No one else on the ballot has spent 16 years as a Supreme Court staff attorney, eight years as a Judge on the Court of Criminal Appeals, a year leading the Court of the Judiciary, and almost 18 years as a Supreme Court Justice. Justice Shaw is the senior member of the Court, with over 41 years of experience working in Alabama’s appellate courts. That kind of institutional memory matters when cases are hard and the pressure is high.

A judge’s job is not to make policy for the people of Alabama. Under Alabama’s Constitution, that authority and responsibility are delegated to the people, acting directly at the ballot box or indirectly through their elected representatives. The doctrine of separation of powers dictates that the legislative branch of government makes the law, the executive branch enforces the law, and the judicial branch states what the law is and applies it in specific cases. For over 41 years, Justice Shaw has remained focused on stating what the law is and applying that law in every case he has worked on. Alabama does not need liberal activists in robes. It needs a senior Justice who reads the text of a law, respects precedent that is faithful to the text, and leaves lawmaking to the people.

Before joining the Supreme Court, Justice Shaw spent eight years on the Court of Criminal Appeals. He understands what crime does to victims and communities. Conservative judging means enforcing the criminal laws as written, while respecting the rights of the accused, and refusing to create loopholes that can put dangerous offenders back on the street. Alabamians have a right to courts that take public safety seriously.

As Chief Judge of the Alabama Court of the Judiciary, Justice Shaw helped to oversee and police the ethics of the Bench itself. A conservative court starts with judges who follow the same rules they apply to everyone else. Good character, judicial independence, and personal accountability should not be empty slogans. They are fundamental prerequisites for the job.