MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) – There are two Republican candidates running for District Attorney in Alabama’s 19th Judicial Circuit which covers Chilton, Autauga and Elmore counties.
C.J. Robinson and Jennifer Mae Holton are the two sole candidates running for the seat. Long-time District Attorney Randall Houston is retiring after more than 30 years with the office.
Robinson is the current chief assistant district attorney and has been with the office for 15 years. He has been Houston’s second in command since 2012, focusing on capital murder and sexual assault cases.
Along with being an attorney, Robinson is the only person in the state to go through the police academy as a prosecutor. He graduated from the Montgomery Police Academy in 2016.
“I really want to help people. I want to help them navigate the criminal justice system as they kind of have to replay most often the single worst day of their lives over and over in these different hearings,” Robinson said.
Holton has been a licensed attorney for 17 years in the area and says she has handled over 1,000 Class A felony cases. Holton also served on a panel for the Alabama Supreme Court that helped write panel jury instructions used in trials across the state.
Holton is also a certified Guardian Ad Litem and has shared her love of the law with many young adults through her teaching at South University.
“I have all of the qualifications of a district attorney, and I bring to the table not only the experience, but the compassion that is needed as a strong female attorney,” Holton said.
If elected, Robinson said he will crack down on habitual offenders by improving communication and efficiency with surrounding law enforcement offices.
“If you are an habitual offender and you routinely wreak havoc on our communities then we are going to start locking you up,” Robinson said. “We are uniquely situated, and I think I’m uniquely situated to establish and create that network between all of our chiefs, all of our sheriffs, the DA’s office and all the city prosecutors.”
Holton says she sees a need for change within the DA’s office.
“We will have a functioning veterans court. We will also ensure that every victim is taken care of. The community to stay safe, the district attorney’s office has to do their job and when elected I intend to put in the office qualified individuals that can perform their job duties,” Holton said.
There is not a democratic candidate running in this race, so the winner of the primary election will be unopposed in November. This is both Robinson and Holton’s first time running for District Attorney.
Robinson has a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Montevallo and received his law degree from Mississippi College of Law.
Holton has a bachelor’s degree in business and marketing from Auburn University, an MBA from Troy University, and received her law degree from Jones School of Law.
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