Former KY GOP lawmaker seeks to impeach Fayette Circuit Judge Julie Goodman

A former Kentucky state representative filed a petition Wednesday to impeach Fayette Circuit Judge Julie Goodman over her handling of six different cases in Lexington.

Killian Timoney — who represented House District 45 before being defeated in a GOP primary in 2024 and is seeking the seat again this year — argues in the petition that Goodman abused her judicial authority and undermined public confidence in the courts in a way that constitutes “misdemeanors in office.”

“Judge Goodman has abused her office to such an extent, and in so many cases, that she has undermined public confidence in the judicial process,” Timoney wrote. “These abuses constitute misdemeanors in office under Section 68 of the Kentucky Constitution, for which she should be impeached, removed from office and disqualified to hold any office of honor, trust or profit under this Commonwealth.”

Goodman told the Herald-Leader Wednesday afternoon she was not aware of the impeachment filing, nor did she know who Timoney is.

She did not express surprise at the fact an impeachment petition was filed, given an impeachment petition has also been filed recently against Kentucky Supreme Court Justice Pamela Goodwine.

“I think it was only a matter of time, I guess.” Goodman said.

In a brief interview with the Herald-Leader, Timoney mostly deferred questions to the petition and a post he made to Facebook.

He did not respond to a question on what made Goodman’s rulings worthy of impeachment or if the filing was politically motivated given he is seeking to regain his old seat.

Timoney cites six cases handled by Goodman’s court he believes warrant her impeachment. He wrote that the grounds for impeachment include “refusal to obey legal precedent, outrageous demonstrations of bias, disregard of the separation of powers and an egregious pattern of judicial activism.”

The first was recently overturned in a scathing opinion issued by the Kentucky Court of Appeals in December.

Goodman dismissed the case of Cornell Thomas, 39, who was charged with wanton murder in a June 2020 car crash near Leestown Road that killed Tammy Botkin, a 50-year-old Lexington woman.

She dismissed the case in 2023, arguing Thomas was overcharged because of his race. In her order, she accused Fayette County prosecutors of systemic racial bias.

Attorney General Russell Coleman intervened and sent the case to the court of appeals. This intervention was one of three Coleman’s office oversaw against Goodman in the span of months.

The appeals court decision remanded Goodman’s ruling and suggested she recuse herself from further proceedings, stating it was clear Thomas would not receive a fair trial in her court.

Timoney told the Herald-Leader he dedicated his first campaign to become state representative to Botkin, whom he knew personally.

The House District 45 seat, split between southwest Fayette County and a slice of Jessamine County, is now held by Rep. Adam Moore, D-Lexington. Moore narrowly defeated Thomas Jefferson, who beat Timoney in the 2024 GOP primary by 44 percentage points. The district is one of just a handful of politically “purple” districts in the state.

Moore is running for reelection, and Timoney faces Jeff Thompson, a former Idaho state legislator, in the GOP primary.

Timoney’s petition cites two other cases the court of appeals reversed from Goodman’s court.

One involves James Harvey Hendron, a Lexington father who shot and killed his 23-year-old son on Father’s Day in 2018.

A jury convicted Hendron of murder after a four-day trial but Goodman overturned that conviction, citing further prosecutorial misconduct.

Again, the court of appeals said Goodman overstepped, and ordered Hendron’s sentence stand.

This breaking news story may be updated.

This story was originally published January 28, 2026 at 3:42 PM.

Austin Horn

Lexington Herald-Leader

706-571-8597

Austin Horn is a politics reporter for the Lexington Herald-Leader. He previously worked for the Frankfort State Journal and National Public Radio. Horn has roots in both Woodford and Martin Counties.

Taylor Six

Lexington Herald-Leader

Taylor Six is the criminal justice reporter at the Herald-Leader. She was born and raised in Lexington attending Lafayette High School. She graduated from Eastern Kentucky University in 2018 with a degree in journalism. She previously worked as the government reporter for the Richmond Register.