The Chanticleer

Issue date: 11/2/06 Section: Features

Media Credit: courtesy Alice Martin Alice Martin and husband.

If anyone would have told Alice Martin that she would be running for Calhoun County Probate Judge at this time last year, she probably would have laughed at the thought.
Martin, a political science graduate of JSU and adjunct professor in the criminal justice department, has enthusiastically embraced the idea and would really like to help improve Calhoun County as a whole.
"Once I realized that Judge Murray would be retiring, the idea was presented to me by many of my colleagues and several of the folks in the probate court because I was really interested in it, I love it, and I am already over there a lot," said Martin.
As if she was not already active enough in the community with teaching part-time at JSU, assisting Gadsden State Community College in the paralegal program, serving on the Calhoun County Bar Association Executive Committee and holding the position of partner in the law firm of Gregory N. Norton, she would now like to make her already busy schedule just a little bit busier with probate judge.
The job of the Calhoun County Probate Judge is definitely not an easy one. They are responsible for interpreting and applying statutory laws in Alabama, handling a caseload with as many as 350 trials/hearings a year, preventing appeals by making sound legal decisions and ruling on evidentiary matters during the trial without seeking outside legal advice.
It is extremely hard to pinpoint exactly what Martin's responsibilities are each day because they seem to change from one day to the next, so it is a good thing she carries such a thick planner with her to remind herself exactly what she has to do and when she has to do it.
"Well, last Friday was a non-teaching day for me, so I had some other things to see to," said Martin. Her first appointment of the day was a mental commitment hearing held promptly at 8 a.m. In a commitment hearing, Martin represents the alleged mental patient in front of the probate judge, and the purpose of the hearing is to determine if the person is a threat to himself or others due to their mental illness. This is just one of the various types of cases Martin has handled in probate court.
Next up on the agenda was a guest spot with Pastor Michael Cox on his radio show, "Coffee with the Pastor." He extended an invitation to any candidate running for public office to come and present their platforms on-air.

Continued...

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