Government Documents

The official Web site of the State of Alabama

The Attorney General is a constitutional officer whose duties and powers are set out in Title 36, Chapter 15, of the Code of Alabama (1975). As the State's attorney, he provides legal representation for the State of Alabama, its officers, departments, and agencies. The Attorney General defends the State in all lawsuits in which the State is named as a defendant. He represents the State in all court proceedings wherein the constitutionality of a state statute is challenged.

To ensure a regulatory balance between regulated companies and consumers in order to provide consumers with safe, adequate and reliable services at rates that are equitable and economical.

 The secretary of state served a two-year term from the time Alabama became a state in 1819 until the Constitution of 1901 set the term at four years. Up until 1868, the secretary of state was elected by the legislature, but since that time has been selected by popular vote.

The State Treasury is responsible for multiple state financial interests, including unclaimed property, cash management, bonds, the Alabama Trust Fund, and more.

The goal of the Department of Agriculture and Industries is to serve the farmers and consumers of this state to the best of our ability.

The Executive Budget Office (EBO) is a division of the State of Alabama's Department of Finance and is operated under the direction of the Assistant Finance Director for Fiscal Operations. The mission of the EBO is to effectively prepare the Governor's budget proposal, properly administer and supervise the execution of legislative appropriations, estimate revenues for budget preparation and administration, and assist in the drafting of the budget appropriation bills.

With the inauguration of Robert Bentley, fifty-three persons have served as governor of the State of Alabama (not counting those who served as acting governor or post-Civil War military governor).

The Alabama Constitution requires that the Office of State Auditor make a full and complete report to the governor showing the receipts and disbursement of every character, all claims audited and paid out, and all taxes and revenues collected and paid into the treasury, and the source thereof.

The Alabama Legislature met in Organizational Session, for the purpose of organizing each house through election of Officers, adoption of Rules of each house as well as Joint Rules of the two houses, establishing standing committees in each house and naming the membership of each, and the election of Members to certain Joint Committees of the two houses. Legislation may not be passed in the Organizational Session, and this Session may not meet longer than 10 calendar days.

The Department of Examiners of Public Accounts is the independent legislative audit agency for the State of Alabama. The Department has the authority to perform audits of the accounts of all entities receiving or disbursing public funds. We are part of the Legislative branch of state government, and are independent of the Executive and Judicial branches of state government, as well as all local governments in the State.

The Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Alabama, separate and distinct from the Alabama Legislature, was created by way of the Constitution of 1901. The Lieutenant Governor is first in the line of succession to the Governor and serves as President of the Alabama Senate.

Federal Circuit covering Alabama, Florida and Georgia

AOC is dedicated to serving the courts of Alabama and to enabling all court officials to enhance their skills, for there is so much at stake. Lives and liberty hang in the balance. We are the guardians of justice.

Appellate courts do not try cases, have juries, witnesses, or court reporters. They review actions or decisions of the trial courts by reviewing the record on questions of law or allegations of procedural error.

The Court of Civil Appeals consists of five judges, the most senior judge serving as the presiding judge. This court has original appellate jurisdiction in all civil appeals where the amount in controversy does not exceed $50,000. The Supreme Court may transfer to the Court of Civil Appeals civil cases appealed to the Supreme Court and within its appellate jurisdiction, with some exceptions.

This court is composed of five judges, one of whom is elected by the members of the court to serve as presiding judge. The Court of Criminal Appeals hears all appeals of felony and misdemeanor cases, including violations of city ordinances and all post-conviction writs in criminal cases.

Alabama's Unified Judicial System is one of the oldest in the nation. Our Justices, Judges and staff share the sentiments of former United States Chief Justice Earl Warren when he stated that, "The success of any legal system is measured by its fidelity to the universal ideal of justice." Simply stated, our mission is to be the most successful judicial system in the nation.

The Library has approximately 200,000 volumes in its collection, exclusive of microforms, making it one of the largest law libraries in the state. The Library is also one of the oldest U.S. Government Depository libraries in the United States, having been designated a depository in 1884. The current law library occupies approximately 38,000 square feet. It has a staff of 16 employees.

The Supreme Court of Alabama is composed of a chief justice and eight associate justices. As the highest state court, the Supreme Court has both judicial and administrative responsibilities.