Alabama’s Supreme Court has been drawing much attention lately with all the hoopla surrounding Judge Roy Moore and his Ten Commandments monument.

The controversy stemming from a concrete block in the rotunda of the state building brought national attention squarely into our laps here in Alabama.

But many residents of Shelby County recently turned their focus to the Supreme Court for another reason.

District Court Judge Patti Smith, one of Shelby County’s own, announced her candidacy last week for associate justice of the Alabama Supreme Court.

Smith has served on the bench for 24 years, during which she has been a model of judicial ethics.

She has made great strides toward improving the lives of the children in the fastest growing county in Alabama.

She has been instrumental in creating organizations whose sole focus is the interest of children.

She has worked tirelessly to create in her courtroom an atmosphere of fairness.

It was with pride and excitement that many Shelby County residents gathered on the steps of the Courthouse in Columbiana last week for Judge Smith’s candidacy announcement.

We join with many in Shelby County to wish her good fortune in her quest to make Alabama a better place