FLORENCE – It is a familiar courtroom for suspended Lauderdale County Circuit Judge Gil Self, but this time he is not behind the bench. Self, who once presided over trials in the same courthouse, is now the defendant as he faces 16 felony counts accusing him of using his judicial office for personal gain.
Self’s trial began today at the Lauderdale County Courthouse following jury selection from what officials said was the county’s largest-ever jury pool, with more than 200 citizens summoned because of the judge’s prominence in the community.
Retired Marshall County Circuit Judge Tim Jolley is presiding over the case.
Self, 61, was indicted by a Lauderdale County grand jury in 2024 after an investigation by the Alabama Attorney General’s Office and the State Examiners of Public Accounts. Attorney General Steve Marshall announced the indictment in January 2024, saying Self used more than $140,000 in county funds for personal expenses, including alcohol, firearms, furniture, and travel.
According to the Attorney General’s Office, the charges include using public funds to employ his son and paying for personal vacations such as a ski trip to Montana, a beach trip, and a multi-state cycling trip. Prosecutors also allege Self reimbursed himself for travel to professional events he did not attend and made false statements to state auditors during their review of court expenditures.
The indictment includes counts of perjury and making false representations to the Department of Examiners of Public Accounts. The investigation centered on financial activity in the Lauderdale County Presiding Judge’s Judicial Administration Fund and the Law Library Fund.
Self, who has been suspended from judicial duties since his indictment, has continued to receive his full salary, estimated at more than $300,000 since his suspension began, although he has been barred from handling any court cases. The total represents about twice the amount prosecutors allege he misused.
Reports indicate that plea negotiations failed before trial, and while Self is believed to have repaid the disputed funds, his attorneys have argued that the charges hinge on ambiguous definitions of what constitutes a personal versus official expense.
If convicted, Self faces up to 20 years in prison and a $30,000 fine for each of the 16 felony ethics counts, and up to 10 years and a $15,000 fine for the perjury and false statement charges.
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