AL SJR114

Alabama Legislature honors and commends Judge John Rochester for his outstanding professional achievements and dedicated public service as Presiding Judge for the 40th Circuit serving Clay and Coosa Counties.

Judge Rochester retired effective December 31, 2010, after serving 27 years on the bench with recognition for his fairness, strict adherence to law, and courtroom decorum.

Rochester earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Auburn University and a law degree from Samford University, later earning a graduate degree from New York University in 2008.

His judicial career spanned from 1982 City Judge appointments in Ashland and Wedowee, to 1985 appointment as the first District Judge in Clay County, to 1987 Circuit Judgeship for Clay, Shelby, and Coosa Counties.

A permanent copy of the resolution is to be displayed in the Hugo Black Courtroom of the Clay County Courthouse.