By Sym Posey | The Birmingham Times
Jefferson County on Friday presented Judge Carole Smitherman with a proclamation recognizing her lifetime of service to the County and dedicated a plaque highlighting her 50 years of legal work in the Birmingham metro area.
Smitherman retired last month after a distinguished career that included being the first Black woman hired as a deputy district attorney in Jefferson County and becoming Birmingham’s first Black woman municipal and circuit court judge. She was also the first female African American President of the Birmingham City Council and first female mayor of the City of Birmingham.
“I never did it for the recognition,” Smitherman told the Birmingham Times after the ceremony in the downtown Courthouse. “I did it [because] of my love for the people. I honestly believe God put me on this path to open up doors for other women and this shows me that we got them open. “
The afternoon gathering drew nearly a dozen leaders from across the state including Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Sarah Stewart; Jefferson County Commission President Jimmie Stephens; Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carr; Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin; Jefferson County Presiding Judge Elisabeth French; Jefferson County Judges Frederic Bolling; Annetta Verin; Brendette Brown Green; Jefferson County Commissioner Mike Bolin and members of the Smitherman family including husband Rodger; an Alabama state senator and daughter Crystal, a Birmingham City Councilor.
“[This] was such an amazing occasion,” said Crystal Smitherman. “To do this for such a woman who has touched so many lives not only in the city and county, but the state of Alabama, is just another testament to her character. She was one of the first of many Black female leaders and she literally shattered the glass ceiling so that so many of us could come forth. She always said her greatest accomplishment has been being a mother, and so I thank her for always putting us first.”
As for what’s next, Judge Smitherman, “I’ll still be practicing law. I’m going to write a book about all of this … I’m going to work in my community because that’s important because I have some years to go.”
Carole Smitherman first stepped into the Jefferson County Courthouse in 1976 when she was hired as a legal clerk in the Circuit Civil Clerk’s Office. In 1979, she began her legal career as a Deputy District Attorney becoming the first Black woman to serve in this capacity in the history of Jefferson County, and remained with the DA’s office until 1987.
In 1991, Republican Governor Guy Hunt appointed Smitherman to the Tenth Judicial Circuit Court Criminal Division Court where she served until 1992 and was the first Black woman to serve as a Circuit Court Judge in Alabama.
In 1997, she began teaching Constitutional Law at Miles Law School and continued for almost 30 years. In 2001, she was elected to the Birmingham City Council for District 6 where she served until 2013, and as President of the Birmingham City Council from November 2005 to November 2009.
In 2012, Smitherman won successful election as a Circuit Judge to the Tenth Judicial Circuit Court, she was re-elected in 2018, and has served continuously, with distinction, until her recent retirement from the bench in January 2025.
