Bryan Taylor, attorney and former ALGOP legal counsel, qualified Monday for chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court as of Monday.

“The Republican voters of this state deserve the chance to make an informed decision on who will lead our judicial system. Justice (Sarah) Stewart and I have different experiences, different judicial philosophies, and different visions for the future of our court system,” Taylor said in his announcement. “Sarah Stewart is the establishment candidate. I’m the conservative alternative with a proven record of defending the Constitution.”

Taylor went on to say Stewart is backed by liberals and lawyers.

“Sarah Stewart can’t hide behind her robe anymore, pretending to be a conservative Republican,” he said. “As a circuit judge, she had a liberal record on the bench. Sarah Stewart’s campaigns for the Supreme Court have been bankrolled by hundreds of thousands of dollars from plaintiffs’ trial lawyers and liberal Democrats.

“She has arguably been the most liberal justice on the Supreme Court.

“We need a reliably conservative chief justice who will always stand on the truth and stand up to the weaponization of our justice system. I’m not going to let liberal special interests hijack our Republican primary.”

Taylor is an Iraq War veteran, former prosecutor, and retired Army judge advocate.

Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News.