Justice
Letcher sheriff charged with murdering judge appears in court, gets ultimatum from governor
The Eastern Kentucky sheriff charged with murdering a judge entered a not guilty plea Wednesday and was put on notice by Gov. Andy Beshear that if he does not resign by Friday the governor will act to remove him.? Letcher County Sheriff Shawn “Mickey” Stines, 43, appeared remotely for his first appearance since District Judge […]
Voters in eight Central Kentucky counties must choose a new Supreme Court justice
Two women are vying in Central Kentucky for a seat on the state Supreme Court after the chief justice chose not to seek another term. The candidates are Pamela Goodwine, deputy chief Kentucky Court of Appeals judge, and Erin Izzo, a partner at Lexington law firm Landrum and Shouse. While judicial elections are nonpartisan in […]
Letcher County sheriff awaits arraignment Wednesday on charge of murdering judge
Letcher County Sheriff Shawn “Mickey” Stines, charged with murdering a judge in his chambers last week, will face arraignment Wednesday morning in Carter County. Stines is jailed in the Leslie County Detention Center. And he’s still sheriff of Letcher County. “He still is the sheriff until he would actually resign or be removed,”? said Jerry […]
AG Coleman joins Kentucky farmers in challenging Biden protections for foreign farmworkers
Seven Kentucky farmers last week sued the U.S. Department of Labor to block new federal protections for foreign farmworkers who enter the country on H2-A temporary visas. On Monday Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman joined them, saying the new rule would clear the way for farmworkers in Kentucky to unionize. Also moving to intervene to […]
Lambert to become first woman chief justice of Kentucky Supreme Court
State Supreme Court Deputy Chief Justice Debra Hembree Lambert will become the first woman to be Kentucky’s chief justice starting next year.? Justices on the court selected Lambert to serve as the next chief justice on Monday. She will serve a four-year term starting Jan. 6, 2025, according to an announcement from the Administrative Office […]
2 generations split by incarceration say sentencing should consider those left behind
When Jayden Spence was 5 years old, he watched police take his mother, Amanda Hall, away in handcuffs.? The experience “terrified” him, he told Kentucky lawmakers. It also left him a lingering “mistrust” of the justice system.? Spence and Hall lent their stories to the Interim Joint Committee on Judiciary Thursday and asked members to […]
Man arrested after poking rifle onto Trump golf course charged with federal gun crimes
WASHINGTON — Ryan Wesley Routh appeared in federal court Monday on two firearm charges after being apprehended by local law enforcement Sunday in what the FBI is investigating as a possible assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump. Authorities found a rifle in an area Routh was seen fleeing on Sunday, but acting Secret Service […]
Judge sets hearing on unsealing case involving attorney general’s efforts to get abortion records
Franklin Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd has scheduled a hearing Sept. 27 on whether to unseal a case that appears to involve efforts by the Kentucky attorney general’s office to subpoena employment records of two University of Louisville physicians who previously provided abortion services at a private clinic in Louisville. Shepherd’s order Thursday comes a month […]
Kentucky AG gets green light to spend millions in opioid ‘blood money’ on youth prevention
Kentucky’s Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission voted in favor of spending $3.6 million over the next two years on a three-part addiction prevention campaign geared toward youth proposed by Attorney General Russell Coleman Tuesday.? The funds that the commission is in charge of distributing, which come from legal settlements with drug companies, “represent the shared pain […]
Rep. Kulkarni cleared for Nov. 5 ballot by Franklin Circuit judge. Appeal quickly filed.
FRANKFORT —?Franklin Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd issued a ruling Monday afternoon that allows state Rep. Nima Kulkarni, a Louisville Democrat, to seek reelection in November after months of court battles that went to the state Supreme Court. However, the lawyer for a primary challenger has already filed another appeal. In his order, Shepherd wrote that […]
No dice for ‘risk-free’ gaming machines in Kentucky, advises AG Coleman
The manufacturer of a so-called “risk-free” gaming machine is hitting the pause button in Kentucky after Attorney General Russell Coleman said the machines are illegal under a ban passed by lawmakers last year.? Bob Heleringer, an attorney for Prominent Technologies, told the Lantern the company strongly disagrees with Coleman’s advisory but is directing businesses with […]
Democratic state lawmaker pleads not guilty to DUI-related charges
LOUISVILLE —?Kentucky state Rep. Beverly Chester-Burton pleaded not guilty to charges of reckless driving and driving under the influence in Jefferson County District Court Friday morning.? The 62-year-old Democratic lawmaker from Shivley was arrested by local police early Tuesday. According to the arrest citation, she refused to take a field sobriety test and a preliminary […]