FLORENCE-Governor Kay Ivey has appointed District Attorney Chris Connolly as Circuit Court Judge (effective Feb. 2, 2026)
to the 11th Judicial Circuit in Lauderdale County, AL. The appointment was made in early 2026.
Connolly replaces former judge Gil Self after Self was removed for a conviction on 14 counts of intentionally using his office for personal gain, one count of unintentional use of his office for personal gain and two counts of perjury. Self was sentenced on December 17 with a prison sentence of years.
Chris Connolly, who served over 20 years as District Attorney, was appointed by Governor Ivey to a Circuit Court judge position, effective February 2, 2026. Connolly was serving his 4th term as Lauderdale County District Attorney.
He started is legal career in 1987 as a law clerk in the Lauderdale County Circuit Court before he joined the law firm of O’Bannon and O’Bannon in 1988 where he remained until being elected to the DA’s office in 2004.
