District Judge, Jefferson County, Place 11

Party: Republican

Residence: Hoover

Political experience: Appointed by Gov. Kay Ivey to serve as Jefferson County District Court judge, Bessemer Division, 2017-2019; won election to Jefferson County district judge for family court, 2006; lost re-election bid, 2013.

Professional experience: Private practice in Bessemer, 2015-2016 and 2019-present; assistant district attorney, Bessemer Cutoff, 1993-2006 and 2013-2015; assistant district attorney in Tuscaloosa County, dealing with violent crimes.

Education: Juris doctorate, University of Alabama, 1991; bachelor’s in political science, University of Alabama; Pleasant Grove High School.

Main issues: Ganus began a first “girls only” docket in the state to bring together troubled female teens with women facilitators. She began the Bessemer Fatherhood Initiative Program, which has been used as a national model, and started the first Bessemer Teen Court, a diversionary program for first-time offenders with non-life-threatening offenses.