Alabama governor picks new high court member

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Gov. Kay Ivey appointed Republican attorney William B. Sellers to the Alabama Supreme Court on Thursday, bringing the court back to its normal size after the ethics case against former Chief Justice Roy Moore.

Sellers will fill the associate justice seat previously held by Lyn Stuart. Stuart was appointed chief justice after Moore resigned following his permanent suspension.

Moore is now among the Republican candidates for U.S. Senate in Alabama.

Ivey said she could not think of anyone more qualified or capable than Sellers.

“His conservative principles and commitment to the rule of law along with his commitment to his family, church and community are foundations that make him uniquely qualified for the position of associate justice,” she said in a statement.

Sellers is a partner in the Montgomery office of a prominent Alabama law firm, Balch & Bingham. The Montgomery native graduated from the University of Alabama law school in 1988.

A tax attorney, Sellers has spent much of his 26-year career involved in litigation against the Internal Revenue Service and the state revenue agency.

Sellers chairs the Alabama Republican Lawyers Association, according to a biographical sketch published by his law firm. The nine-member Supreme Court remains all Republican with his appointment.