Azzie Melton Oliver Named First Black District Attorney in Montgomery County, Alabama

By Kenneth Mullinax | ASU Azzie Melton Oliver has been appointed the first Black District Attorney (DA) of Montgomery County, Alabama, in its more than 200-year history. Oliver was appointed by Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey to complete the term of Montgomery County district attorney Daryl Bailey, following his recent retirement. Oliver, a native of Selma, Ala., graduated from Alabama State University in the Class of 1998 with a major in Criminal Justice. She earned her Juris Doctorate from Jones Law School. “I am both humbled and proud to now be the district attorney of the county that represents Alabama’s state capital,” Oliver said. “I consider my ability to serve our community an honor. I have spent most of my career serving Montgomery County, and I am committed to leading the office in fighting for victims and making the capital city safer for all of its citizens.” A longtime prosecutor, Oliver had been serving as Montgomery County’s district attorney pro-tem, and previously was the chief assistant DA, which is the second-in-command of all of the prosecutors in the office. Before her stint in the DA’s office, she worked as a chief prosecutor in the office of Alabama’s Attorney General. “I express...