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Goggans appointed to district judge post
By Peggy Blackburn - Managing Editor
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“The governor called me this morning and told me the news,” Glenn Goggans said Monday. “I’m very excited. Ever since I was in law school I had an ambition to serve on the bench.”
Goggans, a Wetumpka resident, was appointed by Gov. Bob Riley to the Elmore County District Court.
The post Goggans will fill is a new one. Funding for an additional district judgeship in the county was authorized by Riley in December. The position was approved by an act of the Alabama Legislature in 1996, but was not subsequently funded.
“I am pleased to appoint Glenn Goggans to the bench in Elmore County,” said Riley. “He brings a wealth of legal experience and a sound legal philosophy to the bench, and I am confident he will serve the court and the people of Elmore County well.”
Until the appointment, which was immediately effective, Goggans was Chief Assistant District Attorney for the 19th Judicial Circuit, which includes Elmore, Autauga and Chilton counties.
In his previous position, Goggans was responsible for supervising all assistant district attorneys and staff, and prosecuting felony trials, with a concentration on capital murder and other serious felony offenses.
“I think the bench is a place that I can do a lot of good and make a difference,” said Goggans. “I’m a Christian, and I’m going to bring my faith to every case by treating everybody fairly and equally.
“I will make my judgments on what the law really is,” he continued.
Goggans served in the District Attorney’s Office for 16 years. In addition to his most recent post, he was previously an assistant district attorney.
“When I first came to Wetumpka, I worked for former District Attorney Janice Clardy Massa,” said Goggans.
He also served as a special assistant United States attorney for the Middle District of Alabama.
Goggans is a member of the National District Attorney’s Association, was past president of the Elmore County Bar Association and is a member of the State Executive Committee of the Alabama Republican Party.
In addition, he has served on various panels that review child abuse cases.
Goggans is a graduate of Jacksonville State University where he earned an MBA. He received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Alabama School of Law, and obtained a Masters of Divinity in Theology from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky.
Goggans’ wife, Delane, is the chief juvenile probation officer in Elmore County. The Goggans are parents of three children, Will, 12, and Ben and Andrew, nine.
Officials said the new judgeship will bring much needed relief to an overtaxed court system.
“This is a great day for the people of Elmore County in obtaining timely justice and I can’t thank the governor enough for making it a reality,” said Rep. Barry Mask (R-Wetumpka).
“The caseload of the current district judgeship was horrific in 1996, and has gotten worse in the 10 years that have passed,” said Riley. “I felt compelled to help alleviate the long waits and caseloads by authorizing the funding and establishment of this new judgeship for the citizens of Elmore County.”
