Officials, lawyers react to KY House vote to impeach Fayette Judge Julie Goodman
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Kentucky House approved articles of impeachment against Judge Julie Muth Goodman 73-14.
- Supporters, like Reps. Nemes and Moore, say it upholds the law and public trust.
- Opponents say it risks judicial independence and prefer judicial conduct review.
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Judge Julie Goodman impeachment
Former Kentucky state Rep. Killian Timoney filed a petition in January to impeach Fayette Circuit Judge Julie Goodman over her handling of six different cases in Lexington. Goodman and her legal team deny any misconduct, and other legal professionals have raised concerns about the possible precedent an impeachment could set.
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Kentucky officials offered mixed reviews Friday to the Kentucky House of Representatives’ unprecedented vote to impeach Fayette Circuit Judge Julie Muth Goodman.
The Kentucky House voted 73-14 to approve the articles of impeachment against the Fayette Circuit Judge. The case now heads to the Senate for trial.
Robert McBride, Goodman’s attorney, said the vote was expected but described it as a “historic error.”
“The impeachment of Judge Goodman ... may well serve to undermine the independence of our judicial system,” McBride said in a statement. “Judge Goodman did not commit a misdemeanor in office. We look forward to seeking judge for her in the courts and before the Senate.”
Goodman has served as a judge for 18 years, having been elected six times by Fayette County voters. Killian Timoney, a former Republican lawmaker seeking to win back his Lexington-area House seat this year, filed the petition to impeach Goodman in January, arguing she had abused her office.
Timoney is seeking the seat held by Rep. Adam Moore, D-Lexington. He was the only Democrat present to vote in favor of the articles.
Timoney claimed Goodman abused her judicial authority and undermined public confidence in the courts in a way that constitutes “misdemeanors in office.” Rep. Jason Nemes, R-Middleton, laid out six cases mentioned in the petition, all of which claim Goodman abused her judicial discretion and authority.
The vote was largely along party lines. Rep. Daniel Elliott, R-Danville, was the only Republican present to vote against it.
Nemes, the Impeachment Committee chair, said the vote was an important issue and everyone took their vote seriously.
“This is about judges who acknowledge what the law is and then willfully decide not to follow that and that has been and should remain the precedent,” Nemes said in a statement. “Good judges, even judges who are struggling and wrestling with the law and get it wrong, they have nothing to worry about. It’s the ones who know what the law is and decide that they just don’t want to follow it.”
Moore told the Herald-Leader he was elected, “to uphold the public trust and public safety.”
“Today’s vote was to protect my constituents and the people of Fayette County,” Moore said in a statement. “I look forward to Judge Goodman being afforded a fair trial in the Senate.”
Joshua Douglas, an election law and voting rights professor at the University of Kentucky’s J. David Rosenberg College of Law, argued Goodman’s case should have been presented to the state’s Judicial Conduct Committee rather than state legislature.
“Impeaching a judge because you don’t like her rulings sets an extremely dangerous precedent,” Douglas said on the social media site Bluesky.
Before the House’s vote, Gov. Andy Beshear said Wednesday the proceedings could have a “chilling effect” on Kentucky’s judiciary. The Democratic governor, among others, has said impeachment may not be the proper route to determine if Goodman made improper rulings from the bench.
“It opens up creation of a precedent where you would impeach a judge from disagreements with rulings,” Beshear said in a weekly news conference. “When it hasn’t gone through the Judicial Conduct Commission, when you haven’t had other judges and groups weigh in on it, I think can create a chilling effect, and that you could see more of these being filed by parties that didn’t get a ruling they wanted.”
House Speaker David Osborne, R-Prospect, said he thought Friday morning’s impeachment debate in the House was respectful and everyone understood the magnitude of the moment.
“We have lots of impeachment petitions filed every year, and we rarely move on any of them. And so, to understand the magnitude of this, to understand that this was an exceptional situation, I think sets the precedent that we have set the precedent that we’re not going to be quick to use this tool.”
This story was originally published March 20, 2026 at 2:14 PM.
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