An Alabama Supreme Court justice, who has been on the bench for more than a decade, has resigned.

According to the governor's press office, Justice Glenn Murdock has submitted a letter of resignation to Gov. Kay Ivey. His resignation is effective Jan. 16.

"I have tried to discharge my duties with a simple, overarching goal: to just do what is right in each case," Murdock wrote in his letter. "To that end, I have endeavored in every case to follow the law as I have been granted the wisdom to discern the same. In so doing, I hope I have met my my responsibility to help preserve that law."

Murdock hinted about his possible future. "After prayerful consideration, I believe the time has come for me to resign from the Supreme Court in order to explore other professional opportunities and other ways in which I might be of service to our State," he wrote.

Murdock was elected to the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals in 2000, and served there until his election in 2006, when he was elected to the state supreme court. He was re-elected without opposition in 2012.

The 61-year-old was born in Enterprise, and graduated from the University of Alabama with a degree in political science and economics. He received his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Virginia Law School in in 1981.

After returning to Alabama, Murdock served for a year as a clerk to a U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Alabama, engaged in private practice, served as counsel to a Fortune 500 company, and served as a State Administrative Law Judge. In 1994, he served as an attorney to Perry O. Hooper, Sr. in federal litigation to establish the winner of the 1994 Alabama Chief Justice election.

Murdock Letter by KentFaulk on Scribd