Responses from unendorsed judicial candidates

Keep Johnson on appeals court

I am Judge Rob Johnson and since March 2017, I have represented you (Anderson, Bourbon, Boyle, Clark, Fayette, Franklin, Jessamine, Madison, Mercer, Scott and Woodford countians) on the Kentucky Court of Appeals — a body of 14 appellate judges with jurisdiction across the state.

I was selected for this appointment by a commission comprised of the chief justice of Kentucky and several prominent Kentucky citizens and attorneys, and the governor from a list of Central Kentucky judges and attorneys. Before this honor, I served Bourbon, Scott and Woodford counties as circuit judge for 12 years.

I have been married to Rebecca Johnson for over 25 years and we have five children. I am a proud graduate of Georgetown College and UK College of Law and an active member of Southland Christian Church-Georgetown.

My opponent and I have similar experience serving as judges in busy circuits for over a decade. However, if you desire a judge who strictly interprets the law — not creates it; a judge who has already been doing the job and authored numerous well-reasoned, published opinions; a law-and-order judge who has been endorsed by numerous prosecutors, including Fayette’s own Ray Larson, and the Kentucky Fraternal Order of Police; a judge who has not been reversed on appeal from any trial by final opinion; and a judge who shares your Kentucky values, then I ask for your vote to keep me, Judge Rob Johnson, a proven judge, on the Kentucky Court of Appeals.

Thank you.

Thurston has will, desire to be judge

I appreciate the editorial board meeting with me and other candidates during its endorsement process. It’s important for voters to be informed about the candidates they have the choice to elect on Nov. 6.

The board’s “tepid” endorsement of my opponent was disappointing because I am the only candidate who has demonstrated the will and desire to serve you as district judge over the next four years.

On Jan. 30, 2018, my opponent signaled he no longer wanted to be a judge. Not long before the filing deadline, my opponent’s son filed to run for his father’s seat, presumably because my opponent intended to withdraw from the race and leave his son as the only candidate. There would be no election, and my opponent’s son would have become your next judge.

I stepped up to run because, as the editorial board correctly stated, “a judgeship is not a family inheritance.”

Since announcing my candidacy, I’ve worked tirelessly each and every day to earn your vote, including meeting many of you in our community or at your doorsteps to explain why I’m the right choice in this race.

Over the past 15 years, I’ve devoted my entire career to public service. I have served as a prosecutor at the state and federal levels advocating for women, children and families. I’m committed to this community. I will be a fair, impartial and dedicated judge. I’m qualified and ready to serve.

I ask you for your vote on Nov. 6.