CIRCUIT JUDGE - PLACE 1

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Admitted to the Alabama State Bar in 1988, Judge Charles A. “Lex” Short currently serves as the Presiding Circuit Judge of the 22nd Judicial Circuit of Alabama, a title he has held since 2015. Judge Short has served as a Circuit Judge since originally taking office in January 2001.

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Judge Short graduated from Auburn University with a degree in Business Administration in 1985. Upon graduating from Auburn, he enrolled in the Thomas Goode Jones School of Law, and graduated with honors in 1988. During his time at Jones School of Law, Judge Short was a law clerk to the the former governor - and at that time - Judge John Patterson on the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals.

 

Throughout his nineteen years on the bench, Judge Short has presided over thousands of matters in criminal – including capital murder cases – civil, probate, and domestic relations court. In 2009, Judge Short established the 22nd Judicial Circuit Drug Court and has served as the Drug Court Judge since its creation. Since its inception, the Drug Court has directly affected the lives of hundreds of drug addicted individuals, and, as a result, reduced recidivism rates and the prison population.

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Prior to his election onto the bench, Judge Short was in the private practice of law with a general law practice. Judge Short also served as an Assistant District Attorney for ten years as a felony prosecutor for the District Attorney’s Office of the 22nd Judicial Circuit.

 

As an Assistant District Attorney, Judge Short prosecuted over 150 felony jury trials to verdict. In private practice, Judge Short handled matters in criminal, civil, domestic relations, juvenile, probate, and municipal courts. While in private practice, Judge Short also served as the City Attorney and Municipal Court Prosecutor for the City of Opp, town of Red Level, and the town of Lockhart. He also served as the Public Defender for the Municipal Court of Andalusia, Alabama. 

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Judge Short has served in various charitable organizations for over twenty years. Judge Short has been a member - and in some instances, chairman - of Kiwanis Club of Andalusia, Andalusia United Fund, Lurleen B. Wallace Community College Foundation, and the Andalusia Football Foundation. Judge Short has served the youth of his community in many ways; he has coached numerous sports teams and actively speaks to young people about the inherent risks that drug use and abuse presents.

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Judge Short is married to the former Susan Jones of Andalusia. He and Susan have three children. They also have two grandchildren.

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DISTRICT JUDGE 

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Judge Julie Sorrells Moody currently serves as the District Judge of Covington County, Alabama, an office she has held since her appointment by Governor Robert Bentley in April of 2014.  Judge Moody was elected to the district judgeship in 2018. 

 

Judge Moody graduated with her Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Relations/Journalism with a minor in Speech from Auburn University in 1990.  While attending Auburn, Judge Moody was a member of the Auburn Tigerettes, serving as president in 1988-89.  She was also a member of Chi Omega sorority.   

 

Upon graduation from Auburn University, Judge Moody enrolled in the Cumberland School of Law on the campus of Samford University where she received her Juris Doctor in 1993.  During her time in law school, Judge Moody worked as a law clerk for the firm of Norman, Fitzpatrick, Wood, Williams & Parker.  She also served an internship with the United States Attorney’s Office in Birmingham.   

 

Judge Moody was admitted to the Alabama Bar and began her legal career in 1993 as an associate at Buntin, Cobb & Shealy, P.A. in Dothan, AL. A lifelong resident of Covington County, she returned to work as an associate with Albrittons, Givhan, Clifton & Alverson in 1995.  She became a partner in the firm in 1998. She handled numerous cases in the fields of worker’s compensation, insurance defense, municipal law and medical malpractice at the firm until her appointment as the District Judge in 2014.
 

Judge Moody has also served our community in various ways throughout her career. Towards the beginning of her career she served as a Public Defender and Prosecutor for the Town of Lockhart, and then as the Prosecutor for the Town of Red Level. In addition, Judge Moody held the position of Municipal Judge for the City of Opp from 1996 until 2009.

 

Judge Moody began work as the attorney for the Covington County Commission in 1996 and the Covington County Sheriff’s Department in 1999 and served in those positions until the time of her appointment as District Judge.  Judge Moody also served as an attorney for the Town of Babbie, the City of Florala, and the Town of Red Level, during her years in private practice.

 

Judge Moody was selected as a member of the 2006 Leadership Forum of the Alabama State Bar and served as the President of the Covington County Bar Association from 1997-98. She served on the Board of Directors of the LBW College Scholarship Foundation from 1998 until 2000, when she was president.

 

Judge Moody is a resident of Opp, where she is a member of the First Baptist Church. She and her husband, Rothel, have two children, Trey and Caroline.

CIRCUIT JUDGE - PLACE 2

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Judge Benjamin M. Bowden holds the position of Circuit Judge of Covington County, Alabama, Place 2, having won that seat in the 2016 election. 

 

Prior to assuming his duties as Circuit Judge, Judge Bowden served as Covington County’s Probate Judge from November 8, 2008 until March 17, 2016. 

 

Judge Bowden attended the University of Alabama from 1985 to 1989.  While at Alabama, he served as the Varsity Tennis Team Manager, was President of the Kappa Sigma Social Fraternity, and received his officer’s commission through the Air Force ROTC program.    

 

Judge Bowden received his juris doctor from the University of Alabama School of Law in 1992.  While in law school, he served on the editorial board of the Alabama Law Review and finished in the Top 10% of his graduating class. 

 

After graduation, Judge Bowden entered on active duty with the United States Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Corps, serving at Bitburg AB, Germany, and Aviano AB, Italy. 

 

He left active duty in 1997 and joined the law firm of Albrittons, Clifton, Alverson, Moody, and Bowden, P.C. in Andalusia, Alabama, which was at that time the oldest law firm in continuous existence in the State of Alabama.  Judge Bowden maintained a general litigation practice while also serving as the Municipal Prosecutor for the City of Andalusia and as an Assistant District Attorney.  During this time, Judge Bowden successfully prosecuted two capital murder cases, one of which was the longest jury trial in the history of Covington County. 

 

Judge Bowden has remained a member of the Air Force Reserves since leaving active duty.  In 2008, Judge Bowden deployed to Balad AB, Iraq, in support of OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM and OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM.  He is currently assigned to the Air Force Judge Advocate General’s School at Maxwell AFB, and holds the rank of Colonel.    

 

Judge Bowden has held various positions in the community, to include Chairman of the Covington County Republican Party, President of the Covington County Bar Association, Chairman of the Covington County Red Cross, Lay Delegate to the 2000 and 2004 General Conference of the United Methodist Church, President of the Andalusia Rotary Club, President of Andalusia Elementary PTO, and youth league coach.  He is married to the former Angela Mobley.  He and Angie have two children, Anna Beth, who lives and works in Dallas, Texas, and Sim, who is a Midshipman at the United States Naval Academy.  

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