Gil Self's Smirk

 

Our Judge Self watcher has another take on recent events:

Self can keep playing golf and drinking with his buddies at the private country club at the taxpayers expense. How many years will he draw a check and benefits before this finally goes to trial?

So, he pays back some of the money he stole. It doesn't change the fact that he lied and used his office for personal gain at the expense of the taxpayers, went on nice vacations, bought top shelf liquor, furnished his home and paid his son for work that could not be proven to the auditors. Others (like Missy Homan Hibbett Stults) got a free pass one time too - an audit by the Attorney General's office resulted in her paying money back and it was swept under the rug. 

Self just got too sloppy with his even with her covering some of the expenditures for him. Will this open more audits in the Lauderdale County Courthouse? What other elected officials in the courthouse are covering theirs and others activities and scandalous behavior? Hopefully voters will see the corruption and vote those lying thieves out.

For those who Gil Self handed down sentences for doing far less than he did, we can only hope you get selected for jury duty - LOCK THE THIEF UP. The picture of him with a smirk on his face as he leaves the courthouse says a lot about his entitlement attitude. It's past time for the little guy and taxpayers to get justice.

A Reader's Take on Gil Self & the Judicial System

 

While most people have no sympathy for Gil Self and his spending and traveling sprees, he is not alone. COVID gave the judges in the Shoals an excuse to halt regular court proceedings. They were like school children when there is threat of inclement weather.

Attorneys were left hanging with very little judicial activity. The modern thing called technology meant nothing to the Judges. Zoom hearings were rare which hurt the families involved in the court system and the attorneys handling cases.

I am a victim of the lazy and inept court systems in Lauderdale and Colbert Counties. There is no self discipline by the judges AND District Attorneys to show up, do their jobs, and SERVE THE PEOPLE. Cases drag out for years.

There is a comical side to the latest news of the state examiners audit of Judge Self's spending spree with court funds. Reports of excessie traveling for him and his friends, boozing it up, feeding his cat, buying guns and ammo and heaven knows what else - all made possible by court fees paid that should be used for court expenses to reduce the cost of operations for an already overtaxed taxpayer.

We have to mention the friends and children slush fund too where they were paid for "work" yet no time cards or evidence of any such . I don't want some judge's child organizing my court file, but worse yet - I don't want some kid being paid without holding taxes like most of us have taken out of our checks! The explanation of paying his son to assist him while he waits to go to law school is about as lame as it gets. Where is this boy now? Law School? McDonalds? Wal-Mart greeter? Not that it matters, but everything I read gets more bizarre as he explained away his oversight.

After a couple of days digesting the state examiners findings, a magazine surfaces today "Living 50 plus" with Judge Gil Self and I guess his new wife on the front cover. The article quotes her/them saying they are riding bicycles across country and staying fit. How nice. Very few people can do what he has done and draw a fat paycheck with very lucrative benefits and retirement package - all away from the office.


https://living50plusshoals.com/


NOW, it's all coming together. Thank you court fees. Thank you COVID. Thank you Judges. Thank you for dismantling the integrity of the judicial system with your lack of personal integrity.

In all fairness, Judge Gil Self is not the only one doing this - The District Attorneys and all the Judges need to be policed and audited from top to bottom. It may be time for them to punch a time card.

HOUSTON - WE HAVE A PROBLEM.

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We Don't Want to Pay for Gil Self's Kitty Litter

 

We don't know how many in Lauderdale County want to pay for Lauderdale Circuit Judge Gil Self's kitty litter...or his guns used for "protection"...or his son's salary as a law clerk in his courtroom. Yet we did.

Judge Self is repaying the 146K he inappropriately used between 2019 and 2023. Great, but why did he use state money to begin with?

The guns for protection? Doesn't our courthouse provide protection? If not, we should be asking why.

Kitty litter? It was during COVID, and he or his representative didn't take time to ring up the items separately. The burning question here: Does he use clumping? 

Seriously, if we had done this, we would have lost our jobs...big time.

Reference: Audit

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Update on Two Lauderdale Circuit Judges

A reader answers the guest commentary on Lauderdale Circuit Court Judge Billy Jackson (pictured):

This entry is very unfair and one sided. How can anyone call this father a “deadbeat dad” when over the past five years he faithfully paid the court ordered alimony and child support? In addition to monthly alimony and child support payments, the Dad paid more than a quarter million dollars through annual installments to the ex-wife over the five year period.

The ex-wife had five years to prepare to move out of a home she did not (nor did she ever) own. She has a four year college degree and does not work. For five years the ex-wife knew the date when she had to leave the home and when the time came she went back to court to fight it. Why was she surprised to be evicted? With all the money received, the ex-wife should have funds to purchase her own home. Stalked and abused?! Considering the other mistruths these statements must also be questioned. The ex-wife chooses to play the victim and pretend she has been wronged. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Keep in mind, Judge Jackson did not preside over the original divorce case. He is simply enforcing the judgment put into place over five years ago. It would have been nice if the court had provided more notice prior to the scheduled eviction but, under the circumstances, the eviction order had to be expected. And understand the ex-wife was not actually evicted. She moved out after getting the eviction notice. The rumor mill says the children (all over the age of eighteen) were not forced to leave the home but decided to go with their mother.

It is not clear whether the Dad is able get life insurance. Judge Sandlin granted the ex-wife alimony (tax free) for the rest of her life. The ex-wife asked the court to guarantee this by having the Dad pay for a substantial life insurance policy but the court never considered the Dad may not be insurable. It is rumored the Dad has no solely owned assets to offer as collateral to guarantee the alimony payments. Sometimes, a person is not compliant with the court through no fault of their own.

The ex-wife received custody of the children along with child support, a generous tax free alimony for life, use of a beautiful home for five years, plus annual payments totaling more than $250K. In what way did the court not treat the ex-wife favorably? It is galling to see the ex-wife state she was mistreated by the court and has the audacity to spread malicious mistruths about the very people who ensure her welfare! Readers should consider the expense and frustration suffered by the Dad over the past five years. Consider he has to pay this ungrateful woman for the rest of his life and beyond! He deserves better than the treatment received in this entry. As do the Judges referenced.

Editor's Note: The fact that the three children all chose to remove themselves from the home at the same time as the mother speaks volumes.

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Lauderdale County Circuit Judge Gil Self, a defendant in a civil rights suit initiated by Mark Davis, has recused himself from from Davis' custody case in answer to a motion from early in July.

Shoalanda