J. Clark Stankoski, Baldwin County Circuit Court Judge

Today I signed an Administrative Order closing the courts on Friday, July 5th. Everyone enjoy Independence Day (weekend) and be safe. God Bless America!

Update your profile pic and get ready to vote Sarah Stewart for Chief Justice on Tuesday!

I am monitoring the weather and am in constant communication with EMA and Commission Chair Underwood. As of now, and I do not expect things to change, the courts will be open tomorrow. If that changes I’ll let everyone know immediately.

The Circuit Judges are pleased to announce that we are appointing Brenda Ganey as Circuit Court Clerk upon the retirement of Jody Wise.

She will take office on July 1, 2022, and with 27 years experience in the Baldwin County Clerks’s office, she will be ready to hit the ground running.

Congratulations Brenda, and Happy Retirement Jody Wise.

It appears that Monday will be a dangerous day to be on the road due to the hurricane related rain we are expecting.

It is my understanding that the County Commission is closing the courthouses Monday, and all courts are therefore suspended for Monday.

I know this is inconvenient, but personal safety must come first.

I am monitoring the weather and in close discussions with the County Commission and Baldwin EMA. We will make a decision on the courts by Sunday around 3 pm.

We have been informed by Chief Justice Parker that all UJS offices will be closed tomorrow for Juneteenth. Therefore the Clerk’s office will be closed and there will be no court tomorrow. Sorry for the late notice, but this all took place after close of business today.

We are aware of the declared Holiday for tomorrow. Once we have a more clearly defined order from the Alabama Supreme Court I will make a statement about tomorrow.

As of the writing of this update, all four general jurisdiction Circuit Court Judges are currently trying jury trials. Additionally, Domestic Relations and District Courts are running full speed ahead as well. As you all are aware, when the pandemic arrived in Baldwin County, the Courts put in place several measures to keep the parties, attorneys, court personnel, officers of the court and the general public safe.

Since that time, several vaccines became available, and by now, everyone wishing to be vaccinated have had the opportunity to do so. That said, all COVID-19 policies, mandates and restrictions related to the courts, will expire on May 21, 2021 at 4:30 pm. I encourage everyone to use common sense going forward with your interactions while in court, and to respect the personal space of those you interact with. Keep in mind, the County Commission sets their own rules for the Courthouses, and my Orders only relate to the court system within those courthouses.

The 28th Judicial Circuit continually moved cases forward, we worked through tough times, and we have not experienced the backlog of cases that other counties may have encountered. Giving the public access to the court system, during the pandemic, was a priority, required hard work and imagination, and we were able to do so while keeping all participants as safe as possible.

It is my understanding that most of the changes that were made during these times will remain in effect going forward. “Cattle calls” and packed courtrooms may be a relic of the past, and I for one, have enjoyed giving litigants more special settings and individual court times.

After May 21, 2021, each judge will set the rules and regulations for their individual dockets, and I’m sure we are all looking forward to the end of the mask mandate, and the ability to interact as normally as possible.

There has been some confusion as to the closure of the court system, so I wanted to re-post a few updates. Again, the Fairhope and Foley Satellite Courthouse will close to court business at 1:00 pm today. We will not have court at the satellites until 8:00 am Friday morning.

The Bay Minette Courthouse will NOT close. If you have court scheduled for tomorrow you should expect your case to go forward. If you have a specific storm related need to continue your case, you should file a motion or contact that specific judge's office directly.

If the storm causes more damage than is predicted, or if we have flooding or other dangerous conditions, we will of course cancel all court. We do not want to put you, your clients, the public or any court personnel in danger, and we are monitoring the storm hourly.

Please contact me with any further questions or concerns.

In conjunction with the County Commission, all courts will close at the Fairhope and Foley Satellite Courthouses at 1:00 pm tomorrow. The courts at the Satellites will not open again until Friday morning at regularly scheduled times.

The Bay Minette Courthouse will remain open for absentee voting.

Jury trials will continue at the Bay Minette Courthouse at the discretion of each individual judge. Preliminary hearings will proceed as scheduled at the main courthouse on Thursday at the discretion of Judge Scully

Stay safe and prepare early.

We have been monitoring Zeta, and at this time we do not expect to have any closures within the Court System. Each individual judge may cancel a docket on Wednesday afternoon, or Thursday morning, but the storm looks to be coming through late Wednesday evening and early Thursday morning.

If you have an individual concern, please file a motion in that specific case or call the judge's staff with those concerns.

Stay safe, and prepare early.

According to all weather updates we are out of the cone of uncertainty. I encourage everyone to be prepared and stay updated, but it looks like we will not be adversely affected by Hurricane Delta. All court will go forward as scheduled. If things change I will immediately let you know. Stay safe and prepare early.

We are monitoring Tropical Storm Delta and are keeping in touch with Baldwin County EMA and the County Commission. If a decision to make any closures to the Court System are made, it will be posted here first. Stay safe and prepare early.

I have spoken with the Baldwin County Commission and they have confirmed that all three courthouses will have power and all HVAC units are operating correctly. As such, we will resume with Court on Thursday, September 24, 2020. If you have a specific case that needs a continuance due to Hurricane Sally, please file a motion to continue or contact a specific Court or Judicial Assistant / Court Attendant. See our website baldwincountyal.gov. As always, please contact me directly (251.586.7677) with any concerns or issues. If anything changes I will let you know ASAP.

As of now we have canceled all jury trials for the September term. All attorneys, witnesses, litigants and jurors should be taking care of their families and not worried about trials these next two weeks. We will start back up in October.

The courts are closed through Wednesday of next week and we will let everyone know as soon as the decision is made about the rest of the week.

If anyone needs to speak directly with me please call my cell with any questions or concerns 251-586-7677.