Since she took the bench in 2019, the Honorable Debra Weston-Pickens ’92 has learned to listen in a new way in the Jefferson County District Court.

“Being a judge takes a true sense of people, empathy, and compassion,” she says. “You can enforce the law and make people feel like they’re heard without being harsh to them.”

After working as a criminal defense attorney for 12 years, Judge Weston-Pickens was elected as a district judge in 2018, sworn into a criminal court seat on January 15, 2019, and moved to a civil court seat on February 3, 2020. Though she didn’t know she would “fall into law” when she earned her degree at Birmingham-Southern, she still sees the impacts of her undergraduate education throughout her life.

“We were held to a standard that we were expected to hold to in life,” she says. “Professors expected us to participate, and you had to be prepared. Classes exposed you to different personalities and people from all walks of life.”

Weston-Pickens’ campaign launch party in March 2018.

Judge Weston-Pickens took night classes at BSC and received her degree in human resources management through an evening program once offered at the College. She left the Hilltop as a first-generation college graduate, which she achieved all while working full time at Southern Company. She also earned her Juris Doctor from Miles College Law School through night classes, even when she was commuting to Alabama Power’s Clanton office during the day.

“I’d never thought about law school before,” she says. “Sometimes it takes your own self and knowing you can do it yourself, and with who you surround yourself with.”

After she earned her law degree and passed the bar, Judge Weston-Pickens transitioned from her nearly 16-year career at Southern Company – where she worked in human resources and real estate – to her work as a managing attorney for her own private practice before the district judge seat opened.

Due to the switch in her seat in 2020, Judge Weston-Pickens has served as a judge in both criminal court and civil court. Now, she judges small claims cases for constituents across Jefferson County. She views her role through the lens of the community around her – something she has kept since building relationships through her campaign.

“You work for the people – that’s who elected me and who I work for,” she says. “I allow them to ask questions, and I try to be approachable but stern when I need to be. It can be nerve-wracking to be in a courtroom in front of a judge.”

This is where Judge Weston-Pickens’ empathy comes in, helping her be a fair judge to her constituents. As a criminal attorney, she held to the fact that everyone deserves the best representation, and she brings the same mindset in hearing and researching cases and dedicating herself to her community.

“I think we make a difference,” Judge Weston-Pickens says. “Even while I was running for my position, I didn’t think of myself as a politician. It’s about giving back, not about power. It’s about serving the community where I grew up and how I can impact people. That’s what I hope to do.”

This story was included in a special law edition of From the Hilltop, Birmingham-Southern’s alumni email newsletter.

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