Longtime Probate Judge Won't Run for Re-election

To many people mourning a death or facing life’s hard decisions, he introduces himself as Bill Self.

Not Judge Self.

It’s meant to make people who’ve already suffered a loss feel a little more comfortable as they enter his office at the Bibb County Courthouse.

For more than two decades, Bibb County Probate Judge William J. “Bill” Self II has held uncontested hearings in the warmth of his office because for him, the job isn’t just to handle weighty court matters such as probating wills or deciding if warring family members should end medical life support for a loved one.

“For many people, it’s the first and only time they come to court,” he said. “They’re nervous.

Self, 63, announced that he won’t seek re-election when his term expires this at the end of 2012.

Self added a fiduciary compliance officer to his staff about 20 years ago to keep tabs on money spent by guardians and conservators appointed by the court. The compliance officer also checks to see if court orders are carried out.

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Longtime Bibb County Probate Court Judge Says He Won’t Run for Re-election