Three incumbent judges at state and Fayette levels lose their seats
Three incumbent judges — Kentucky Court of Appeals Judge Rob Johnson, Fayette District Judge Kim Wilkie, and Fayette Circuit Judge John Reynolds — lost in Tuesday night’s elections.
Johnson, appointed by Gov. Matt Bevin to the Kentucky Court of Appeals in March 2017, lost to Pamela Goodwine, a Fayette circuit judge in three of 11 counties, including Fayette where she led by about 36,000 votes, according to unofficial state results reported by the Kentucky Board of Elections.
Goodwine led 56 percent to Johnson’s 44 percent with 100 percent of the precincts counted, the Associated Press reported.
Goodwine will complete the unexpired term of Laurance VanMeter, who was elected to the Kentucky Supreme Court. Goodwine will serve as judge for the Fifth appellate district through 2022, when an election will be held for a full eight-year term.
The Fifth appellate district is composed of Anderson, Bourbon, Boyle, Clark, Fayette, Franklin, Jessamine, Madison, Mercer, Scott and Woodford counties.
Wilkie, who was first elected Fayette district judge in 2010, lost to challenger Lindsay Hughes Thurston 58 percent to 42 percent. It was the most contentious judicial race on the Fayette ballot.
Wilkie had accused Thurston, a senior adviser to Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes, of misusing state resources, time and personnel in violation of the ethics code, while Thurston alleged that Wilkie had tried to hand off the judgeship to his son, Chris Wilkie.
Reynolds lost his seat as a Fayette circuit judge to political newcomer Lucy VanMeter, wife of Kentucky Supreme Court Justice Laurance VanMeter. She got her name out through television ads. She raised more than $224,000 while Reynolds raised a little more than $54,000, according to the website of the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance.
VanMeter will complete the unexpired term of Judge James Ishmael Jr., who retired. Another election will be held in 2022 for a full eight-year term.
Meanwhile, incumbent Fayette Family Court Judge Libby Messer defeated challenger Eileen O’Brien.
Messer was appointed by Bevin to serve after Judge Tim Philpot retired. Messer will serve the remainder of unexpired term to 2022, when an election will be held for a new eight-year term.
In another Fayette district judge race, John Tackett, son of a former district judge, defeated Melissa Moore Murphy, an attorney for Urban County Government. Tackett had run for judge in 2008.
Court of Appeals
Pamela R. Goodwine 126,922
Rob Johnson 98,312
Family Court
Libby G. Messer 52,643
Eileen M. O’Brien 36,756
Circuit Court
John Edward Reynolds 28,632
Lucy Ferguson VanMeter 66,763
District Court
Lindsay Hughes Thurston 46,790
Kim Wilkie 34,373
District Court
Melissa Moore Murphy 43,260
John Tackett 45,489
This story was originally published November 6, 2018 at 9:42 PM.