3 local attorneys bid for Fayette County district judge seat in primary election
Three people are seeking election to a Fayette County District Court bench to serve the people in the space where most everyday Kentuckians come in contact with the legal system.
Shannon Brooks, Aaron Fallahi and Alex Garcia are each vying to serve on the bench for Kentucky’s 22nd District, 2nd Division, representing Fayette County.
The top two-vote getters will compete in the November General Election. The winner of the race will replace current Fayette District Court Judge Bruce Bell, who is not seeking reelection.
District court is the court of “limited jurisdiction,” and a district judge oversees juvenile cases, city and county ordinances, misdemeanors, traffic offenses, will probate, arraignments, felony probable cause hearings, small claims involving $2,500 or less and civil cases involving $5,000 or less.
We asked the candidates about their desire to serve following a legislative session when two Lexington judges were threatened with impeachment and the specialty courts funding was slashed by lawmakers. Kentucky’s specialty courts include drug, mental health and veterans treatment courts, which provide supervision and help guide defendants whose charges are tied to substance abuse disorder or mental illness. Those courts can divert defendants to healthcare and other treatment services to reduce recidivism.
Here’s what they had to say.
Shannon Brooks
Brooks has served as a public defender for 18 years, representing thousands of clients in the Kentucky court system. During that time, she said she has learned that the reason people appear in court is rarely just an issue of the law.
She listed struggles with mental health, addiction, domestic violence, sexual violence, housing instability, poverty, homelessness, job and food insecurity as a few issues that bring people to the courtroom.
If elected, Brooks said she would harness her years of experience in Kentucky’s court system to administer justice fairly and lawfully, while utilizing community resources to address the underlying circumstances bringing people to court.
Because of the all encompassing problems that face Kentuckians, Brooks said it would be a “travesty” if the specialty courts were eliminated due to lack of funding.
“As a public defender, I have often thought of Specialty Courts as the last stop before someone serves substantial time in prison, best reserved for people with exposure to treatment or traditional probation, because it is so difficult for people to graduate from the program who historically struggle with little or no positive support,” Brooks said.
She said despite attempts to impeach two judges in Fayette County, she refuses to be affected.
“In my opinion, for a judge, the law should be above politics,” she said. “The law is the law, regardless of politics, and should be applied fairly without political bias. A judge’s job is to remain impartial while listening to facts and circumstances of each party to the case and to administer the law fairly.”
Aaron Fallahi
Fallahi is a life-long Lexington resident who works as an attorney and is a United States Air Force veteran. Fallahi said that as he pursues the judge’s bench, he focuses on principles he learned in the Air Force: “Integrity First, Service Before Self, and Excellence in All We Do.”
Fallahi has had the opportunity to work as a staff attorney for several Lexington judges, including John Reynolds, Thomas Clark, James Ishmail, and Sheila Isaac. He said through that perspective, he knew wanted to serve on the local bench.
“Each had a slightly different courtroom manner, but all displayed the highest degree of professionalism and knowledge.” Fallahi said. “At that point I determined that I would like to serve the community as a judge.”
Fallahi said he hopes to revive the city’s community service program if elected, saying it helps to reduce recidivism, nurturing pride and goal completion. According to Fallahi, the program disbanded due to COVID-19. He vows to reestablish the program by working with governmental and nonprofit organizations to provide opportunities for placements.
He is also an advocate for the specialty courts, including the Veteran’s Treatment Court, for which he has volunteered. He told the Herald-Leader he is in favor of money being allocated to the programs because he has witnessed them provide “great return and benefit” to the citizens.
“Of course, funding is not unlimited, and our taxpayer dollars must be spent on the most productive uses, therefore if other programs are shown to provide a greater benefit then I could be persuaded to change my view,” he said.
Alex Garcia
Alex Garcia previously worked for 10 years as a prosecutor in Kentucky and went on to work in education law. Garcia continues to serve as a major in the United States Army Reserve, providing legal assistance to service members and their families.
In addition to his work in the legal system, Garcia is a member of the Mayor’s Racial Justice and Equity Commission and chairman of LexArts. He serves on the Lexington Public Library Foundation and is the upcoming president of the Fayette County Bar Association.
If elected, Garcia would become the first Latino judge to serve in Fayette County. He said this would help bring further diverse representation to the “People’s Court.”
A first-generation college student with a blue-collar upbringing, Garcia said he knows how it feels to “walk into institutions that don’t have you in mind.”
“A bench that reflects the community it serves is a bench voters trust,” Garcia said. “That perspective doesn’t replace the law; it sharpens how it is applied. The historic piece matters. What should matter more is the work I’ll do every day on that bench.”
He said the work he would do on the bench would not be fazed by any outside forces.
“My job, if elected, is to handle each case with the same care regardless of what is happening in Frankfort,” Garcia told the Herald-Leader. “I will be fair and impartial to everyone who walks into that courtroom, no matter the situation outside of it. My years of experience as a prosecutor, plus my service as an Army Reserve JAG officer, have taught me to do the work, no matter the noise around it.”
