Defeated lawmaker files election challenge in court, questions opponent’s eligibility
Juandalynn Givan wants a judge to order Alicia Escott Lumpkin to provide proof that she left her city position before qualifying for the District 60 race as required by law.
Ethan Parker 
A long-serving Birmingham state lawmaker is turning to the courts to challenge the results of last month's primary, casting doubt on whether her opponent was legally eligible to run for the District 60 seat.
State Rep. Juandalynn Givan, who lost her seat to Alicia Escott Lumpkin, filed a lawsuit in Jefferson County Circuit Court. Givan is demanding that Lumpkin provide concrete proof she had officially vacated her position within the city government before launching her campaign.
The Core Disagreement
At the center of the dispute is the Mayor-Council Act, which governs Birmingham's municipal framework. The Mayor-Council Act explicitly prohibits political appointees under the mayor from seeking elected office while employed by the city. Section 4.06 states that no person in such a staff position shall run for office while currently employed.
Lumpkin, who served as Mayor Randall Woodfin's director of process improvement, maintains that she resigned to pursue the seat. Woodfin actively campaigned for and endorsed Lumpkin, who previously dropped out of the race once before when questions about her employment status surfaced, only to re-enter the contest after presenting a resignation letter signed by the mayor.
Legal Battle and Political Rhetoric
In her lawsuit, which also names Alabama State Democratic Executive Committee Chairman Randy Kelley as a defendant, Givan argues that a mere resignation letter is insufficient. She is seeking a judge's order to compel the disclosure of payroll records and official documentation to verify separation from the city.
Lumpkin responded through a statement issued by Iron City Communications—a firm with deep ties to the mayor—likening Givan’s legal challenge to the efforts of Donald Trump following the 2020 presidential election. Lumpkin characterized the lawsuit as an un-American affront to voters who chose a new direction for the district.
Givan, who is representing herself in the litigation alongside attorneys Glennon F. Threatt and Wendell W. Major, rejects the comparison as political spin. "I’m not doing anything that anyone else with common sense would not do," Givan told 205focus.com. "This is about honoring the process and the law."
Procedural Context
This legal hurdle follows a season of similar challenges in local politics. Earlier this year, Lumpkin returned to the race after initially bowing out, and LaTanya Millhouse previously questioned the qualifications of State Rep. Kelvin Datcher, who had used a similar resignation letter to clear the path for his own candidacy.
A hearing on Givan’s request for a temporary restraining order is scheduled for June 11. The motion aims to pause post-election activity while the court weighs the merits of the eligibility challenge.
