On Wednesday, October 29, 2025, Louisville Public Radio reported that a petition seeking the impeachment of Kentucky Supreme Court Justice Pamela Goodwine was filed with the Kentucky House clerk on Tuesday by Louisville attorney and GOP official Jack Richardson. The petition alleges that Justice Goodwine violated judicial rules by not recusing herself from an education-related case where a conflict of interest was present.

The seven-page petition focuses on Justice Goodwine’s participation in a controversial education case earlier in the year, as well as contributions made to a political action committee (PAC) that funded advertisements supporting her election. According to the report, state House representatives are unable to consider the impeachment petition until the commencement of the 2026 legislative session in January.

The central issue revolves around a Supreme Court decision in April, where a 4-3 majority voted to rehear a case that had been decided in December. The original December ruling upheld a 2022 law that limited the authority of the Jefferson County Public Schools’ elected board. This initial ruling occurred shortly after Goodwine’s election but before she was officially sworn into office. Goodwine’s vote was pivotal in the April decision to rehear the case, a move sought by the Jefferson County Board of Education.

Richardson’s petition asserts that Goodwine was legally and ethically obligated to recuse herself from the case. He cites media reports indicating that an independent political action committee, heavily funded by the Louisville teachers’ union, spent significant funds on advertisements to support her election.

Richardson argues that Goodwine had “a blatant conflict of interest and an inescapable appearance of bias,” which led to a decision granting relief to parties who had invested heavily in her election. He further contends that Goodwine’s actions created the appearance of political bias and an actual conflict of interest, violating the law and judicial ethics rules.

Justice Goodwine, the first Black female justice elected in Kentucky’s history, has refrained from commenting on the petition through a spokesperson. Similarly, the leadership of the House Republican supermajority has not responded to requests for comments regarding the petition.

The impeachment petition refers to previous reporting from Kentucky Public Radio concerning political advertisements supporting Goodwine, which were funded by the Jefferson County Teachers Association and PACs affiliated with Kentucky’s Democratic Governor, Andy Beshear. The reporting raised questions about potential conflicts of interest that might warrant recusal.

While Beshear and the teachers’ union were not plaintiffs in the case where Goodwine voted for a rehearing, the lawsuit challenging the 2022 law was initiated by the Jefferson County Board of Education and the former Kentucky education commissioner. Richardson’s petition does not address the distinction between the school board and the teachers’ union, nor does it explain why the political support from the union and the governor would necessitate her recusal from a case involving the school board.

In an interview, Richardson stated his belief that the Jefferson County school board and teachers’ union are essentially the same and that most people would agree with that assessment.

Goodwine was elected in November with the support of two independent political action committees that collectively spent nearly $1 million on advertisements. One of these groups received $200,000 from the PAC of the Jefferson County teachers’ union, which has a long history of involvement in JCPS school board elections. The PACs supporting Goodwine also received $100,000 from the Kentucky Education Association and $510,000 from groups affiliated with Governor Beshear.

In December, when asked if the spending by Beshear’s committees might require her to recuse herself from future Supreme Court cases involving the governor, Goodwine stated that she would make such decisions on a case-by-case basis and did not believe that a specific monetary contribution would automatically mandate recusal.

Following the April ruling to rehear the education case, Republican House Speaker David Osborne expressed concern, stating that the decision was “troubling” because the facts and arguments of the case remained unchanged, with only the court’s membership having changed. He added that judicial outcomes appeared to be increasingly driven by partisan politics.

Richardson’s petition alleges that Goodwine’s failure to recuse herself violated a statute, judicial conduct rules, and the due process rights of litigants, thereby undermining faith in the judiciary and the justice system.

Richardson, a longtime Republican donor and former chair of the Louisville GOP, hopes that Republican legislators will take his petition seriously and advance it once the session begins in January. He believes that the court system needs accountability and that judicial reform is necessary.

 

 

Source: Louisville Public Radio