Attorney launches bid for Franklin Circuit Court judgeship, criticizes Phillip Shepherd
Joe Bilby, lead attorney for state Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles, is announcing his campaign to run next year for Franklin Circuit Court judge and accusing current judge, Phillip Shepherd, of not following the law.
Bilby said in a release, “I believe a judge should always follow the law, and that’s what I intend to do. For far too long, Judge Phillip Shepherd has failed to follow the law.
“It is past time for a change of personnel in that courtroom. I look forward to talking with voters about how I will follow the law, without fear or favor, and how the current officeholder has failed to meet that standard.”
Shepherd said in an email that he “will be filing for re-election next week, on the first day that candidacy papers can be legally filed. I’m running for re-election because Frankfort is my home, and I am committed to making it better place to live for all its people. Frankfort is the place where I was raised, where I learned my faith and where I have raised my family.”
He added: “The job of circuit judge carries the responsibility of speaking truth to power when power is in the wrong. Our system of checks and balances requires a judge who will stand up to politicians of both parties, and to the special interests, when the law requires it.”
Shepherd is the chief circuit court judge for the 48th Judicial Circuit which serves Franklin County. He was elected to the court in November 2006 and was re-elected without opposition in 2014. His current eight-year term expires on Jan. 1, 2023.
Shepherd has been front and center in several major state government legal cases. Judicial candidates in Kentucky participate in nonpartisan elections.
Bilby noted in his release that the Kentucky Supreme Court ruled unanimously in August to reverse a judgment made by Shepherd. The high court turned back Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s challenge of Republican-backed laws that limit his authority to enact emergency orders to help control the coronavirus pandemic.
In a 34-page order, the Supreme Court said Franklin Circuit Court abused its discretion in blocking the new laws from taking effect and sent the case back to the lower court to dissolve the injunction and hear legal arguments about the constitutionality of each law.
Shepherd said Thursday of Bilby’s comments, ““As my opponent should know, the Rules of Judicial Conduct prohibit both judges and judicial candidates from commenting on pending cases. I will follow those rules.”
A Kentucky native, Bilby is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He was deployed to Iraq in 2005 and to the Pacific with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit in 2006.
He has been general counsel of the state Department of Agriculture since 2016. He also runs a small private law practice with a focus on defending religious liberty. During the pandemic, he appeared in court to defend the rights of Christian churches and schools.
This story was originally published October 29, 2021 at 9:28 AM.
