As State Sen. Tom Whatley (R-Auburn) was defeated in his reelection bid to the legislature’s upper chamber, a new Republican is set to become chairman of the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee.

During this past Friday’s broadcast of Alabama Public Television’s “Capitol Journal,” State Sen. Will Barfoot (R-Pike Road) stated his intentions to seek the committee’s chairman’s gavel.

Barfoot, who is entering his second term of service in the Alabama Senate, currently serves as vice chair of the committee.

According to Barfoot, the lawmaker’s experience in the legal profession makes him “well suited” to occupy the position of Senate Judiciary Committee chairman.

“I’ve let my desire to be chairman of that committee be known to the leadership,” said Barfoot. “Obviously, [I’m] a lawyer practicing in the Montgomery area’s surrounding counties. And I think I’m well suited from the legal side of things to understand some of those bills and the affects they have on businesses and individuals throughout the state. So certainly I would appreciate that opportunity and I’m hopeful when the time comes to be considered for that.”

During debate over state government’s role in implementing measures related to combatting the spread of COVID-19, Barfoot emerged as a leading critic of the state health officer’s authority to unilaterally institute restrictions on business and individuals.

An additional issue Barfoot has routinely sought to address during his first term of service is to prohibit divisive concepts, such as Critical Race Theory, from being incorporated in public school curriculum.

The state senator touched on the “challenging” aspects of serving as chair of the committee and spoke to the discourse that occurs between members while debating a bill.

“It’s a challenge I look forward to if given the opportunity… Number one: There are a lot of lawyers in there, right? We like to talk sometimes. But there are a lot of bills that come through that committee,” noted Barfoot. “[A]nd so, it’s challenging at times. It’s pretty evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats on the committee. There are bills that are of grave importance to the state of Alabama. We spend a good bit of time talking about those, trying to flesh those out in committee and see what happens on the floor once it gets through.”

Dylan Smith is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL