He served a five-year term as a city judge in
Elba, Alabama, and served as county judge for
Coffee County, Alabama, before being elected as a circuit judge for Pike and Coffee counties three times, being the presiding judge of the circuit for the last several years. He was the first person from Crenshaw County to serve on the court. Butts retired from the court in 1998, In 2017, it was speculated that Butts might run for a seat in the state senate, though this did not materialize. In 2023, the Troy University Alumni Association announced that Butts would serve as legal counsel to its board of directors. ==Personal life==