US EditionKentucky Supreme Court Blocks Impeachment of Fayette Judge
The 5-1 ruling says lawmakers lacked authority to impeach Goodman over her rulings and sends complaints to appeals or judicial discipline.
- On Monday, the Kentucky Supreme Court ruled 5-1 to halt the impeachment of Fayette Circuit Judge Julie Muth Goodman, ordering the General Assembly to dismiss the pending trial scheduled for April 16.
- Former state Rep. Killian Timoney filed the initial petition in January, alleging Goodman engaged in an "egregious pattern of judicial activism" in six cases—claims the court deemed legally defective for lacking a sworn affidavit.
- Chief Justice Debra Hembree Lambert wrote the impeachment "encroaches upon the inherent powers of the Judicial Branch," arguing misconduct allegations should have been addressed by the Judicial Conduct Commission instead of the legislature.
- The ruling voids House Resolution 124, effectively ending the Senate trial previously scheduled for April 16, as justices concluded lawmakers lacked constitutional authority to pursue impeachment based on judicial rulings.
- Justices warned that permitting lawmakers to impeach judges over controversial decisions would violate the separation of powers and threaten judicial independence, characterizing the effort as an "organized assault" on the Judicial Branch.
11 Articles
11 Articles
The Advocate-Messenger
Kentucky Supreme Court blocks judge's impeachment
FRANKFORT – The Kentucky Supreme Court issued an opinion and order on Monday, which throws out the impeachment resolution (H.R. 124) approved by the Kentucky House of Representatives against Fayette Circuit Judge Julie Goodman. In her filing for what is known as a supervisory writ petition, Goodman sought a declaration that H.R. 124 constituted an encroachment upon the powers of the Judicial Branch, that it was a violation of the separation of p…
Kentucky Republicans Are Trying to Impeach Julie Muth Goodman For Acknowledging That Racism Exists
Across the country, Republican legislators have been hard at work devising innovative ways to punish state court judges who rule against them. From expanding supreme courts to channeling jurisdiction over key issues into friendly courts to reworking judicial nomination and oversight commissions, red state lawmakers have increasingly asserted their dominance over this other, ostensibly co-equal branch of government. In Kentucky, the legislature i…
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