Joseph S. Johnston - Other

Other

Johnston was also a member of the Alabama Defense Lawyers Association and American Bond Lawyers Association during his years in private practice. He was appointed by Governor Guy Hunt in 1988 to serve on the Alabama State Tenure Commission, which heard appeals from dismissed tenured public school teachers. He served in this position over four years hearing over 1,000 cases during his term of office. He was also appointed by Governor Hunt to the USS Alabama Battleship Commission, where he served from 1992–1999 and was Chairman from 1998 to 1999. Johnston was appointed by Governor Fob James in 1995 to the Certificate of Need Review Board of the State Health Planning & Development Agency, which licenses new hospital and nursing home beds as well as new medical equipment. He was appointed by Chief Justice Perry O. Hooper to the Committee on Sentencing, Unified Judicial System Study Commission. This commission recommended the establishment of sentencing standards and "truth in sentencing". Chief Justice Perry O. Hooper appointed Johnston as Chairman of the Administrative Office of Courts Form Committee 1998-2005, which had the responsibility of reviewing and redrafting hundreds of official forms which the court system uses.

In 2001, in response to a statewide revenue shortage in the court system, Chief Justice Roy Moore appointed Johnston Chairman of the Court Cost Enforcement Committee. This committee recommended over two dozen ways that court costs, fines and restitution could be better collected. Johnston was, a longtime member of the Mobile County and Alabama Republican Executive Committees. He served as Chairman of the Mobile County Republican Party from 1986 to 1990 and Vice-Chairman of the Alabama Republican Party from 1995 to 1997. Additionally, he was elected a delegate to and attended the 1996 Republican National Convention, pledged to Pat Buchanan.

Johnston is presently a member of the Mobile, Alabama and American Bar Associations, the Alabama Circuit Judges Association, American Judicature Society, and Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy and the American and Mobile Inns of Court from 1998–present.

In addition to a lifelong study of law and politics, Johnston is an avid amateur astronomer and is a member of the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers and the Astronomical Society of the Pacific.

Johnston is an active shooter and is dedicated to preserving the shooting and firearms heritage of the United States. He is a member of the National Rifle Association and Second Amendment Foundation. Johnston is also the active manager of a family limited liability company that owns approximately 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) of timberland in Mississippi and is involved in forestry and ecology issues in the State of Mississippi.

Johnston is married and the father of two children. He and his family are active members of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. He is involved in juvenile diabetes support issues and is a dedicated long distance bike rider having recently completed a 58-mile (93 km) bike trip in a little less than five hours.

In 2007, Alabama Supreme Court Justice Harold See announced he would not seek re-election. Johnston was the subject of much media speculation throughout the state of considering a statewide campaign to succeed Justice See. Johnston has denied interest in seeking this position in statewide media reports.

Judge Johnston is a contributor to legal education programs in Alabama and the Mobile Metropolitan area. Below is a partial list of programs presented in recent years:

• Electronic Discovery Issues in Circuit Court. Mobile-Baldwin County Bench and Bar Conference: Return to the Grand! December 1–2, 2006.
• Trial Court Considerations Under The Youthful Offender Act. Mobile Bar Association, March 16, 2007.
• Mediation: What Judges Want And Don’t Want. Mobile Bar Association” September 2007.
• Do’s and Don’ts in the Trial: Keeping Control over Feisty Lawyers. Mobile Bar Association, October 12, 2007.
• Document Authentication and Proving Damages: Legal Practices and Procedures that You Need to Know. Mobile Bar Association C.L.E. May 20, 2005.
• Trying the Non-Jury Case. Mobile Bar Association C.L.E. October 17, 2003
• Comprehensive Approach To Sex Offender Management: The Mobile Example. Porter Brock Inns Of Court, May 22, 2003.
• Do’s and Don’ts as Seen from the Bench. Mobile Bar Association November 1, 2002
• The Non-Unanimous Jury Verdict. Porter Brock Inns Of Court April, 2001
• The "Right to Die" under Alabama Law. Porter Brock Inns Of Court April 2004.
• Collecting Court Cost. Alabama Circuit and District Judges Annual Conference, Summer, 2001.
• Do’s and Don’ts as Seen from the Bench. Mobile Bar Association September 21, 2001.
• Court Security Issues. Alabama Municipal Clerks Association Annual Conference, Perdido Beach Resort, September, 2004