Jill Ganus

Jill Ganus Veitch (born c. 1966) is a judge on the Jefferson County District Court in the Bessemer Division. She was appointed in 2017 by Governor Kay Ivey to fill the remainder of Eric Fancher's term following his retirement.

Ganus graduated from Pleasant Grove High School and competed as a varsity cheerleader at the University of Alabama. She completed her juris doctorate at the University of Alabama School of Law in 1991. She began her career as an Assistant Jefferson County District Attorney for the Bessemer Division in 1993 and held that job until 2006, when she defeated Democrat Minnie Tunstall for the Place 12 seat in the District's Family Court division.

During her term, Ganus created the Bessemer Teen Court to divert teenagers convicted of non-violent first offenses away from imprisonment. She initiated a special "girls only" docket, during which teenage girls' cases would be administered with only female facilitators present. She also created the Bessemer Fatherhood Initiative Program to assist fathers paying child support with mentors, parenting classes and job placement. Ganus lost the seat to Democratic challenger Lorraine Williams-Pringle in the 2012 general election. She returned to her former job as a prosecutor in Bessemer. In 2015 she worked in the same role in Tuscaloosa County.

In June 2015 the Hoover City Council appointed Ganus to the Hoover Board of Education. She resigned that role when she was re-appointed to the bench. She also serves on the board of directors of the Hoover YMCA and the executive committee of the Jefferson County Republican Party. As a prosecutor, she was active in the Alabama Professional Society on Abuse of Children, the Tuscaloosa Domestic Violence Task Force, and the Tuscaloosa Child Death Review Team.

Ganus is married to former Bessemer Division District Attorney Bill Veitch.

References

• Anderson, Jon (April 21, 2015) "Hoover City Council appoints Jill Ganus Veitch as next Hoover school board member." The Birmingham News
• Robinson, Carol (October 9, 2017) "Gov. Kay Ivey appoints Judge Jill Ganus to Jefferson County bench." The Birmingham News