Legislation that would give Christian and Trigg County each an additional circuit judge, while taking away a district judge from Hopkins and other counties, made it out of of the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday morning.
House Bill 214 would create a second family court judge position in Christian County and a second circuit judge seat in the 56th Circuit that includes Trigg, Caldwell, Livingston and Lyon counties.
A total of nine circuits would get a new family or circuit judge and nine circuits would lose a district judge—including Hopkins County.
Kentucky Supreme Court Chief Justice John Minton says the caseload numbers were analyzed and the proposed moves are meant to place judges where the workload dictates.
The new judgeships would become effective in January of next year and the elimination of the district judge seats would be effective in January of 2027.
Former Madisonville mayor Will Cox works as an attorney in Hopkins County and questioned how the caseload numbers are tabulated and if there’s consistency in how they’re assessed across the state. He says he’s practiced in Hopkins and Christian County and believes both justice centers are plenty busy.
Delegations from Hopkins and Henderson counties each said they were not opposed to any county getting new circuit judges when they’re needed, but they would ask that no district judge seats be eliminated until the General Assembly decides to address more comprehensive judicial redistricting.
Senator Whitney Westerfield, who chairs the committee, says that’s not the option currently up for discussion, as the Supreme Court decides the number of judicial seats in Kentucky.
After initially failing to receive the necessary number of votes, it received a favorable 6-3 vote at the end of the meeting, allowing it to advance to the full Senate.