Jay Mitchell

James Letcher "Jay" Mitchell (born August 26, 1976) is an American lawyer from Alabama who was an associate justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama from 2019 to 2025. Mitchell advocates an originalist interpretation to the US and Alabama Constitution, rejects separation of church and state, and describes his jurisprudence as being shaped by his Evangelical Christian religious beliefs and the Bible. As with a previous Alabama Supreme Court judge, Roy Moore, Mitchell promotes the public display of the Ten Commandants in government buildings. In a landmark February 2024 case written by Mitchell, the Supreme Court of Alabama recognized frozen embryos created via in vitro fertilization (IVF) as "children" for purposes of Alabama civil and criminal law.

Early life and education

Mitchell was born August 26, 1976, in Mobile, Alabama. He received his Bachelor of Arts with honors from Birmingham–Southern College. He received his J.D. degree from the University of Virginia School of Law.

Career

Prior to serving on the Alabama Supreme Court, Mitchell was a partner with Maynard, Cooper & Gale in Birmingham, Alabama.

Alabama Supreme Court

On June 5, 2017, Mitchell announced his intent to run for the seat on the Alabama Supreme Court being vacated by James Allen Main. He defeated his Republican rival in the primary and went on to win the general election in November, defeating Democratic candidate Donna Smalley, 60.5%–39.4%. Governor Kay Ivey appointed Bill Lewis to serve the remainder of Mitchell's term the following day.

2026 Alabama Attorney General election

On May 19, 2025, Mitchell announced that he would run for attorney general of Alabama in 2026.

Personal life

Mitchell is married to his wife, Elizabeth; they reside in Homewood with their four children. In June 2025, Mitchell penned an op-ed supporting President Trump’s decision to summon the Marines to patrol the streets of Los Angeles in the face of civil unrest.