Who’s running for Fayette District Court judge? What to know about 3 candidates

The office of Fayette County District Court Judge Division One is up for grabs this upcoming primary election, and incumbent Denotra Gunther is being challenged by two candidates.

Gunther was appointed to the post by Gov. Andy Beshear in December 2021 after working in the private sector at her own practice for nearly 18 years. She wants to keep her spot on the bench and hopes her experience and lengthy pedigree convinces the voters to choose her.

“As evidenced by my appointment by Gov. Beshear, I am the best and right person for the job as I have the most experience in every type of case and on every docket within the Court’s jurisdiction,” Gunther said.

Gunther graduated from law school at the University of Kentucky in May 1996. She started her career as a staff attorney for Judge Gary Payne, who was the only Black judge in Lexington at the time and someone Gunther considers a mentor.

She’s spent most of her career in the private sector with the Law Office of Denotra Spruill Gunther, a practice she closed when she was appointed district judge. She said she’s litigated every type of case within the jurisdiction of the circuit and district courts, which helps her on the bench.

A district court judge “handles juvenile matters, city and county ordinances, misdemeanors, violations, traffic offenses, probate of wills, arraignments, felony probable cause hearings, small claims involving $2,500 or less, civil cases involving $5,000 or less, voluntary and involuntary mental commitments and cases relating to domestic violence and abuse,” according to transparency.ky.gov.

Challenging Gunther is Shannon Brooks and Heather Vanderford Matics. Brooks rode horses competitively before starting her law career as a public defender in 2008. She earned a law degree from Saint Louis University and is a public defender in the Lexington South Office as a staff attorney II, according to her campaign website.

“I really want to do this to try to help and make a change,” Brooks said. “I have sort of gotten to where I feel like I am not making the change I want to change. I want to help people get better and try to work to keep people out of the system.”

Matics has spent 25 years practicing law, mostly criminal law as a defense and prosecution attorney. She earned a law degree at the Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville.

Matics said she wants to be a district judge because she has a passion for the work of the district court, which she said touches more people in the community than any other level of the court system.

“District court judges have a unique opportunity to be the catalyst for the people in the justice system who want to change their lives,” she said.

If elected, Gunther said she would like to see an expansion of Veterans Treatment Court and more attention given to issues facing Lexington’s LGBTQ community.

Gunther said the people in the LGBTQ community and veterans have specialized issues due to their circumstances and experiences, and lumping them all into one group is not efficient.

“I just feel like we have got to be more sensitive to the issues and the backlash that they may receive,” Gunther said. “I just feel like we need more resources directly to them and their specific issues.”

Brooks said a topic that she’s passionate about and needs to be addressed is mental health. She would like to see a change in how patients are treated at all levels of mental health court.

“We need to do better about evaluating mentally ill people more quickly in the system and find a way to keep from using prisons and jails as our mental health institutions,” Brooks said.

Matics wants to see a justice system that works proactively with the community to discover and address the root causes of criminal behavior. She’s worked with the Violence Intervention Work Group, the Project Safety Net and Project Safe Neighborhoods initiatives.

“As a judge, I will be committed to rehabilitation with a focus on treatment, where appropriate, to break the revolving door between the jail, courthouse and community,” Matics said.

The primary election will take place on May 17. Absentee ballots need to be requested by no later than May 3. Early voting will be conducted between May 12-14 at Kroger Field from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Shannon Brooks

Work experience: Public defender and attorney since 2008. Currently a staff attorney II for Department of Public Advocacy, Lexington South Office. Former directing attorney for the DPA.

Any offices currently or previously held: Board member for the Fayette County Bar Association. Serves on the Board of Equestrian Events, Inc.

Family: Mother of two children.

Denotra Gunther

Work experience: Currently serving as a Fayette County District Judge. Previously attorney for Law Office of Denotra Spruill Gunther and assistant Fayette County attorney for Fayette County Attorney’s Office.

Any offices currently or previously held: Incumbent Fayette County District Judge. Vice President of John Rowe Chapter of National Bar Association. Former member of Lexington Fayette Urban County Government Ethics Commission and Commission for Racial Justice and Equality.

Family: Parent of an adult son.

Heather Vanderford Matics

Work experience: Currently the Assistant Fayette County attorney handling cases in general prosecution and juvenile prosecution and the Special Assistant Attorney General handling felony prosecutions in neighboring counties. Previously a public defender at Lexington Legal Aid, a public defender for Department of Public Advocacy Trial Branch and a senior staff attorney at Kentucky Court of Appeals.

Any offices currently or previously held: Previously served as Cadet Team Representative on the Dance Attack Booster Club Board. Currently serves on boards of the Wesley Foundation at Kentucky State University, Partners for Youth, Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative, You Matter, Kentucky! (Juvenile Treatment Court 501(c)(3)) and Bluegrass Regional Crisis Intervention Team.

Family: Children Ellie, Franklin and James.

This story was originally published May 2, 2022 at 6:00 AM.

Christopher Leach

Lexington Herald-Leader

Chris Leach is a breaking news reporter for the Lexington Herald-Leader. He joined the newspaper in September 2021 after previously working with the Anderson News and the Cats Pause. Chris graduated from UK in December 2018. Support my work with a digital subscription