State Rep. Matt Fridy (R-Montevallo) on Wednesday officially announced that he is running in 2020 for the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals seat being vacated by Judge Scott Donaldson.
Fridy filed his paperwork with the secretary of state’s office last week to form his campaign committee. He starts the judicial race out with over $73,000 on hand already just from money transferred from his House campaign account.
“The law has always been a passion of mine,” Fridy said in a statement. “Having spent years in private practice as an appellate lawyer, and having served for several years as a staff attorney for the Court of Civil Appeals and the Supreme Court, I believe I am uniquely qualified to serve as a Judge on the Court of Civil Appeals.”
Fridy describes himself as a life-long Republican and Reagan conservative. He has served in the state House of Representatives since 2014, serving in various leadership roles, including vice chairman of the Judiciary Committee and chairman of the Committee on Constitution, Campaigns, and Elections.
Drawing on his estimable background in constitutional law, Fridy has prominently fought to uphold our rights to free speech, due process and the rule of law. A recent example is Fridy shepherding his campus free speech bill through the legislature to becoming law this year.
“I have always stood up for the constitution, and I will bring a fair-minded, conservative judicial philosophy to the bench,” he added. “I have helped pass a number of judicial reforms to the Alabama Court system, and I have a deep understanding of how the courts work.”
Fridy is an attorney with the distinguished law firm of Wallace, Jordan, Ratliff, and Brandt, a full-service law firm, where he focuses on appellate practice with an emphasis on constitutional law, agricultural law, critical motions and corporate litigation.
He is a magna cum laude graduate of Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law, where he served as the executive editor of the Cumberland Law Review. Following graduation, Fridy served as a federal law clerk to United States District Judge Edwin Nelson. Fridy has served as an adjunct professor of business law at the University of Montevallo.
He and his wife Kimberly, a pharmacist, have five children: Jack, Beth, Cate, Emily and Caroline. They attend Spring Creek Cumberland Presbyterian Church, where Fridy serves as an elder.
You can visit his campaign website here.
Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
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