Judge Jordan stepping down from bench

After more than 17 years on the bench, Escambia County (Ala.) Circuit Judge Dave Jordan has announced he will be retiring July 31, 2020.

Jordan, 61, was born in Meridian, Miss., but grew up in the Mt. Sterling community in Choctaw County. He graduated from Patrician Academy in Butler, Ala., and went to the University of Alabama, where he received his bachelor's degree in history in 1981. He then received his law degree from the University of Alabama School of Law in 1984.

Jordan began his legal career with the law firm of Sintz, Campbell and Duke in Mobile. He said he and his wife Becky first thought they would like the big city atmosphere in Mobile and started having children.

"Becky grew up in Alco in Brewton and I grew up in Choctaw County," Jordan said. "We liked the small town atmosphere and decided it would either be Butler or Brewton. We laugh that we chose Brewton because it had a Walmart."

In 1989 Jordan became a partner of the Otts, Moore and Jordan law firm in Brewton.

He served as Escambia County's district judge from January, 2003, until July, 2014. He then moved to the circuit bench and will step down on July 31.

Asked why he decided to step down now, Jordan said God had a plan for him.

"I had some older judges tell me 'when you know it, you'll know it'," Jordan said. "God had a job for me to do and I've done it."

"It's been a great honor to serve as a trial lawyer in this county for 17-plus years," Jordan said. "It comes with a lot of responsibility and the position grinds on you. We hold people's lives, children and property in our hands. It's time for me to step down."

Jordan's current time doesn't end until January, 2023. Gov. Kay Ivey will appoint a replacement to fill the unexpired term. The next election for the seat will be held in 2022 for a full six-year term.

Jordan said he's seen a lot of changes since he first became a judge and the drug problem is at the top of the list.

"When I first got on the bench we dealt with meth labs," he said. "Meth knocked down doors in the rural communities for other drugs."

"Every drug that's available is available here," he said. "It's just not Escambia County, it's everywhere."

He added that drugs are the underlying factor in more than 75 percent of the cases that come through the court system.

"I hear people talk about marijuana saying 'it's just a little bit of weed'," Jordan said. "But this isn't your daddy's weed from the 60s. It's laced with other drugs and helped create spice. People don't know what they are putting into their bodies."

Jordan said he's also seen a huge spike in the use of prescription drugs, especially by females.

"I set bonds every day as a district judge and most of the drug charges involved males," he said. "It's changed to a majority of females. It's been a huge change since I've been on the bench."

He said it's the drug problem that fuels other problems such as violence.

"We used to have one or two capital murder cases a year," he said. "We've got 10 on the docket right now."

Jordan said he has no real plans after he steps down as the circuit judge but would like to go back into private practice and do some mediation work.

"We'll just have to wait and see," he said.

During his tenure on the bench, Jordan has served on the Alabama Circuit Judge's Executive Committee and the Alabama District Judge's Executive Committee. He served as president of the Alabama Association of District Judges in 2012 and was named Judge of the Year by the Alabama Forestry Commission in 2010.

Jordan and his wife Becky have three children, Matt (Melanie) Jordan, Jillian (Paul) Jordan Evans and Coale (Alecia) Jordan.