Revealed: Glamorous judge accused of bullying spent more than $1MILLION of taxpayers' money on commercials and glossy promotional letters promoting HERSELF

By JAMES GORDON, US NEWS REPORTER Published: 02:01, 7 July 2026 | Updated: 02:01, 7 July 2026 A glamorous Alabama judge already suspended from the bench is alleged to have spent more than $1 million in taxpayer money on consultants, radio commercials, glossy mailers and promotional campaigns that critics say promoted her own image. Newly released records reveal how Jefferson County Probate Judge Yashiba Blanchard approved the spending over little more than a year using a discretionary fund originally created to preserve and digitize historic county records. Judge Blanchard is already suspended over separate misconduct allegations. These new disclosures, obtained by AL.com come just days before Blanchard is due to face a judicial misconduct hearing in Montgomery on July 9.  She has denied wrongdoing and insists the spending modernized the probate court and improved services for residents. Financial records reviewed by AL.com show Blanchard approved at least $637,000 in payments to CBG Strategies LLC, a Birmingham-based public relations and political consulting firm, along with another $450,000 to Greene Consulting Group LLC, a Huntsville government affairs and consulting company. Most of the payments were broadly described as 'professional services,' although some records referenced reimbursements for direct-mail campaigns costing more than $53,000 across 2025 and 2026. The spending also included around $142,000 for radio commercials, some featuring Blanchard herself explaining election procedures in her role as Jefferson County's chief elections official. Jefferson County Probate Judge Yashiba Blanchard approved more than $1 million in spending from a discretionary probate court fund over little more than a year according to records  Blanchard authorized at least $637,000 in payments to Birmingham-based public relations and political consulting firm CBG Strategies LLC Records show the discretionary fund paid at least $9,400 for professional photography, including staff headshots, courthouse events and an $850 photo session for Assistant Probate Judge Jacqueline Knox, Blanchard's appointed deputy judge. Additional spending covered office furniture and donations to community health and neighborhood organizations. The money came from the Jefferson County Probate Court Archive Fund, established by the Alabama Legislature in 2012 to preserve and digitize millions of aging county records, including property deeds, marriage licenses and military documents dating back nearly 200 years. The fund is financed through fees paid by the public for probate filings and can also be used for services deemed necessary to improve the probate judge's office. Former Jefferson County Manager Tony Petelos, who worked alongside several probate judges during his career, questioned whether Blanchard's spending reflected previous practice. 'Based on what I've seen and heard, I don't think this is typical,' Petelos told AL.com. Petelos said earlier probate judges used the fund differently, although county officials processed spending requests submitted by the probate court rather than controlling how the money was spent. Blanchard defended the expenditures in a statement provided through her attorneys, saying they were part of a broader effort to overhaul the office and improve access to services. Blanchard was suspended from the bench on May 21 over separate misconduct allegations and is scheduled to face a judicial hearing on July 9 in Montgomery Through her attorneys, Blanchard said the spending was intended to modernize the probate court and improve communication with Jefferson County residents 'I wanted to build community engagement, expand outreach and improve the communication infrastructure with all citizens of Jefferson County,' she said. 'We hired experienced consultants to streamline services for residents and redesigned how information and services are delivered to the citizens of Jefferson County.' She said the projects resulted in a mobile app, an ADA-compliant website, improved case management, a more efficient land records system, expanded digital communications and community outreach events designed to provide faster and better services. The spending has nevertheless drawn criticism from ethics experts, who argue the law governing the archive fund leaves too much room for interpretation. Jim Sumner, the retired longtime director of the Alabama Ethics Commission, said public funds should remain tied to the purpose for which they were created. 'Public funds should be generally limited to the stated purpose for which they were established,' Sumner told AL.com. 'Public monies which can be dispersed solely at the discretion of an office holder, without any guidelines or restrictions, is an invitation for abuse and misuse. From an ethical perspective, it is simply not good public policy.' Susan Pace Hamill, Professor Emerita of Law at the University of Alabama, also questioned the spending. 'In this case, we can charitably deem the narrative as an example of an attempt to engage in 'creative interpretation' of the law,' she told AL.com. Hamill said broad rules governing the fund rely too heavily on the honesty of whoever oversees it. 'This is why it is important to vigorously scrutinize for abuse of flexible standards and then harshly penalize obvious violations of the spirit of the law,' she said. Financial records show the discretionary fund covered about $142,000 in radio advertising, including commercials featuring Blanchard explaining election procedures 'Public funds don't come from the sky - these funds have been extracted from taxpayers and blatant abuse of the funds erode taxpayer confidence, which is already quite low in Alabama.' Former Probate Judge Alan King, who helped establish the archive fund and served four terms before retiring in 2020, said every expenditure during his administration required approval from both the county attorney's office and the Alabama State Auditor's Office. 'While I was the Jefferson County Probate Judge, every expenditure from the archival and technology fund was made with the prior approval of the county attorney's office... and with the prior approval of the Alabama State Auditor's Office,' King said. The legislation creating the fund gives probate judges flexibility to spend the money on services that improve the office, but it does not specifically list many of the categories of spending identified in the records obtained by AL.com. The disclosures add fresh scrutiny to Blanchard just days before she appears at a judicial misconduct hearing, where she will contest separate allegations that led to her suspension from the bench in May. In that case, Alabama's Judicial Inquiry Commission accused her of bullying staff, retaliating against employees, intimidating attorneys and repeatedly delaying court hearings. It includes one occasion when investigators allege she told staff she was late because she had 'three dogs to walk.'  Blanchard denies the allegations and is due to face a judicial hearing on Thursday.