The Alabama Court of Civil Appeals is one of two appellate courts in the Alabama judicial system. The court was established in 1969 when what had been one unitary state Court of Appeals was broken into a criminal appeals court and a civil appeals court. The unified Court of Appeals had been operative since 1911. The initial court's members were appointed by Governor Albert P. Brewer. The court is currently housed in the Alabama Judicial Building in Montgomery, Alabama. Judges on the court are elected in partisan elections on staggard six year terms. Today, the court's membership is all Republican but it was composed of just Democrats between 1969 and 1989. At that time, Republican Governor Guy Hunt appointed Robert J. Russell to the bench on April 16, 1989 thus becoming the first Republica