His mom was a judge. She was a crime victim. It’s personal for Fayette court candidates
The candidates for Fayette district judge 5th Division come from different backgrounds but their life experiences led them to the race.
John Tackett’s mother, Julia Tackett, was a district judge from the late 1970s and served six uncontested terms. Later, she was a judge on the Kentucky Court of Appeals. She died in 2016.
“Figuratively and literally, I grew up around the court,” John Tackett said. “Since I was a kid, I always wanted to do this job because of my mother and the good work she did.”
Melissa Moore Murphy knows what it’s like to be a crime victim because she said she was sexually molested when she was 12.
“That’s actually why I decided to be a lawyer,” Murphy said, because she saw the decision-making power wielded by lawyers and judges. “I believe that every experience in my life led me to this. It’s how you use it. To whom much is given, much is required.”
The winner in the Nov. 6 contest will succeed Megan Lake Thornton, who did not seek re-election.
Murphy said she is the best candidate because “I have the whole gamut of legal experience.”
She was an assistant prosecutor in the Fayette commonwealth’s attorney’s office from 2002 to 2004 and later in Paducah. When Murphy moved back to Lexington, she was an assistant county attorney from 2007 to 2014, then became a lawyer for the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government.
“I think it’s important to have someone on the bench that has that lens from life experiences,” Murphy said. “I don’t say others don’t have it. I just know that I do.”
Murphy has been endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police Bluegrass Lodge 4.
For 11 years, Tackett has been a hearing officer for the city code-enforcement cases, many of which deal with tenant-landlord disputes.
Tackett also ran for district judge in 2008. He said he has practiced in every field of district court, which handles, among other matters, misdemeanors, traffic offenses, probate of wills, juvenile cases, small claims involving $2,500 or less and civil cases involving $5,000 or less.
“I’ve not just represented the people who are in power,” Tackett said. “I’ve not just represented the government. I’ve represented everyone across the spectrum. I’ve represented Fortune 500 companies in multimillion-dollar litigation, but I’ve also represented abused and neglected children and penniless widows in probate court.”
Tackett has raised $31,924.34 and spent $23,462, according to the website for the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance. Murphy has raised $22,310 and spent $11,076.
District judges serve four-year terms and make $115,485 a year.
John Tackett
Date of birth: Nov. 24, 1975
Education: Bachelor’s degree in anthropology from University of Chicago, 1998; law degree from University of Kentucky, 2003.
Occupation: Civil and criminal attorney
Family: Wife, Sarah Merlin
Website: TackettforJudge.com
Melissa Moore Murphy
Date of birth: Dec. 27, 1976
Education: Bachelor’s degree in political science and history from University of Kentucky, 1998; law degree from UK, 2001.
Occupation: Attorney for Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government
Family: Husband, Danny and three children
Website: mmmforjudge.com
This story was originally published October 30, 2018 at 1:07 PM.