson, a board member of the Council of Conservative Citizens, and Mike Whorton, a leader with the League of the South. He denied being a member of either group and said he did not consider his actions in either event inappropriate for a judicial candidate.[21] Parker was also criticized for attending a party in Selma commemorating the birthday of Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, founder of the Ku Klux Klan.[20] The party was hosted at "Fort Dixie" by Pat and Butch Godwin, operator of Friends of Forrest Inc. and also involved with the League of the South.[22]

Editorial criticizing fellow justices

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In 2006, Parker wrote an op-ed, published in The Birmingham News, in which he criticized his colleagues on the state supreme court for a ruling the previous year in which the court reversed a death sentence for a 17-year-old convicted of murder, following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Roper v. Simmons.[6] In the op-ed, Parker criticized the Roper decision as "blatant judicial tyranny" and asserted that "State supreme courts may decline to follow bad U.S. Supreme Court precedents because those decisions bind only the parties to the particular case."[23] The claim was criticized by legal experts (as well as Alabama Chief Justice Drayton Nabers Jr., whom Parker was then running against) because it contravenes the accepted principle of American jurisprudence that the U.S. Supreme Court has ultimate authority on matters of federal law.[23] Retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor criticized Parker's op-ed in a Wall Street Journal commentary, writing that it was an inappropriate attack on fellow judges and was at odds with the Constitution's Supremacy Clause.[24]

Criticized for low productivity as an associate justice

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Justice Tom Woodall, then running for his second term as an associate supreme court justice, criticized Parker as a candidate for chief justice in 2006. Woodhall characterized Parker's views as extreme, called Parker's op-ed criticizing his colleagues "cowardly and deceitful" and said that Parker "doesn't handle his cases; he just lets them pile up."[25] Parker had the lowest productivity compared to the state's other new justices, writing only one opinion in his first fifteen months compared to 38 by Mike Bolin and 28 by Patricia Smith. Parker attributed slowness to the fact that he had no experience as a judge and because he had to hire new staff members.[26]

Positions

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A longtime ally and former aide of Roy Moore, whose candidacy for United States Senate was derailed following multiple allegations of romantically pursuing teenagers while an adult,[9] he is known for his conservative views.[6] He strongly opposed Roe v. Wade (1973), calling it a "constitutional aberration", and has written a number of anti-abortion judicial opinions.[9] Parker was among the majority of the Alabama Supreme Court justices in 2015 that blocked probate judges from issuing same-sex marriage licenses, and he has criticized the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges (2015).[7]

Parker in March 2022 participated in the New Apostolic Reformation's prayer phone call, where Parker said that "as chief justice, I can help prepare the soil of the hearts, exposing the judges around the state to the things of God", and also commented that "righteousness and faithfulness are the products" of "restored" judges.[27]

Critics see his positions as guided by his religion rather than the law.[28]

Parker in February 2024 espoused the Seven Mountain Mandate that conservative Christians should hold dominion over the seven major aspects of life: family, religion, education, media, entertainment, business, and government. The "foundation" of the "original form of government" of the United States was the Bible, said Parker, and this was "constitutional". He further opined that "God created government, and the fact that we have let it go into the possession of others, it’s heartbreaking".[29][30]

Notable cases

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The Alabama Supreme Court ruled in February 2024 that frozen embryos are "extrauterine children" and thus legally children in the state of Alabama whom lawsuits alleging wrongful death could be filed over. Parker wrote a concurring opinion discussing a "theologically based view of the sanctity of life," that "God made every person in His image" and that "human life cannot be wrongfully destroyed without incurring the wrath of a holy God, who views the destruction of His image as an affront to Himself". Parker went on to say that, "even before birth, all human beings bear the image of God, and their lives cannot be destroyed without effacing his glory".[31][32][33] In his opinion, Parker cited the Bible's Book of Jeremiah and Book of Genesis, the Sixth Commandment, the Manhattan Declaration, and Christian theologians such as Thomas Aquinas and John Calvin.[34][35][36][37] Shortly following the ruling, Alabama's largest hospital stopped all in vitro fertilization (IVF) services.[38]

Personal life

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Parker lives in Montgomery County and is married.[7]

References

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  1. ^ "Tom Parker". NNDB. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
  2. ^ "INSIDE THE STATEHOUSE: Nine Supreme Court justices share conservative outlook". The Tuscaloosa News. Retrieved 2024-02-24.
  3. ^ a b Martin, Nina (October 10, 2014). "This Alabama Judge Has Figured Out How to Dismantle Roe v. Wade". ProPublica. Retrieved 2024-02-24.
  4. ^ Moseley, Brandon (2017-04-27). "Tom Parker is running for Chief Justice". Alabama Political Reporter. Retrieved 2024-02-24.
  5. ^ a b "Chief Justice Parker". Alabama Judicial System. Retrieved 2024-02-24.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h Melissa Brown, Alabama Chief Justice candidate Tom Parker: 'I know what we need', Montgomery Advertiser (October 15, 2018).
  7. ^ a b c d Kent Faulk, Alabama Supreme Court Justice Tom Parker seeks third term, AL.com (February 25, 2016).
  8. ^ "Associate Justice Tom Parker". Supreme Court of Alabama. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  9. ^ a b c Ivana Hrynkiw, Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice race: Meet Bob Vance, Tom Parker, AL.com (October 25, 2018); Paul Leblanc, Alabama Republican's Pick for Roy Moore's Old job is a Lot Like Roy Moore, Newsweek (June 8, 2018)
  10. ^ Rojas, Rick (2024-02-22). "The Alabama Chief Justice Who Invoked God in Deciding the Embryo Case". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-02-24.
  11. ^ "New Alabama Supreme Court Justices Sworn-In". 15 January 2005.
  12. ^ Alabama Secretary of State, election results, June 5, 2018.
  13. ^ Alabama Secretary of State, election results, November 6, 2018.
  14. ^ "Big trial lawyers nearly exclusively funding Tom Parker in court race". Yellowhammer News. 2018-05-30. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
  15. ^ Hrynkiw, Ivana (2019-01-11). "Alabama Supreme Court justices to be sworn in". al.com. Retrieved 2019-01-14.
  16. ^ "The Blackstone & Burke Center". allenmendenhall.com. Archived from the original on 2016-11-15.
  17. ^ "Indigenous People's Day highlights Huntsville's rich Native American history - Hville Blast". hvilleblast.com. 2022-10-10. Retrieved 2023-01-01.
  18. ^ Chapoco, Ralph (2024-11-06). "Sarah Stewart elected Alabama Chief Justice • Alabama Reflector". Alabama Reflector. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  19. ^ "Alabama Judicial System". judicial.alabama.gov. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  20. ^ a b "Alabama Supreme Court Candidate Tom Parker Has Extremist Ties". Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
  21. ^ "WSFA 12 Investigation: Allegations Against Tom Parker". www.wsfa.com. 15 October 2004. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
  22. ^ Hill, Michael (2015-03-08). "Forrest billboard in Selma, Alabama, greets civil rights marchers". League of The South. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
  23. ^ a b Alabama revisits issue of federal vs. state power, Associated Press (May 31, 2006).
  24. ^ Sandra Day O'Connor, The Threat to Judicial Independence, Wall Street Journal (September 27, 2006).
  25. ^ "Tom Woodall criticizes Justices Parker, Moore". legacy.decaturdaily.com. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
  26. ^ "Supreme Court Justice Parker defends productivity". legacy.decaturdaily.com. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
  27. ^ Yousef, Odette (February 27, 2024). "Alabama justice's ties with far-right Christian movement raise concern". NPR. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  28. ^ Rojas, Rick (22 February 2024). "The Alabama Chief Justice Who Invoked God in Deciding the Embryo Case". The New York Times.
  29. ^ Hixenbaugh, Mike (February 22, 2024). "Alabama justice who ruled embryos are people says American law should be rooted in the Bible". NBC News. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  30. ^ Mathias, Christopher (February 22, 2024). "Justice Who Ruled That Embryos Are 'Children' Appeared On QAnon Conspiracist's Show". Huffington Post. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  31. ^ Rosenzweig-Ziff, Dan (February 20, 2024). "Alabama Supreme Court rules frozen embryos are children, imperiling IVF". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on February 21, 2024. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  32. ^ Walker, Adria (February 20, 2024). "Alabama supreme court rules frozen embryos are 'children'". The Guardian. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  33. ^ Hughes, Trevor (February 20, 2024). "Alabama court rules frozen embryos are children, chilling IVF advocates". USA Today. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  34. ^ Hughes, Trevor; Arshad, Minnah (February 22, 2024). "Alabama justice invoked 'the wrath of a holy God' in IVF opinion. Is that allowed?". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-02-23.
  35. ^ Hixenbaugh, Mike (February 22, 2024). "Alabama justice who ruled embryos are people says American law should be rooted in the Bible". NBC News. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  36. ^ Smith, Peter; Stanley, Tiffany (February 24, 2024). "Chief justice's Christian reasoning in IVF opinion sparks alarm over church-state separation". Associated Press. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  37. ^ Brown, Elizabeth (February 21, 2024). "Frozen Embryos Are Now Children Under Alabama Law". Reason. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  38. ^ Peeples, Melanie (February 21, 2024). "Alabama's largest hospital says it is halting IVF treatments in wake of court ruling". NPR. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
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Preceded by Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court
2019–present 		Succeeded by
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