Kentucky Supreme Court upholds opinion on Fayette Co. judge’s impeachment

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WKYT) - The Kentucky Supreme Court ruled on Thursday it will not change it’s stance on voiding the impeachment of Fayette County Judge Julie Muth Goodman, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader.

In April, the court ruled 5-1 in favor of halting the impeachment proceedings against Goodman.

“The vote of six members of this Court participating in the determination of this appeal is equally divided,” the order says. “Accordingly, pursuant to Supreme Court Rule (SCR) 1.020, the Opinion and Order rendered by this Court on April 6, 2026, stands as originally rendered.”

Background

The Kentucky House passed a resolution to impeach Fayette Circuit Judge Julie Goodman on March 20, claiming she abused both judicial discretion and authority.

On March 31, Franklin Circuit Judge Phillip J. Shepherd issued a ruling, stating the impeachment proceedings were null and void. However, Lawmakers told the Herald-leader that Shepherd has no “constitutional authority” to void the impeachment and that the Senate trial would still occur, tentatively taking place on April 16.

Legal defects cited

The court found the impeachment petition was legally defective because it was never sworn or verified by affidavit as state law requires.

Justices also said the allegations against Judge Goodman were really disagreements over her rulings in six cases, not “impeachable offenses.” They ruled those kinds of complaints must be handled through appeals and the judicial conduct commission, not through impeachment.

Separation of powers concerns

The court warned that letting lawmakers impeach judges over controversial decisions would violate the separation of powers, threaten judicial independence, and could lead to what it called “tyrannical” control of the courts.

The justices also said the process denied Goodman due process, because five of the six cases were still pending and ethics rules barred her from publicly defending her decisions.

The ruling enjoins the General Assembly from any further impeachment proceedings in this matter, but a separate judicial conduct investigation into Judge Goodman can still move forward.

Family seeks justice in deadly hit-and-run case

One case cited in the petition is a deadly hit-and-run that killed Tammy Botkin in 2020.

Judge Goodman dismissed a murder indictment against Cornell Thomas II. In December, the Kentucky Court of Appeals unanimously ruled to re-indict the man accused of murder in Botkin’s case.

Less than four months ago, Tammy Botkin’s brother, James Eldridge, thought his sister’s alleged killer would not stand before a jury trial. After Judge Goodman threw out Cornell Thomas II’s murder indictment in 2023, the family was heartbroken.

“There are numerous cases that are just like ours that have been pretty much just dismissed,” Eldridge said.

Botkin’s case is one of six that were brought up during Judge Goodman’s impeachment hearing. On Monday, Judge Goodman’s impeachment was terminated by the Kentucky Supreme Court. But Eldridge said the impeachment is not his family’s concern.

“As far as Judge Goodman goes, it doesn’t really matter to me. We just want a fair trial,” he said.

Eldridge said he thinks there was misconduct on Goodman’s part.

“At some point it makes you wonder about our judicial system and that’s a scary thought,” he said.

Eldridge said he worries how the failed impeachment and additional attention on his sister’s case will impact the outcome. Judge Goodman was asked to recuse herself in December 2025, but the family has no updates.

“We just want a jury to decide and not just one person,” Eldridge said.