Local attorney confirmed as new US District Court judge

A Mountain Brook resident has recently been named as a new U.S. District Court Judge. 

Annemarie Axon, a Florida native and Mountain Brook resident, said she is eager to take on this new role because she wants to serve the people of Alabama. She believes her deep love for Alabama will aid her as a district court judge. 

“I was raised [to believe] that you look after one another and I feel like people in Alabama do that,” Axon said. “The sensibility of what is important, and the willingness of people to remind you of that when you lose sight of it, is important to me.”

After attending the University of Alabama, Axon began her career here in Alabama as a law clerk at the U.S. District Court. After a year, she moved to Providence, Rhode Island and worked in a Boston-based law firm, but she always felt a strong pull back to Alabama. She is a member of both the Alabama and Rhode Island State Bar Associations. 

“I thought that I wanted to work for a huge firm in a big city and I certainly enjoyed it for a very long time … but I really missed Alabama,” Axon said. 

Axon was first nominated for the position by President Donald Trump in 2017 and was one of the seven Alabama nominees awaiting confirmation from the Judiciary Committee earlier this year.

According to a press release from Wallace, Jordan, Ratliff & Brandt LLC, the legal team of which she was a member, Axon’s career as a lawyer has almost entirely been devoted to litigation, with a concentration in fiduciary and probate litigation. 

“We are extremely proud of Annemarie and congratulate her on her confirmation. Selfishly we hate to lose Annemarie as a valuable and integral member of our firm, but we know her temperament and sound judgment will make her a great federal judge,” said Jay Clark, managing member at Wallace Jordan in the release. 

As a district court judge, Axon will be responsible for overseeing cases that are brought in by a plaintiff. 

“Someone believes that [someone else] is wrong and the other person believes that they did not do anything wrong,” Axon explained. “It is my job to make sure that justice is done.” 

In order to become a district court judge, Axon had to go through an intense process. 

Senators from each state come up with a list of nominations. After each individual has been interviewed, the senators make suggestions to the president. They then go through a background check to make sure they are qualified and will understand and appreciate the importance of the role before being nominated.

After someone has been nominated by the president, there is a hearing held before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. The senators on that committee will ask questions to determine whether they think the individual is qualified and are satisfied they will uphold the constitution. A majority votes and then the name of the person goes down to the Senate floor and the entire Senate will vote. 

Because being a district court judge is a lifetime position, Axon plans on being a judge for the remainder of her career. 

Although the position carries a lot of responsibility, Axon said that she would not have taken the position if she did not think she could do it without helping others. 

“I believe in my country, and I want to serve it. This is my skill set, and this would be the best way to use my skill set,” she said.