Clark
Summary (Optional)
Prefer audio? Listen to a short neutral overview. Then review full details and sources below.
Quick Summary
- Ruby Clark is a Democratic candidate for Circuit Court Judge, Place 10, serving Jefferson County.
- She is currently a Jefferson County District Court judge, Place 7, after winning that seat in 2020.
- Before taking the bench, she founded a Birmingham law firm focused on bankruptcy, wrongful-death, and personal-injury cases.
This page uses public sources and stays neutral. You can check details in the links below.
Party: Democratic
Overview
Jefferson County Circuit Court handles major civil and criminal cases, including felony prosecutions, serious injury claims, family matters, and other disputes that go beyond District Court. Its judges make trial-level decisions that can affect families, businesses, and public safety across the county.
This race is for Place 10 on the 10th Judicial Circuit Court of Alabama, which covers Jefferson County. Ruby Clark is seeking a Circuit Court seat while serving as District Court Judge, Place 7.
Clark is a Birmingham native whose route to the bench came through work, family, and a later-in-life decision to attend law school. She worked in health insurance for 15 years, started her own practice after passing the bar in 2013, and now also teaches as an adjunct professor at Lawson State Community College. For voters, her background raises a practical question: how should experience with everyday legal and financial problems translate to a seat handling higher-stakes Circuit Court cases?
What She Did
Short version: key actions and why they may matter to your vote.
-
Action: Clark won election to Jefferson County District Court, Place 7, in 2020 and took office in January 2021.
Why it matters: Her current role provides trial-court experience in Jefferson County. Voters may ask how a District Court judge's current record and courtroom experience should weigh in a race for Circuit Court, where cases can carry higher stakes and more complex procedures.
-
Action: After passing the Alabama Bar in 2013, Clark founded The Davis Law Group in Birmingham. Her practice handled bankruptcy, wrongful-death, and personal-injury cases, including cases arising from car accidents and other catastrophic events.
Why it matters: Supporters say this work gave her direct experience with legal problems that can disrupt a family's finances, health, or future. Voters may consider how experience representing people in those cases fits the broader range of matters heard in Circuit Court.
-
Action: Clark has served as an adjunct professor at Lawson State Community College, volunteered with community organizations, and written a book, Hearsay, about faith and perseverance.
Why it matters: Supporters say these roles show a connection to Birmingham outside the courthouse. Voters may also consider how community involvement and teaching should factor into a judicial race compared with courtroom experience.
Experience
- 2021-present: Jefferson County District Court Judge, Place 7. (source)
- 2013-2021: Founding attorney, The Davis Law Group, Birmingham. (source)
- Teaching: Adjunct professor, Lawson State Community College. (source)
- Education: B.S. in human resource management, Faulkner University; J.D., Birmingham School of Law. (source)
Things to think about
- How should voters weigh Clark's District Court experience when she is seeking a Circuit Court seat?
- Does experience with bankruptcy, injury, and wrongful-death cases prepare a candidate for the range of civil and criminal cases heard in Circuit Court?
- How important are a candidate's local ties, teaching, and community work in a judicial race?
Sources
Sources reviewed: 4 linked sources
Source mix: 1 official court profile, 1 voter guide, 1 university profile, 1 nonpartisan reference