Beshear picks naval captain to fill Goodwine’s Central KY Court of Appeals seat
Gov. Andy Beshear selected a replacement Monday for former Kentucky Court of Appeals judge Pamela Goodwine, who now serves on the state Supreme Court after her landslide election victory November.
William Moynahan, a Lexington resident with a long history of military and judicial service, will serve as a judge on Kentucky’s second-highest state court through 2026, when the appointment expires.
The 5th Court of Appeals District is drawn the same as the Kentucky Supreme Court district. It centers around Fayette County and includes all six “ring” counties bordering Fayette plus Franklin County.
Moynahan was selected by Beshear from a list of names submitted by the state Judicial Nominating Commission.
An assistant U.S. attorney serving in the Eastern District of Kentucky, Moynahan has been a Lexington-based prosecutor since 2018, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Moynahan, a pilot by training, comes to the bench with decades of service to the U.S. Navy and U.S. Naval Reserve. His 10-year active duty stint included 40 combat missions during the Iraq War. In 2016, he was called back to active duty for a year to serve as executive officer at Camp Lemonnier, the sole permanent U.S. military base in Africa.
He told the Herald-Leader that he was “honored and humbled” to be selected by Beshear for the role.
“Judges play an important role in our government and I think the Kentucky Constitution sets up a well-balanced process for filling judicial vacancies when they occur,” Moynahan wrote in a comment to the Herald-Leader.
“I’ve spent more than a decade prosecuting fraud cases in federal court, but this was an opportunity that doesn’t come along very often,” he continued. “I’ve worked on two federal courts of appeal earlier in my legal career and found that I enjoy researching complex legal issues and drafting opinions.”
He also said that he spoke with Goodwine and fellow 5th Court of Appeals District Judge Glenn Acree about the role before applying. Each of Kentucky’s seven Court of Appeals districts has two judges assigned to it, making 14 in total.
Much of Moynahan’s family also has military ties, according to state Rep. Chad Aull, D-Lexington, a personal friend of his.
Aull said that Moynahan was a good fit for the role in part because of his “unique and diverse background.”
“His family is originally from Jessamine County, he grew up in rural Laurel County and he’s lived and worked here in Lexington for several years. He knows the rural and the urban aspects of the area,” Aull said.
He also said that Moynahan’s military experience could prove helpful in the pressure cooker environment of the judiciary.
“You want someone who is going to be able to, as a judge, handle those high-pressure situations. It doesn’t get more high-pressure than in the military in a combat mission,” Aull said.
The newly anointed justice began his legal career as a law clerk to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces and later for U.S. Court of Appeals Justice Eugene Edward Siler Jr.
Moynahan graduated with an undergraduate degree from Harvard University and received his law degree from George Washington University.
Goodwine, who Moynahan is replacing, served as a district judge, circuit judge and several years as a Court of Appeals judge before claiming a spot on Kentucky’s highest court. She became the court’s first Black woman justice with her victory.
Beshear, a Democrat, openly supported Goodwine’s election, backing her publicly and supporting her monetarily through his political action committee. She defeated Erin Izzo, a Frankfort attorney, by nearly 54 percentage points in November.
Moynahan told the Herald-Leader he intends to seek election to the office in 2026, when his appointment expires. That election will decide who gets to serve out the remainder of the term, as Goodwine kicked off an eight-year term, expiring in 2030, with her 2022 re-election win.
This story was originally published April 15, 2025 at 3:16 PM.
