Voters in Jefferson County selected two Democrats to be the next probate judges. Both Yashiba Blanchard and Jameria Johnson Moore are the first black judges ever to be elected to the court.

According to unofficial results from the Alabama Secretary of State’s Office, Blanchard picked up 52.9% of the vote to defeat Republican John Amari, who received 47% of the vote for the Probate Court’s Place 1 seat. The place 1 seat is the lead position on the court.

“I’m so elated that the citizens of Jefferson County have put their trust in me to lead in this position,” Blanchard told The Birmingham Times last night at her watch party. “I had a magnificent team with God first, my family, my husband, my children. We put it all together and made it happen.”

Moore gained 53.44% percent to defeat Republican Joel Blankenship who won 46.49% of the vote in the race for the Place 2 seat.

“I love the fact that this is an opportunity for us as women to serve and to show how we are qualified, and that we are ready to go into the Probate Court and be that voice and listen to our constituents, listen to those who came before us, make rulings that are just, make sure that people get their cases heard timely,” Moore said from her watch party.

Voter turnout was high for the two races with approximately 56.82% of registered voters casting ballots.

Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @ShipleyAusten