Staff Report
Five Points, Alabama — Retired St. Clair County Circuit Judge Jim Hill has announced that he will run as a Republican candidate for the House District 50 legislative seat being vacated by State Rep. Jim McClendon (R – Spriqgville), who is running for the State Senate. The district includes portions of St. Clair and Shelby counties.
Hill said he plans to focus his campaign on improving the economy and job market within the district and across Alabama, and he will work to bring a higher standard of ethics and account ability to Montgomery. Improving public education for parents and children ranks high on his priority list, as well.
“The economic climate that Obama and the liberal Democrats have created has hurt our nation and crippled businesses, but the conservative leadership shown by Republicans like Gov. Bentley has helped Alabama weather the storm better than most states. I believe, however, that we can do even more.” Hill said. “As a legislator, I plan to work with my Republican colleagues and put Alabama firmly on the road to recovery so that jobs are once again plentiful and families won’t struggle to make ends meet.”
Hill was elected St. Clair County Circuit Judge in 2004 and served in that capacity on the Governor’s Task Force on Prison Overcrowding. He was also instrumental in creating a Day Program for juvenile offenders while in office, an early warning system with schools, the St. Clair Drug Court, and the St. Clair Domestic Violence Program.
In addition, Hill served for ten years as the St. Clair County District Judge and was active with the Alabama Juvenile Judges Association, a group of state, district, and circuit judges dedicated to raising awareness of juvenile law issues affecting children within the state.
He was also engaged in private law practice for almost 20 years and was the President of the Alabama League of Municipalities City Attorney Association during that period.
Hill earned his undergraduate degree from Mississippi State University and received his law degree from the Cumberland School of Law.
He and his wife, Susan, have two grown children – James E. Hill III, an attorney, and Elizabeth Hill, an NBCT teacher.
Hill attends Springville First Baptist Church and serves as a Sunday School teacher there.
