District Attorney Keith Blackwood was elected in November 2022 as District Attorney for the 13th Judicial Circuit of Alabama and took office in January 2023.
A proud graduate of Auburn University and the Cumberland School of Law, DA Blackwood has been with the Mobile County District Attorney’s Office since 2008. Before his election, Blackwood served as Chief Assistant District Attorney and successfully prosecuted thousands of cases. He is also nationally recognized for excellence in complex and capital litigation.
As the chief law enforcement official in Mobile County, DA Blackwood leads a team of more than 90 prosecutors, trial coordinators, investigators and staff who work each day in pursuit of justice and to give victims of crime a voice in the justice system.
Since taking office, Blackwood has focused on strengthening public safety, improving the efficiency of the criminal justice system and finding innovative ways to better serve Mobile County. Under his leadership, the office eliminated the COVID-era case backlog and significantly reduced its overall pending caseload. He reinstated the Helping Families Initiative, an early-intervention program that has helped reduce truancy by 66% and chronic absenteeism by 59% in Mobile County. With a strong belief in alternative courts, Blackwood worked alongside the judiciary to revitalize Drug Court and reestablish Veterans Court, providing accountability while addressing the underlying issues that contribute to criminal behavior.
Blackwood has also prioritized the prosecution of violent and repeat offenders, successfully seeking to hold more than 20 violent defendants without bond under Aniah’s Law. He has worked with city and county leaders to secure additional resources for prosecutors and public safety and has played an active role in shaping criminal justice policy statewide. His legislative work includes helping strengthen Alabama’s mandatory reporting law and assisting in the development and passage of the Devinee Rooney and John Wesley Holt Safe Streets Act, which strengthened Alabama law involving impaired driving and hit-and-run crashes resulting in serious injury or death.
In 2026, Blackwood was named District Attorney of the Year by the Alabama District Attorneys Association, recognizing his leadership, service to the profession and commitment to justice.
DA Blackwood is committed to community involvement and public service. He is a member of the Alabama State Bar, Mobile Bar Association and Paul W. Brock American Inn of Court and serves on the Penelope House Advisory Board, supporting an organization that provides services to victims of domestic violence. A former Eagle Scout, he remains actively involved with local Scouting and serves as a Big Brother with Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Alabama.
