Nominees named for court vacancies

By Bill Robinson
Register News Writer

FRANKFORT July 02, 2009 11:10 pm

— The Judicial Nominating Commission, led by Chief Justice of Kentucky John D. Minton Jr., on Thursday announced the nominees to fill two vacant judgeships for the circuit district that includes Clark and Madison counties.
The family court division of circuit court and the district court both have vacancies created when two sitting judges won election last year to new positions.
The nominating commission has sent three candidates for each judgeship to Gov. Steve Beshear, who has 60 days to name interim judges to serve until the November election.
For the family court vacancy, the commission nominated lawyers Christopher Micah Davis of Winchester, Ira Dean Newman of Berea and Nora Jeanne Shepherd of Richmond.
A vacancy was created on the family court bench with Judge Jean C. Logue was elected circuit judge in November 2008.
The three attorneys named as nominees to fill the district court vacancy are Garrett Turner Fowles, Charles William Hardin and Thomas Jackson Smith III, all of Richmond.
The district court vacancy occurred when Judge William G. Clouse Jr. was elected circuit judge last year.

Family court nominees
Christopher Micah Davis is an associate with the law firm of Grant, Rose & Pumphrey in Winchester and is first assistant county attorney for Clark County.
He graduated from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 2000.
Ira Dean Newman was an attorney for the Appalachian Research and Defense Fund of Kentucky from 1977 to 2008. He graduated from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 1977.
Nora Jeanne Shepherd is a partner in the law firm of Sword, Floyd & Moody PLLC in Richmond. She graduated from the University of Louisville School of Law in 1995.

District court nominees
Garrett Turner Fowles is attorney for the city of Richmond and an assistant county attorney for Madison County. He graduated from the University of Louisville School of Law in 1979.
Charles William Hardin is an assistant county attorney for Madison County and an attorney with the Marc Robbins Law Office. He graduated from the Northern Kentucky University College of Law in 1996.
Thomas Jackson Smith III has been an assistant commonwealth’s attorney for Clark and Madison counties since 2005. He was commonwealth’s attorney and county attorney prior to that. He graduated from the University of Louisville School of Law in 1974.

Nominating process
To fill judicial vacancies, the state constitution requires the governor to select from three lawyers selected by the judicial nominating commission. Chaired by the Kentucky chief justice, the commission includes seven members. Two other attorneys, elected by the lawyers in a circuit/district, and four Kentucky citizens appointed by the governor also serve on the panel. The four non-attorney citizens appointed by the governor must equally represent the two major political parties.

Bill Robinson can be reached at brobinson@richmondregister.com or 624-6622.