Judge Goodwine wins KY Supreme Court race, becomes first Black woman elected to high court
Court of Appeals Judge Pamela Goodwine is projected to win a seat onto the seven-member Kentucky Supreme Court, making history as the first Black woman elected to the state’s highest court.
The jurist was winning in every county in the eight-county Kentucky Supreme Court District 5 as of mid-Tuesday evening, carrying Fayette by an impressive 60-point margin — 89,660 to competitor Erin Izzo’s 21,743.
Goodwine, a Lexington political stalwart with 25 years on the bench, stressed her long experience as a judge as the primary reason voters in Fayette County and seven surrounding counties should back her over Izzo.
A private attorney in Lexington, Izzo had no judicial experience.
“We don’t need someone on the Kentucky Supreme Court who has to learn how to be a judge… Justices on the Kentucky Supreme Court come to the court, or should come to the court, with a vast array of judicial experience,” Goowine said during the campaign.
She reiterated this in her acceptance speech.
“Our campaign stood firmly on experience, honesty and a commitment to impartiality and the rule of law to protect and serve every citizen. And I want to thank every one of you who stood up for the truth, who believed in the power of qualifications and the highest standards of judicial integrity,” Goodwine said.
The court of appeals judge also pitched herself as a more nonpartisan option compared to Izzo, who campaigned as a “constitutional conservative.” However, Goodwine was the beneficiary of endorsements and loads of cash from Gov. Andy Beshear and the state’s Democratic donor base.
Goodwine’s win also tips the court to become majority-woman for the first time in its existence, though Izzo’s would have done the same.
Goodwine will become the fifth person ever to serve at all levels of the Kentucky judiciary and first woman ever to do so.
Her victory solidifies a recent trend in high-profile judicial campaigns in Kentucky: candidates backed by conservative organizations losing. In 2022, two Kentucky Supreme Court candidates and one Franklin Circuit Court candidate ran as openly “conservative” and received heavy backing from conservative groups; all of them lost handily.
During a key stretch of the campaign, Goodwine faced personal tragedy. The judge lost her 19-year-old granddaughter, Journee Padgett, and her infant great-granddaughter Alanee Grace in a mid-October car accident.
In a statement, Izzo congratulated Goodwine on her victory and said she looks forward to speaking with her.
“We knew it was an uphill battle as a first-time candidate with limited resources going against a well-known judge with huge money being spent on her behalf. Still, it was a race worth making and we thank everyone who stood with us,” Izzo wrote.
This story was originally published November 5, 2024 at 8:40 PM with the headline "Judge Goodwine wins KY Supreme Court race, becomes first Black woman elected to high court."
