Ben Fuller, Shelby County prosecutor, outlines campaign for district court judge

Ben Fuller, chief deputy district attorney at the Shelby County DA's office, spoke to the Columbiana City Council to announce his campaign for the newly created district court judge seat and to explain the court's jurisdiction and duties.

"Columbiana is home for me," Fuller said, describing his ties to the community. He said district court in Alabama handles matters including unlawful detainers and ejectments, small claims up to $6,000 (with concurrent jurisdiction now to $20,000 in some circumstances), misdemeanor cases occurring outside city limits, and, critically, felony matters that begin in district court. He emphasized that district court judges set bond and decide whether cases proceed to grand jury, responsibilities that bear directly on public safety.

Fuller noted recent legislative changes commonly referred to as Aniah's Law, which allow prosecutors to seek denial of bond for the most serious offenders. He described prosecutorial use of the law and said such cases would be heard in district court. Fuller pointed to his courtroom experience handling matters from traffic tickets to capital cases and said that experience prepared him for the bench. "I've spent my career in the courtrooms of Shelby County fighting crime," he said.

Fuller reminded listeners that the Republican primary is May 19 and distributed campaign literature after his remarks. He declined to read his full resume aloud and directed those interested to his campaign website for additional details.